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Space Kids - The Journey of Hope
Want to get your kids into Science Fiction? Give them Space Kids!
In the year 2068, scientists at Space Command, the global space organisation, want to learn how children manage in space without adults. They advertise for a leader for the first-ever child-only mission.
12-year-old Sophie Williams is struggling to fit in at her new secondary school. At night, she is troubled by recurring nightmares. She misses her dad, who died two years ago, and would do anything to make him proud.
Following a selection process that pushed Sophie to her limits, she eventually finds herself strapped into the enormous spaceship. Her daunting job is to lead three other talented children, a robot and a dog to a distant star system.
Little did Sophie realise the discoveries they would make, the dangers they would face, or that her dreams, her father and the mission were all connected.
This uplifting story inspires children to believe in themselves and reach for the stars. It provides us all with hope.
In the year 2068, scientists at Space Command, the global space organisation, want to learn how children manage in space without adults. They advertise for a leader for the first-ever child-only mission.
12-year-old Sophie Williams is struggling to fit in at her new secondary school. At night, she is troubled by recurring nightmares. She misses her dad, who died two years ago, and would do anything to make him proud.
Following a selection process that pushed Sophie to her limits, she eventually finds herself strapped into the enormous spaceship. Her daunting job is to lead three other talented children, a robot and a dog to a distant star system.
Little did Sophie realise the discoveries they would make, the dangers they would face, or that her dreams, her father and the mission were all connected.
This uplifting story inspires children to believe in themselves and reach for the stars. It provides us all with hope.
271 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2021
10 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Alan Nettleton
3 books3 followersAlan is an author of middle-grade science fiction and is hoping to inspire children of all backgrounds to think about science with engaging stories.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 17, 2022
As a fan of quality YA books, I was blown away by Space Kids. The way my memory works, I compare every YA book today to Escape From Witch Mountain. That book was the best book I read as a kid. I can't express how much I would have loved to have read Space Kids as a child. Simply put, this is the best YA book written in the last forty years.
There is no child who won't simply adore this book. There is no bullying *which there should NEVER be any bullying in any YA book ever* and the lessons are apparent. The story is such fun to read. The premise is done brilliantly to hook every reader. This YA book is so good that even adults will love this book.
Brilliantly written and described the book flows. The story is full of adventure and excitement. The children learn to overcome challenges in a positive way as they accomplish their dreams. I can't wait to read the second part of this story. This team - including Codey and Biggles - must soar into space again. When that happens, it will be a must-read. Buy this book for your child. Buy this book for yourself. Simply an incredible book that needs to be a runaway bestseller. A book of the year award candidate already.
Disclaimer: I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
My Rating: 5+++ stars
Reviewed by: Mr. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
There is no child who won't simply adore this book. There is no bullying *which there should NEVER be any bullying in any YA book ever* and the lessons are apparent. The story is such fun to read. The premise is done brilliantly to hook every reader. This YA book is so good that even adults will love this book.
Brilliantly written and described the book flows. The story is full of adventure and excitement. The children learn to overcome challenges in a positive way as they accomplish their dreams. I can't wait to read the second part of this story. This team - including Codey and Biggles - must soar into space again. When that happens, it will be a must-read. Buy this book for your child. Buy this book for yourself. Simply an incredible book that needs to be a runaway bestseller. A book of the year award candidate already.
Disclaimer: I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
My Rating: 5+++ stars
Reviewed by: Mr. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
June 28, 2020
ARC received from Reedsy.
Adventurous, exhilarating, and informative. That's Space Kids for you.
Sophie and a bunch of kids are enlisted on a routine space exploration mission after going through a rigorous vetting process conducted by the Space Command. But mid-way through their journey, they are forced to make tough decisions that could affect the fate of their mission. So Buckle up alongside Sophie and her space mates, to find out whether they surmount the challenges and make it out victorious.
The narration was simple yet captivating. The element of fantasy added zest to the story and it made the reading experience surreal. I loved the fact that the author brought together a group of kids of different backgrounds, all under one roof. Despite the physical and cultural differences, they got along with each other so well and worked as a well-oiled team to ensure the success of the mission. His story is exemplary of the ability of children to accomplish daunting tasks that are deemed to be achieved only by adults. The author's creative juice drips from every single page, as he takes us on a journey to mystical lands which are inhabited by exotic creatures and human-like beings. He gives equal weightage to the characters and that helps us understand them even better. The scientific space terms were explained lucidly for the benefit of young readers. The whole concept of space travel would pique their interest and encourage them to explore more of the subject.
If it could excite a full-grown adult like me, I'm very sure that the children would find it the same way. I hope Alan Nettleton develops this story into a series, wherein Sophie and her friends get to explore even more planets and have a great deal of adventure.
Adventurous, exhilarating, and informative. That's Space Kids for you.
Sophie and a bunch of kids are enlisted on a routine space exploration mission after going through a rigorous vetting process conducted by the Space Command. But mid-way through their journey, they are forced to make tough decisions that could affect the fate of their mission. So Buckle up alongside Sophie and her space mates, to find out whether they surmount the challenges and make it out victorious.
The narration was simple yet captivating. The element of fantasy added zest to the story and it made the reading experience surreal. I loved the fact that the author brought together a group of kids of different backgrounds, all under one roof. Despite the physical and cultural differences, they got along with each other so well and worked as a well-oiled team to ensure the success of the mission. His story is exemplary of the ability of children to accomplish daunting tasks that are deemed to be achieved only by adults. The author's creative juice drips from every single page, as he takes us on a journey to mystical lands which are inhabited by exotic creatures and human-like beings. He gives equal weightage to the characters and that helps us understand them even better. The scientific space terms were explained lucidly for the benefit of young readers. The whole concept of space travel would pique their interest and encourage them to explore more of the subject.
If it could excite a full-grown adult like me, I'm very sure that the children would find it the same way. I hope Alan Nettleton develops this story into a series, wherein Sophie and her friends get to explore even more planets and have a great deal of adventure.
June 29, 2022
You may not know this, but this is actually the second version of the book. Apparently my feedback was so useful to the author on the first version in 2020 that he actually unpublished it. I am wildly impressed with the changes that have occurred since then!
This concept has certainly been explored before. What makes Space Kids unique in comparison to the dozens of other books is the element of the telepathic communication. Sophie doesn't have "normal" dreams and nightmares like we do. Not to spoil anything, but her connectivity to the planet, as well as the mystery surrounding her dad's death, is an element that sets it apart. I'm not sure if the author intended to, but I found some of the dialogue to be very funny as well.
I can relate to Sophie, especially early on when she thought about the difficulties of having conversations with her peers that didn't seem childish. If this opportunity came to me when I was 12 years old, you bet I would have applied. In addition to how relatable Sophie was, I am happy that he decided to depict Leena as autistic. This book could empower kids with autism, as our society tends to put limits on children with that particular condition. One strategy that is very useful was Leena's repetition of the word "teacup", which for her means "T – C – U – P. Think Clearly Under Pressure.” That is very clever, and it is something that I will remember for when I am a teacher.
In the book in this future reality, they have found a way to jump hyperspace, which is even faster than the speed of light. Theoretically, the acceleration alone would kill us almost instantly, which also means that they invented adequate inertial dampeners. At first, I thought that the reason for sending kids into space would be so that in the years it takes to reach the planet of destination, that they would be young adults. But an interesting point was brought up about how in an effort for colonization, children may be born in space, and thus research should be done to prepare for how they would behave. I took Planetary Geology in college last year, and I can say that Nettleton did a nice job accurately presenting some of the physics of space travel. The hyperdrive explanation actually made so much sense that I might use it if I get to teach astronomy.
The exoplanet that the author chose to focus on was K2 18b, which was an interesting choice. I will say that the likelihood of finding intelligent life on that planet, is very small. K2 18b is a planet of much debate. Just because it is in the habitable zone, it doesn't guarantee that it is. While research does back up it perhaps having an ocean (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10...), I think everyone agrees that the atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and definitely not breathable. It would have made more sense to make the planet be the TOI 700 d option discussed earlier in the book for the atmospheric composition stated. I did catch one error, where the book described the planet as being smaller than Earth, when actually K2 18b is over 8 times larger than Earth. However, I highly doubt that the middle grade readers would know that.
This concept has certainly been explored before. What makes Space Kids unique in comparison to the dozens of other books is the element of the telepathic communication. Sophie doesn't have "normal" dreams and nightmares like we do. Not to spoil anything, but her connectivity to the planet, as well as the mystery surrounding her dad's death, is an element that sets it apart. I'm not sure if the author intended to, but I found some of the dialogue to be very funny as well.
I can relate to Sophie, especially early on when she thought about the difficulties of having conversations with her peers that didn't seem childish. If this opportunity came to me when I was 12 years old, you bet I would have applied. In addition to how relatable Sophie was, I am happy that he decided to depict Leena as autistic. This book could empower kids with autism, as our society tends to put limits on children with that particular condition. One strategy that is very useful was Leena's repetition of the word "teacup", which for her means "T – C – U – P. Think Clearly Under Pressure.” That is very clever, and it is something that I will remember for when I am a teacher.
In the book in this future reality, they have found a way to jump hyperspace, which is even faster than the speed of light. Theoretically, the acceleration alone would kill us almost instantly, which also means that they invented adequate inertial dampeners. At first, I thought that the reason for sending kids into space would be so that in the years it takes to reach the planet of destination, that they would be young adults. But an interesting point was brought up about how in an effort for colonization, children may be born in space, and thus research should be done to prepare for how they would behave. I took Planetary Geology in college last year, and I can say that Nettleton did a nice job accurately presenting some of the physics of space travel. The hyperdrive explanation actually made so much sense that I might use it if I get to teach astronomy.
The exoplanet that the author chose to focus on was K2 18b, which was an interesting choice. I will say that the likelihood of finding intelligent life on that planet, is very small. K2 18b is a planet of much debate. Just because it is in the habitable zone, it doesn't guarantee that it is. While research does back up it perhaps having an ocean (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10...), I think everyone agrees that the atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and definitely not breathable. It would have made more sense to make the planet be the TOI 700 d option discussed earlier in the book for the atmospheric composition stated. I did catch one error, where the book described the planet as being smaller than Earth, when actually K2 18b is over 8 times larger than Earth. However, I highly doubt that the middle grade readers would know that.
April 30, 2022
Space Kids is a futuristic short novel for children set in 2068 where space travel is now the norm. Sophie is twelve and lives with her mum in a small Welsh village near Space Command, an organisation which arranges travel to explore faraway planets and star systems. Sophie is trying to come to terms with the loss of her dad and is having difficulty settling in at her new school, but when she wins a worldwide competition to become captain of a child-only mission to a distant planet, along with Sahil, Jack, Leena, Codey the robot and Biggles the dog, it gives her a purpose and sends her off on an adventure to save a distant planet, K2 18b, later named Hope by the children, from extinction by an approaching meteorite.
On the whole, I enjoyed the book. At first I wondered about a child-only mission, knowing that children don't have a level of responsibility to fly themselves into outer space. Was the book being realistic giving eleven and twelve-year-olds the skills to operate the controls of a spaceship? Then I stopped wondering, decided I was over-thinking it, reminded myself it was 2068, it was the whole point of the mission and that these children had developed skills that are rare in our own lifetime; anyway, throwing an adult into the mix would have made the story less interesting. The characterisation is good: Leena, the young Finnish pilot, reveals she has autism and Sophie is very understanding and tries to draw her out with friendship and encourages her to talk; however, overall, I did find Sophie's 'leadership' a bit overbearing, over-bossy and over-impatient with crew members, young scientist Sahil from India and Jack, a young engineer from the US, even though both come across as over-enthusiastic and therefore a tad irritating to Sophie and also, at times, to the reader. Even with Codey, whose 'personality' fault is merely his robotic programming, Sophie displays irritation that at times made me feel that if I were one of the crew I could cheerfully put her in her place, but then when a book does that to you it's a reaction to a character and that can only be a good thing in my opinion.
Overall, a good story with an interesting plot of adventure and hope.
On the whole, I enjoyed the book. At first I wondered about a child-only mission, knowing that children don't have a level of responsibility to fly themselves into outer space. Was the book being realistic giving eleven and twelve-year-olds the skills to operate the controls of a spaceship? Then I stopped wondering, decided I was over-thinking it, reminded myself it was 2068, it was the whole point of the mission and that these children had developed skills that are rare in our own lifetime; anyway, throwing an adult into the mix would have made the story less interesting. The characterisation is good: Leena, the young Finnish pilot, reveals she has autism and Sophie is very understanding and tries to draw her out with friendship and encourages her to talk; however, overall, I did find Sophie's 'leadership' a bit overbearing, over-bossy and over-impatient with crew members, young scientist Sahil from India and Jack, a young engineer from the US, even though both come across as over-enthusiastic and therefore a tad irritating to Sophie and also, at times, to the reader. Even with Codey, whose 'personality' fault is merely his robotic programming, Sophie displays irritation that at times made me feel that if I were one of the crew I could cheerfully put her in her place, but then when a book does that to you it's a reaction to a character and that can only be a good thing in my opinion.
Overall, a good story with an interesting plot of adventure and hope.
May 24, 2022
Incredible 🤯🤯
This is a fantastic book! My son (12) and I read it together, and we loved it!!💖💞 We had a ton of fun with me trying to speak with the various accents in the book—there are a LOT of different accents. The main characters alone were Welsh, Indian, Finnish, and American. Then there were other characters from other countries. Even the robot, Cody, who accompanies the children into outer space, spoke in a "robotic English accent"! My son was like, "what is that?" I had no idea, but I had fun trying to emulate it.😂😂 The accents were overdone; we both agreed, but that aside the story is fantastic!
The main character, twelve-year-old Sophie, applies for the captain position on an innovative space mission spearheaded by Space Command. The premise of the operation is to see how children adapt to life in outer space. To that end, they concoct the idea to send four children sans adults into outer space for three months.
Sophie and her crew, scientist Sahil, engineer Jack, and pilot Leena, take off at the appointed time and venture out on their journey. What follows is a thrilling adventure for the four pre-teens! This is a fabulous book for children 8-12. My only disappointment is that it is the only Space Kids story. I certainly hope Mr. Nettleton intends on writing another one. I would love to see what's next for Sophie and the crew! Enjoy!
This is a fantastic book! My son (12) and I read it together, and we loved it!!💖💞 We had a ton of fun with me trying to speak with the various accents in the book—there are a LOT of different accents. The main characters alone were Welsh, Indian, Finnish, and American. Then there were other characters from other countries. Even the robot, Cody, who accompanies the children into outer space, spoke in a "robotic English accent"! My son was like, "what is that?" I had no idea, but I had fun trying to emulate it.😂😂 The accents were overdone; we both agreed, but that aside the story is fantastic!
The main character, twelve-year-old Sophie, applies for the captain position on an innovative space mission spearheaded by Space Command. The premise of the operation is to see how children adapt to life in outer space. To that end, they concoct the idea to send four children sans adults into outer space for three months.
Sophie and her crew, scientist Sahil, engineer Jack, and pilot Leena, take off at the appointed time and venture out on their journey. What follows is a thrilling adventure for the four pre-teens! This is a fabulous book for children 8-12. My only disappointment is that it is the only Space Kids story. I certainly hope Mr. Nettleton intends on writing another one. I would love to see what's next for Sophie and the crew! Enjoy!
June 25, 2020
“Be a force for good, Sophie. Make a difference.”
Imagine being 12 and getting a chance to go into space. It will be a dream come true, right? Except for all the hardships and figuring out what exactly you are supposed to do to get there and also come back without dying, it would be a pretty cool experience.
Well, Sophie, Sahil, Jack and Leena have got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands. What seems like a great adventure is, in fact, much more.
It is a chance to prove oneself.
For Sophie, who is determined to achieve whatever she sets her eyes to, it is an exciting way to prove herself. I loved the conversation between Sophie and her mother. It showed the kind of support system that was a child needs. This middle-grade book makes for an interesting read and is sure to inspire a lot of children. It creates a perspective that anything is possible. What I loved about this book, apart from the strong-willed characters and absolutely positive outlook was the fact that the author, considering the #Blacklivesmatter movement decided to make Jack a black character.
#Blacklivesmatter
Jack is kinda like the backbone of the story. Without him, the entire trip to space wouldn't even happen. So, it made me feel really happy that middle-grade books nowadays are inclusive and not just in a way to add supporting characters from marginalised sections.
Another interesting fact was that Sahil, an Indian character was given just as much space and he also stood out as a distinct character. The author tried to stay true to his Indian identity and portray him as such.
The only complaint I have is that this book wasn't longer but considering its target readership, for an average middle-grader, it fits their attention span.
Imagine being 12 and getting a chance to go into space. It will be a dream come true, right? Except for all the hardships and figuring out what exactly you are supposed to do to get there and also come back without dying, it would be a pretty cool experience.
Well, Sophie, Sahil, Jack and Leena have got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands. What seems like a great adventure is, in fact, much more.
It is a chance to prove oneself.
For Sophie, who is determined to achieve whatever she sets her eyes to, it is an exciting way to prove herself. I loved the conversation between Sophie and her mother. It showed the kind of support system that was a child needs. This middle-grade book makes for an interesting read and is sure to inspire a lot of children. It creates a perspective that anything is possible. What I loved about this book, apart from the strong-willed characters and absolutely positive outlook was the fact that the author, considering the #Blacklivesmatter movement decided to make Jack a black character.
#Blacklivesmatter
Jack is kinda like the backbone of the story. Without him, the entire trip to space wouldn't even happen. So, it made me feel really happy that middle-grade books nowadays are inclusive and not just in a way to add supporting characters from marginalised sections.
Another interesting fact was that Sahil, an Indian character was given just as much space and he also stood out as a distinct character. The author tried to stay true to his Indian identity and portray him as such.
The only complaint I have is that this book wasn't longer but considering its target readership, for an average middle-grader, it fits their attention span.
December 29, 2021
In this near-future, first contact story, Nettleton crafts a fun read with a strong female protagonist. The reader becomes endeared to Sophie (the young female leader who some call bossy) who grieves the loss of her father and leads a team of remarkably skilled young people on a mission into deep space.
I willingly suspended my disbelief in the characters’ abilities to enjoy the children’s quest to save the extraterrestrials whose planet was experiencing a threat. In order to keep the story a little more realistic, I wondered if there ought to have been more conflict to work through between the team members but overall I enjoyed reading Space Kids – The Journey of Hope.
I love the underlying message of the story that children can accomplish great things if they believe in themselves and work together. I recommend this action-packed fast-paced science fiction read to middle grade readers and the young at heart.
I willingly suspended my disbelief in the characters’ abilities to enjoy the children’s quest to save the extraterrestrials whose planet was experiencing a threat. In order to keep the story a little more realistic, I wondered if there ought to have been more conflict to work through between the team members but overall I enjoyed reading Space Kids – The Journey of Hope.
I love the underlying message of the story that children can accomplish great things if they believe in themselves and work together. I recommend this action-packed fast-paced science fiction read to middle grade readers and the young at heart.
April 5, 2022
Space Kids -Jorney of Hope has a fantastic message. The story is written in such a way that it can be enjoyed by children or adults. Similarly, its message is apt for every age group.
The message: don't give up, don't get discouraged, work hard for the opportunities you seek, and working together will save the day!
A unique cast of characters kept the story interesting and thankfully never strayed into flatness. Each character was discernable by speech and actions, there were no "filler" people that served no purpose. They had strengths and weaknesses and didn't always get it right the first time.
I love that the opportunity was not just handed to Sophie. She fought hard for it, and trained to better herself in the aspects she knew were her weakest. So often we see YA/children's books which simply begin at the conflict so we don't see any of the effort to get there, or they create a character with no flaws who excels at everything. Mary Sue characters are not interesting, relatable, or fun to read about. As readers, we like to see ourselves in the characters. A story is more poignant if we can believe it.
I love that the characters had weaknesses and flaws, but they learned to complement each other to create a strong and well-rounded team. That is the spirit of teamwork, and it is a lesson I want to teach my son.
Well done.
The message: don't give up, don't get discouraged, work hard for the opportunities you seek, and working together will save the day!
A unique cast of characters kept the story interesting and thankfully never strayed into flatness. Each character was discernable by speech and actions, there were no "filler" people that served no purpose. They had strengths and weaknesses and didn't always get it right the first time.
I love that the opportunity was not just handed to Sophie. She fought hard for it, and trained to better herself in the aspects she knew were her weakest. So often we see YA/children's books which simply begin at the conflict so we don't see any of the effort to get there, or they create a character with no flaws who excels at everything. Mary Sue characters are not interesting, relatable, or fun to read about. As readers, we like to see ourselves in the characters. A story is more poignant if we can believe it.
I love that the characters had weaknesses and flaws, but they learned to complement each other to create a strong and well-rounded team. That is the spirit of teamwork, and it is a lesson I want to teach my son.
Well done.
July 26, 2020
I loved the kids, I loved the dog and I loved the robot. All of them fit together to make a team to fly out to seek new stars and planets. And what they find? Well, you really have to read the story.
The book is not only for children, I am not a child and enjoyed it.
The book is not only for children, I am not a child and enjoyed it.
January 19, 2022
Fun and Entertaining
Fun book for any age, but especially for 6-14 year olds. I like the characters and how each had a vital part on a team. Needs a little editing but very readable.
Fun book for any age, but especially for 6-14 year olds. I like the characters and how each had a vital part on a team. Needs a little editing but very readable.
October 11, 2023
This book was so exciting. I read it with my then 9 year old daughter. She was so eager to get to it before bed!
The characters are wonderful! So inspiring for children to read about kids doing amazing things. She loved Biggles, we both LOVED Biggles. He was the perfect companion pup!
Reading it with my daughter was fabulous because it was a great reminder that girls can do anything. They can even lead a team into space!
It was beautifully written, with so much heart. We both loved it!
The characters are wonderful! So inspiring for children to read about kids doing amazing things. She loved Biggles, we both LOVED Biggles. He was the perfect companion pup!
Reading it with my daughter was fabulous because it was a great reminder that girls can do anything. They can even lead a team into space!
It was beautifully written, with so much heart. We both loved it!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews