Galaxy Jones and the Space Pirates

by Briana McDonald

From the author of Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing and The Secrets of Stone Creek comes a rip-roaring middle grade space adventure about a girl who is determined to save her family and friends from ruthless pirates—even if she has to venture across the universe to do it.

Galaxy Jones lives on the very, very edge of a star system in an inn run by her dads. She loves her home and her little family, but ever since the train station that serviced their part of the universe went defunct, tourists have stopped coming, and Lexi’s on the verge of losing it all. When the royal family stops at their inn on the way to a neighboring star system, Lexi’s dads hope for some good business, but Lexi knows from past experience with spoiled Prince Weston—and his annoying dog, Comet—to expect nothing but trouble.

Turns out, that “trouble” is a whole lot bigger than she anticipated. Weston has stolen something. Even worse, he’s stolen it from notorious pirates—former followers of Lexi’s idol, the famous pirate Astro Bonny—who have tracked him straight to her house. Problem is, Weston has lost the trinket somewhere in deep space. And now the pirates are holding all the adults hostage with the threat of destroying the inn if they can’t find what they’ve come for.

Lucky for Weston, Lexi has a plan. In exchange for his help saving the family business, she will use all her skills and embrace the adventurous spirit of the great Astro Bonny to help him find whatever it is the pirates are after. With some pluck, and a whole lot of luck, she might just pull it off—and make an unexpected friend along the way.

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Childrens

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Briana McDonald writes diverse and adventurous books for young readers. She studied writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University and her short fiction has appeared in several literary journals. When she’s not writing, Briana lives and works in New York City with her wife and their dog, Rex. She is the author of Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing, The Secrets of Stone Creek, and Galaxy Jones and the Space Pirates. Find out more at BrianaRoseMcDonald.com.

Reviews

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galaxy Jones, AKA Lexi, loved being an innkeeper's daughter in deep space where she could meet tons of amazing people while hanging out with her best friend Ron. But the universe keeps expanding, and as the threat of space pirates becomes more serious, neighbors keep moving away until Lexi and Ron's families are the only ones left. That's when Weston arrives: the snooty young prince who delights in torturing Lexi and bossing her around. But it turns out, Weston isn't just here to shake up the only home Lexi has ever known. He's led a vicious pirate crew right to the inn's door, and now it's up to the two of them to fix things before someone gets killed.

Like many others, I was disappointed to discover that this book had been mislabeled and is not a graphic novel. Well, I can't really hold that against the book itself. My issues with the book are primarily in that it was slow to get going. I didn't really enjoy Weston and Lexi's initial bickering before the pirates arrive. After that, though, I had a good time admiring experimental science and thinking deeply about what it means to grow up and grow old. The world building was fun, and the characters intriguing. Growing up and accepting change are hard things for everyone, but the concept was managed carefully and satisfactorily in this story.
Special nod to the cover art. Truly a delightful thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Caity · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and fast paced adventure. I liked the way familiar earth pirates shaped the Sci Fi space pirates in this book. The setting was interesting and I wish we had seen a little more of an explanation on some aspects of this galaxy it did leave some of the world building feeling a little underdeveloped. That said the concept of the outer edge of the galaxy moving further apart and how that isolated the main character was well done. The main characters are engaging and seeing the unlikely friendship develop was really satisfying. I would have also liked to see a little more of the secondary characters to round things out more but it was still a great adventure.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The deepest depths of space might seem forgotten, but this read shows that adventure can happen anywhere.

Lexi lives on the outskirts of a star system, where her parents run an inn, which seems to have been long forgotten. When guests finally show up, she's thrilled...until she realizes who the guests are. Having the Royals stay at the inn might seem like an honor, but Lexi and the young prince can't seem to get along. When Lexi learns that the Royals have arrived on a mission to stop the pirates, and said pirates are right on their heels, the adventure begins.

There's quite a bit to like about this read. First, the setting is imagination pure. The inn on the outskirts of the system, bound by a very, very long rope to another house, where her best lives when he's not traveling space with his mother to deliver astronaut ice cream. The prince, his dog, and the pirates round it off to create an original cast with more than a few quirks and surprises. There's character growth, dangerous moments, and more than a few times, where readers will wish they could head out to space, too.

The pacing is, for the most part, quick and keeps the readers rooting for Lexi the entire time. The beginning did draw out a little more than necessary, but then, it was entertaining to get to know the inn and the world around Lexi. After all, space means tons to discover. On the other hand, there were times where it would have been fun to explore and learn more about the system. I'm hoping this is only the first book in the series, and that this is only the beginning of what Lexi's universe holds.
I received an ARC and found this to be a quick, entertaining read. I'm giving it 4.5 stars and rounding up.

[Wafflepirates · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

This was a fun and fast-paced sci-fi adventure, though I overall felt the story was a bit lacking. Set in an ever-expanding universe, main character Lexi lives in an inn with her dads on the edge of space. When the royal family, and Lexi's rival prince Weston, arrive at the inn, Lexi is sure it'll be a miserable time. Instead, she gets pulled into an adventure after learning Weston stole something from some space pirates. The characters are pretty typical for a middle grade story, what was really fun was the setting. There were so many interesting ideas poured into the worldbuilding, and most of them are only mentioned in passing. I wish more of the setting had been discussed, it would've helped fill in gaps in the story and made the book feel more realistic.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book from Owlcrate Jr. I read to my kid that I would've stopped reading at 50%. It got so repetitive and every point was driven home with a sledgehammer over and over. The conclusion was predictable and inevitable but I try to keep in mind it's middle grade. Still, I don't think kids need quite this much hand holding to get the "lesson." Also, weren't these kids on a days long adventure without eating?

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for so much more from this.
I know it’s for young readers, but this felt like such a flat story for pirates. Misguided pirates taking over the universe following instructions that weren’t in line with being a pirate… I struggled to pay attention to what could easily have been an action packed adventure.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t hit the mark.

[David S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast-moving Middle Grade Science Fiction about an expanding universe, a prince an a seemingly normal deep space girl, and their quest to find themselves while saving the solar system from space pirates.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adult looking for a little whimsy in a children's book. This turned out to be the wrong place to look. Much slower than it looked and with lots of characters thinking about how they hate each other instead of doing anything.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Krys · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Megan S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet middle grade book about letting go in order to grow. All with scheming pirates, a not so bad after all prince, one aging dog. 🏴‍☠️🚀🐩