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Catch a Falling Star
This coming-of-age story by multiple award winner Meg McKinlay is about loss and grief, dealing with change and fighting to hold on to what you can, while letting go of what you can't.
It's 1979 and the sky is falling. Skylab, that is. Somewhere high above Frankie Avery, one of the world's first space stations is tumbling to Earth. And rushing back with it are old memories. Things 12 year old Frankie thought she had forgotten. Things her mum won't talk about, and which her little brother Newt never knew. Only ... did he? Because as Skylab circles closer, Newt starts acting strangely. And while the world watches the sky, Frankie keeps her own eyes on Newt. Because if anyone's going to keep him safe, it's her. But maybe this is something bigger than splinters and spiders and sleepwalking. Maybe a space station isn't the only thing heading for calamity.
It's 1979 and the sky is falling. Skylab, that is. Somewhere high above Frankie Avery, one of the world's first space stations is tumbling to Earth. And rushing back with it are old memories. Things 12 year old Frankie thought she had forgotten. Things her mum won't talk about, and which her little brother Newt never knew. Only ... did he? Because as Skylab circles closer, Newt starts acting strangely. And while the world watches the sky, Frankie keeps her own eyes on Newt. Because if anyone's going to keep him safe, it's her. But maybe this is something bigger than splinters and spiders and sleepwalking. Maybe a space station isn't the only thing heading for calamity.
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2019
11 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Meg McKinlay
25 books67 followersMeg McKinlay is a children's writer and poet living in Fremantle, Western Australia.
She has published twenty-five books for young people, ranging from picture books through to young adult novels, and a collection of poetry for adults. Her work has won awards including the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award, and the WA Premier's Book Award, among others.
A former academic, swimming teacher, Japanese interpreter and tour guide, Meg has accidentally lived her life in accordance with the song lyrics, "If you see a strange door to your left/then drop your things and run for it"*, which is how she found herself wrangling words for a living. Meg has no plans to drop writing, though, and is always cooking up more books.
* From 'Wildflowers', by Things of Stone and Wood
She has published twenty-five books for young people, ranging from picture books through to young adult novels, and a collection of poetry for adults. Her work has won awards including the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award, and the WA Premier's Book Award, among others.
A former academic, swimming teacher, Japanese interpreter and tour guide, Meg has accidentally lived her life in accordance with the song lyrics, "If you see a strange door to your left/then drop your things and run for it"*, which is how she found herself wrangling words for a living. Meg has no plans to drop writing, though, and is always cooking up more books.
* From 'Wildflowers', by Things of Stone and Wood
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November 18, 2018I've read this book approximately 173 times in the last year so I'm claiming it for my stats!
June 19, 2019
Frankie Avery is watching the skies high above her small town in Western Australia where six years prior, revolutionary space station Skylab was launched into orbit. NASA estimates that Skylab will fall to earth within the next few months, reigniting memories of six year old Frankie, two year old brother Newt and their father in their makeshift star observatory, teaching his children about the limitless depths of space before he disappeared from their lives.
The ramshackle observatory sits derelict, high on the hill holding secrets lost to time. Secrets of a father who is no longer of this world. Of a grieving family, an absent mother and a space station that is falling to Earth on the anniversary of her father's disappearance.
Frankie Avery is a wonderful young lady and narrator of Catch A Falling Star. She's mature beyond her years and currently cares for her brother, the namesake of scientific revolutionary Sir Issac Newton. Caring for Newt is a full time position and while Frankie juggles school, her homework and Newt's endless scientific experiments, she feels the frustration of friend Kat who adores Newt but would like to spend time with her best friend without her little brother tagging along. Frankie's mother works long hours, a nurse at the local hospital who is often late home and asks Frankie to prepare dinner and take responsibility for Newt.
Twelve year old Frankie just wants to please others, her mother, best friend Kat and keep Newt safe from harm, usually of his own doing but as the coverage of Skylab saturates the media, Newt begins tracking the falling space station, collecting information, articles and media reports to piece together when Skylab will fall to Earth. As an infant, Newt was always destined for the stars and although he can't remember, would sit upon his father's knee and watch the skies from their wooden observatory. With their mother working long into the night, Frankie and Newt only have one another and a dusty photo album that contains their father's life.
My heart ached for all Frankie endured, the loss of her father, the responsibility placed upon her young shoulders and the grief she suppresses to maintain the balance at home. I loved the nostalgic Australiana of the late seventies, the feeling of warm summer nights, freshly cut grass and walking to the local milk bar barefooted. Meg McKinlay has created a wonderfully gentle narrative, beautifully tender and an exploration of the many facets of grief and how is reshapes families. Absolutely loved it to the moon and back.
The ramshackle observatory sits derelict, high on the hill holding secrets lost to time. Secrets of a father who is no longer of this world. Of a grieving family, an absent mother and a space station that is falling to Earth on the anniversary of her father's disappearance.
Frankie Avery is a wonderful young lady and narrator of Catch A Falling Star. She's mature beyond her years and currently cares for her brother, the namesake of scientific revolutionary Sir Issac Newton. Caring for Newt is a full time position and while Frankie juggles school, her homework and Newt's endless scientific experiments, she feels the frustration of friend Kat who adores Newt but would like to spend time with her best friend without her little brother tagging along. Frankie's mother works long hours, a nurse at the local hospital who is often late home and asks Frankie to prepare dinner and take responsibility for Newt.
Twelve year old Frankie just wants to please others, her mother, best friend Kat and keep Newt safe from harm, usually of his own doing but as the coverage of Skylab saturates the media, Newt begins tracking the falling space station, collecting information, articles and media reports to piece together when Skylab will fall to Earth. As an infant, Newt was always destined for the stars and although he can't remember, would sit upon his father's knee and watch the skies from their wooden observatory. With their mother working long into the night, Frankie and Newt only have one another and a dusty photo album that contains their father's life.
My heart ached for all Frankie endured, the loss of her father, the responsibility placed upon her young shoulders and the grief she suppresses to maintain the balance at home. I loved the nostalgic Australiana of the late seventies, the feeling of warm summer nights, freshly cut grass and walking to the local milk bar barefooted. Meg McKinlay has created a wonderfully gentle narrative, beautifully tender and an exploration of the many facets of grief and how is reshapes families. Absolutely loved it to the moon and back.
October 20, 2019
So moving, so beautifully written. Will linger long after reading.
Loved it.
Loved it.
July 19, 2020
Catch A Falling Star is a beautiful middle-grade novel about family, grief and growing up. Authentic Australian setting, a compelling mix of historic events and astrology, and characters who are easy to love.
Now, don’t hurt me, but do I put this under historical fiction? It is set in Australia in 1979. While the author takes some liberties with timing and of course a fictional family and characters, the story is based around the true events of the falling of Skylab. An open timeline of when exactly it was going to fall left the world guessing about when and where it would come down. Media went crazy, people were worried about being hit and this is all brought into the story.
When NASA announces that their space station, Skylab, is falling, it brings back sad memories for Frankie of star gazing with her father and his plans to talk about Skylab with her brother, Newt. Plans he never got to fulfil after he died in a plane crash. Now, Frankie is 12. Her mother works a lot, so Frankie looks after and protects Newt and does most of the cooking and housework. But with everyone talking about Skylab, Frankie is scared she won’t be able to protect Newt from what his obsessions and studies on the topic will uncover or what it will mean for her family.
This would make a perfect class novel for Year 5 or 6 students, with themes around grief, family, protecting younger siblings and finding your way through growing up and navigating friendships. Frankie is our narrator. She is an ernest character, grieving her father, confused about her mother needing to work but the time that means she is away from her family and Frankie is left to care for herself and Newt. Frankie is also worried about school, not sure how she is going to complete her assignments about her future or her feelings about a book that hits close to home. There is also complications between Frankie and her best friend as she struggles to communicate her feelings. While she is protecting her brother, she is also faced with her own grief about her father.
A beautiful story about growing up and family, I loved every page of this delightful Aussie middle grade novel.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
Now, don’t hurt me, but do I put this under historical fiction? It is set in Australia in 1979. While the author takes some liberties with timing and of course a fictional family and characters, the story is based around the true events of the falling of Skylab. An open timeline of when exactly it was going to fall left the world guessing about when and where it would come down. Media went crazy, people were worried about being hit and this is all brought into the story.
When NASA announces that their space station, Skylab, is falling, it brings back sad memories for Frankie of star gazing with her father and his plans to talk about Skylab with her brother, Newt. Plans he never got to fulfil after he died in a plane crash. Now, Frankie is 12. Her mother works a lot, so Frankie looks after and protects Newt and does most of the cooking and housework. But with everyone talking about Skylab, Frankie is scared she won’t be able to protect Newt from what his obsessions and studies on the topic will uncover or what it will mean for her family.
This would make a perfect class novel for Year 5 or 6 students, with themes around grief, family, protecting younger siblings and finding your way through growing up and navigating friendships. Frankie is our narrator. She is an ernest character, grieving her father, confused about her mother needing to work but the time that means she is away from her family and Frankie is left to care for herself and Newt. Frankie is also worried about school, not sure how she is going to complete her assignments about her future or her feelings about a book that hits close to home. There is also complications between Frankie and her best friend as she struggles to communicate her feelings. While she is protecting her brother, she is also faced with her own grief about her father.
A beautiful story about growing up and family, I loved every page of this delightful Aussie middle grade novel.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
September 27, 2019
"NASA is very sorry. At least they are when they realise there are actual people down here and not just kangaroos."
I'm crying for the kangaroos and Frankie and Newt and Mum and especially Dad. And that Mum sold the telescope!? Wtf Mum, you didn't.
Btw: three challenges for one book! All over this finishing books thing.
July 16, 2021
I received an advance reading copy for this back in December. As to why I am only now sharing my thoughts on it, I have pieced together thus:
It took all of one voracious evening for me to read it from title to end matter. After I closed it, I felt full. I luxuriated a few minutes in satiated afterglow, then apparently clickety clicked my way onto GoodReads, smugly stamped it with a whopping 5/5 stars, then...fell asleep.
There is nary a sentence of accompanying praise to go with those stars, there's not a word saved in my phone's "Notes"about my reading (which I thought I always did), and there's certainly no drafted review post to be opened now and polished. How could this be? This was so unlike me! Something had gone seriously amuck.
This has come back to me because I did some digging. And by digging, I mean I scrolled down a smidge on GoodReads to find the date I read Catch a Falling Star. Bingo. New Year's Eve. It was this discovery that brought it all back to me. My husband worked New Year's Eve. After an hour's read aloud for the offspring (Wildwood Dancing, if you must know) and a dance party thereafter, I tucked in my beloved listener-dancers for the night and welcomed 2019 by crawling into my bed for an uninterrupted book binge. It was quite an after-party!
The next day we spent at Long Beach playing pole tennis, sun-worshipping, body boarding and throwing back half-thawed popsicles. Reading thus (without making notes or drafting a review upon completion) and relaxing outdoors with my family thereafter robbed this title of the glowing and timely review it deserved! I loved this book. I mean, it was how I saw in the new year, and I 100% would do it all again the same way if given the chance.
I had to get that out of the way -- you must know the delay is not a reflection of mediocrity by any means, but rather an unfortunate price paid for the opposite -- this book was my delicious treat for myself at a time I thought little of homework and more on pleasure.
Now, why did I love it?
* The writing is charming and accessible. I felt like Frankie was confiding in me conversationally. This helped make a single sitting reading possible.
* And the curation of details is just so. What this student is wearing, what that child said -- it's a highly effective highlight reel of Frankie's experience. (One reoccurring specific in the ARC drew a blank for me though; a texta was regularly used to write things. From context I guessed this would be a Sharpie in terms-familiar-to-me, and a good google confirmed as much. You're welcome, if you are also non-Australian or in the dark on this one.)
* The 70s setting for this novel lends a warm filter to its accompanying imagery; space station Skylab's omnipresence charges the narrative with quirky fascination and fervour-- a motif that feels rich with relevance.
* There's a delicate suspense for having these physical and emotional trajectories mapped alongside each other.
* As the reader juggles both of those balls, there's no room for romance. This is a family story and a story about grief. Don't wait for a love interest to appear.
* The interplay between relationships is the meat of it; how imperfect people do their best to be there for each other but how hard that can really be.
* In the best way, it shares some of the refined magic and messages of The 10pm Question, only I'd venture in a less confronting way (and so perhaps could be suitable for a younger audience).
* But in terms of suitability and advisory notes on content, Catch a Falling Star is refreshingly clean and a slam-dunk on the tasteful front.
I read an ARC from Walker.
It took all of one voracious evening for me to read it from title to end matter. After I closed it, I felt full. I luxuriated a few minutes in satiated afterglow, then apparently clickety clicked my way onto GoodReads, smugly stamped it with a whopping 5/5 stars, then...fell asleep.
There is nary a sentence of accompanying praise to go with those stars, there's not a word saved in my phone's "Notes"about my reading (which I thought I always did), and there's certainly no drafted review post to be opened now and polished. How could this be? This was so unlike me! Something had gone seriously amuck.
This has come back to me because I did some digging. And by digging, I mean I scrolled down a smidge on GoodReads to find the date I read Catch a Falling Star. Bingo. New Year's Eve. It was this discovery that brought it all back to me. My husband worked New Year's Eve. After an hour's read aloud for the offspring (Wildwood Dancing, if you must know) and a dance party thereafter, I tucked in my beloved listener-dancers for the night and welcomed 2019 by crawling into my bed for an uninterrupted book binge. It was quite an after-party!
The next day we spent at Long Beach playing pole tennis, sun-worshipping, body boarding and throwing back half-thawed popsicles. Reading thus (without making notes or drafting a review upon completion) and relaxing outdoors with my family thereafter robbed this title of the glowing and timely review it deserved! I loved this book. I mean, it was how I saw in the new year, and I 100% would do it all again the same way if given the chance.
I had to get that out of the way -- you must know the delay is not a reflection of mediocrity by any means, but rather an unfortunate price paid for the opposite -- this book was my delicious treat for myself at a time I thought little of homework and more on pleasure.
Now, why did I love it?
* The writing is charming and accessible. I felt like Frankie was confiding in me conversationally. This helped make a single sitting reading possible.
* And the curation of details is just so. What this student is wearing, what that child said -- it's a highly effective highlight reel of Frankie's experience. (One reoccurring specific in the ARC drew a blank for me though; a texta was regularly used to write things. From context I guessed this would be a Sharpie in terms-familiar-to-me, and a good google confirmed as much. You're welcome, if you are also non-Australian or in the dark on this one.)
* The 70s setting for this novel lends a warm filter to its accompanying imagery; space station Skylab's omnipresence charges the narrative with quirky fascination and fervour-- a motif that feels rich with relevance.
* There's a delicate suspense for having these physical and emotional trajectories mapped alongside each other.
* As the reader juggles both of those balls, there's no room for romance. This is a family story and a story about grief. Don't wait for a love interest to appear.
* The interplay between relationships is the meat of it; how imperfect people do their best to be there for each other but how hard that can really be.
* In the best way, it shares some of the refined magic and messages of The 10pm Question, only I'd venture in a less confronting way (and so perhaps could be suitable for a younger audience).
* But in terms of suitability and advisory notes on content, Catch a Falling Star is refreshingly clean and a slam-dunk on the tasteful front.
I read an ARC from Walker.
March 7, 2019
Frankie is a tween grappling with loss and assumed responsibilities for the care of her younger brother Newt. Her stoic attitude conflicts with the child within as she also yearns for her remaining parent's presence as much as that of her dead father's.
This is more than a story about the crashing decent of Skylab in July 1979. It is not just an historic tale laced with loss and grief and the tragically poignant way young children have of dealing with it. It provides so much more than just a satisfying foray into the late 70s and 80s - Sonnyboys and phones with cords. It's about friendship and family and ties to the universe so strong you'll be convinced you can fly in space, too. It's about closure and our intense need to find reason in order to make sense of tragedy. And yes, it's about Storm Boy and the messy bits in life and unhappy endings, which might sound all 'woes me' and maudlin but that is one thing this superbly crafted novel is not.
More brilliant than the Milky Way. A must read.
This is more than a story about the crashing decent of Skylab in July 1979. It is not just an historic tale laced with loss and grief and the tragically poignant way young children have of dealing with it. It provides so much more than just a satisfying foray into the late 70s and 80s - Sonnyboys and phones with cords. It's about friendship and family and ties to the universe so strong you'll be convinced you can fly in space, too. It's about closure and our intense need to find reason in order to make sense of tragedy. And yes, it's about Storm Boy and the messy bits in life and unhappy endings, which might sound all 'woes me' and maudlin but that is one thing this superbly crafted novel is not.
More brilliant than the Milky Way. A must read.
April 30, 2020
4.5* I still can’t quite put my finger on why I enjoyed this book so much; I couldn’t wait to pick it up each evening. A gorgeous story about family, friendship, grief and letting go, all set against the real life event of Skylab falling from the sky.
August 28, 2020
A gentle beautiful read that brings back memories of my own childhood. Explores grief and responsibilities that diminish being a child.
February 21, 2020
This book was so sad but amazing! Frankie and her younger brother, Newt, live with their widowed mother. Frankie spends a lot of time caring for herself and Newt as their mother works a lot to make ends meet. When the space station Skylab starts falling, Frankie learns that love and friendship can be mor important than other things. I loved this book and it has a a brilliant ending!
April 2, 2019
Stunning look at grief and loss, with an intriguing setting of the time of Skylab.
August 26, 2025
I like how it was based on a true story. Not a major plot twist and not many exciting things happening
October 6, 2020
I feel like the 2020 CBCA Shortlist for younger readers is particularly strong this year. I have read 5 of the 6 books so far and enjoyed them all. I don't think this one will win, (either The Dog Runner will, or Emily Rodda out of force of habit) however, this is by far my favourite.
It is just such a beautiful portrayal of a young girl trying to deal with the loss of her father and all the extra responsibilities that have landed on her shoulders. It captured the time (1979) very well and the primary school experience (without that being the main focus). It also provides a wonderful portrait of a quirky, science-obsessed young boy in Newt.
I loved the character of Frankie and how clearly Meg McKinley gives us insights into her thoughts and struggles. I also loved revisiting the falling of Skylab, which I remember from my own primary school days.
This is a very sweet book and I hope it gets a wide audience.
It is just such a beautiful portrayal of a young girl trying to deal with the loss of her father and all the extra responsibilities that have landed on her shoulders. It captured the time (1979) very well and the primary school experience (without that being the main focus). It also provides a wonderful portrait of a quirky, science-obsessed young boy in Newt.
I loved the character of Frankie and how clearly Meg McKinley gives us insights into her thoughts and struggles. I also loved revisiting the falling of Skylab, which I remember from my own primary school days.
This is a very sweet book and I hope it gets a wide audience.
July 22, 2019
After the death of her father, Frankie has a lot on her plate. Her mum is working long hours and Frankie is looking after her little brother Newt. This is a wonderful story about grief and losing someone you love and, interestingly, it's also about the 1979 reentry into the earth's atmosphere of the Skylab and the possibility of it landing in Western Australia where the story is set. There is a lot more to this fabulous book but you really need to read it for yourself, it's a little gem.
July 10, 2020
"It’s 1979 and the sky is falling. Skylab, that is. Somewhere high above Frankie Avery, one of the world’s first space stations is tumbling to Earth" (publisher). With this historical setting around Esperence in Western Australia, McKinlay immerses the reader in the lives of one family still grieving from the loss of their father/husband. Frankie Avery is 12 years old and the main carer for her younger brother Newt - obsessed and gifted in science - as her mother works increasingly longer hours in a hospital giving care and hope to others.
Newt's obsessive fascination with Skylab as it careens towards Earth aligns with all Frankie's fears - her father 'fell from the sky' and was never found again, Newt, constantly climbing and falling (currently to make an aerial) and now she is falling out of friendship with Kat as her home life demands and bottled up grief create a widening rift between the two.
This is a beautiful, engaging, historically sound story that embraces grief and loss without drowning in sentimentality. Ideal for middle school readers - upper primary girls on the brink of high school and those early into their secondary experiences will be able to relate to Frankie as she deals with school, friendship and but most importantly - family.
Shortlisted for the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers - but also worthy to sit on the lower end of YA shelves.
Newt's obsessive fascination with Skylab as it careens towards Earth aligns with all Frankie's fears - her father 'fell from the sky' and was never found again, Newt, constantly climbing and falling (currently to make an aerial) and now she is falling out of friendship with Kat as her home life demands and bottled up grief create a widening rift between the two.
This is a beautiful, engaging, historically sound story that embraces grief and loss without drowning in sentimentality. Ideal for middle school readers - upper primary girls on the brink of high school and those early into their secondary experiences will be able to relate to Frankie as she deals with school, friendship and but most importantly - family.
Shortlisted for the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers - but also worthy to sit on the lower end of YA shelves.
June 28, 2019
Oh me, oh my, how very much I adored this book. Set in 1979, in a small, unnamed town in Western Australia, we meet Frankie, her brother Newt, and their very hard working mum. With the very real, historical event of Skylab returning to Earth at the heart of this story, McKinlay has woven a deeply engaging narrative of love, loss and the ways in which we all, children and adults alike, struggle to articulate grief. For most of the novel, Frankie is working on a school assignment about Storm Boy, so I have dug out my old 1976 edition of the book, which I believe I purchased for 20 cents in an op shop one day in 1978, almost certainly paid for either by my grandma, Nokie, or using pocket money that any other week would have gone on mixed lollies. It will be my next read, of that you can be sure. I cannot find persuasive enough words in my effort to convince you to read this book. It is an absolute delight. Get your hands on it. I will now be adding every McKinlay novel to my TBR list. What a writer!
August 3, 2020
There was so much I loved about this book. The time period was captured perfectly – right down to Storm Boy as the class text. There was a seamless layering of love, grief, change, science, magic, relationships, communication and hope, and I was once again my 11 year old self navigating friendships (is this a fight?), school work and evolving family dynamics without the benefit of decades spent on the planet. The characters rang true, and the use of imagery and symbolism was powerful, yet understated. This would be a perfect book for a class study, as there is so much to unpack.
For a personal reflection and teaching suggestions, visit https://www.sdscottwriter.com/tl-musi...
For a personal reflection and teaching suggestions, visit https://www.sdscottwriter.com/tl-musi...
December 10, 2020
Catch a Falling Star is a lovely story about grief, family, unresolved feelings and friendship. It tells the story of Frankie as she awaits the falling of the US Space Station SKYLABS. The reappearance of SKYLABS reawakens unasked questions, and unaddressed grief relating to the disappearance of her father in 1973, not long after SKYLABS was launched.
I found this story enchantingly written. From the main character Frankie who struggles to be grown up enough to help her mother and take care of younger brother, Newt, through to the answer obsessed Newt and all the supporting characters Meg McKinlay has woven a beautifully crafted story out of a mixture of real history and make believe.
Perfect reading material for the young bookworm in your life.
I found this story enchantingly written. From the main character Frankie who struggles to be grown up enough to help her mother and take care of younger brother, Newt, through to the answer obsessed Newt and all the supporting characters Meg McKinlay has woven a beautifully crafted story out of a mixture of real history and make believe.
Perfect reading material for the young bookworm in your life.
July 20, 2020
This is a very clever book about the Skylab falling to earth and the situation of the family of Newt, Frankie and their widowed mother and the denial with regard to the father’s death. I deliberately did not ‘research’ the Skylab story but let Meg McKinlay tell it through the characters and their actions, and the complex ‘stories’ that Newt makes up in order to explain where his father went.
I also like the ‘nostalgia’ of the visit to the Drive In movie theatre with what they chose as treats and what they cost! 1979 is the year of my daughter’s birth, an interesting way to relate to the event.
Chris
I also like the ‘nostalgia’ of the visit to the Drive In movie theatre with what they chose as treats and what they cost! 1979 is the year of my daughter’s birth, an interesting way to relate to the event.
Chris
May 20, 2020
Our junior book club read this one and really enjoyed it (except for that one kid who would have preferred a fiery ending!)
This is a gentle look at a 70s childhood and explores grief, friendship and family. This is a lovely read that I read in only a few sittings and would be perfect for 11-14 year olds who enjoy stories set in the real world. Another bonus for me is that none of the kids knew anything about Skylab, so it prompted a little exploration from them as well.
We rated it:
10 / 4 / 7 / 10 / 7 / 9
This is a gentle look at a 70s childhood and explores grief, friendship and family. This is a lovely read that I read in only a few sittings and would be perfect for 11-14 year olds who enjoy stories set in the real world. Another bonus for me is that none of the kids knew anything about Skylab, so it prompted a little exploration from them as well.
We rated it:
10 / 4 / 7 / 10 / 7 / 9
April 13, 2024
This is a beautiful story about dealing with unresolved grief with the theme of things falling from the sky. I can’t say how much I enjoyed this book and how lucky I feel to have found it on BorrowBox. I was a similar age to Frankie when Skylab fell but living on the east coast of Australia I can’t remember the panic that was instilled by the media. But it’s always wonderful to read a story that brings back memories of how we used to live especially before ‘technology’ invaded our lives.
Highly recommend for ages 8+
Highly recommend for ages 8+
March 23, 2019
I give this book 4.5/5. Meg McKinlay has an amazing writing style that is both thoughtful and wise, and yet gripping and adventurous at the same time. I love the character of Frankie and how she is filled out throughout this story. I also love that McKinlay has used the collapse of Skylab as a major part of this story (and that she included details at the end of the book about what was historically true and where she variated from the facts - because I knew nothing about it!).
May 28, 2021
A beautiful historical fiction that captures the era and the small town so well. The main character Frankie is incredibly likeable, as is her brother, and the gentle tension between them, as they live through grief alongside growing up, so believable. The pace is driven successfully by the impending fall of Skylab and the supporting characters provide a great deal of amusement in the lead up. Really loved this one.
August 15, 2021
This was such a sad yet heart warming read. It tells the story of a child coping with the aftermath of loosing a parent. I tried hard not to skip straight to bits explaining how the tragedy unfolded. The author kept me intrigued regarding the details without dragging on it for too long. I shed a couple tears here and there, but I loved Frankie’s short for nothing’s personality and relationship with her brother newt.
March 14, 2019
What a wonderful story. I loved it. The characters were so endearing and the way the author perfectly captures life in 1979. I remember all the fuss about Skylab crashing to earth. There is so much to like about this book. Maybe I should have given it 5 stars - at least 4 1/2. Highly recommended for Year 6 and above.
July 19, 2020
(CBCA Shortlist 2020 Younger Readers)
What a beautiful story! Loved every moment through the highs and lows of a family coming to terms with the long lasting effects of losing someone close to us. The fascinating story of Skylab's dramatic reentry to earth over WA, the 1970s/1980s Australiana vibes, and the very real struggles of a pre-teen world, were all a joy to read.
What a beautiful story! Loved every moment through the highs and lows of a family coming to terms with the long lasting effects of losing someone close to us. The fascinating story of Skylab's dramatic reentry to earth over WA, the 1970s/1980s Australiana vibes, and the very real struggles of a pre-teen world, were all a joy to read.
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January 12, 2021A small story for a big heart, Meg McKinlay’s Catch a Falling Star is a lovely read. Set around the real events of Skylab, the first space station, and when it fell from the sky, McKinlay weaves characters and events into a heartfelt story. Catch a Falling Star shows us why junior fiction is not just reserved for kids, the best have something for everyone.
April 22, 2019
It's a wonderful heart warming tale that deals with loss, family, friendship, growth and healing. It's also perfect for anyone who loves to look up at the night sky. It's an easy and fast read. I truly enjoyed it.
June 8, 2019
I happened across this book by chance because of the Skylab connection, but enjoyed every minute of it. A sweet, poignant and captivating story of a childhood experience of overcoming loss, set during the reentry of Skylab over Australia in 1979.
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January 6, 2020It was incredible! I love how she blended science and facts into the story. It had me in tears, I stayed up until 12:43am reading it because I just couldn't put it down. Well done Meg, it was an absolutely beautiful read!!!! :) :) :)
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