Space Case

Stuart Gibbs — 2014

It’s a murder mystery on the moon in this humorous and suspenseful space adventure from the author of Belly Up and Spy School that The New York Times Book Review called “a delightful and brilliantly constructed middle grade thriller.” Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon. And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games. Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep...

Reviews

Jeni Enjaian@jenienjaian

Oct 30, 2021

I read this book in my classroom during time I designate for reading both for myself and for the students. (Often I read far less than many of them due to needing to monitor and encourage the reluctant readers.) I picked this up for my next classroom read on the recommendation of one of my students from last year who saw the book on one of the desks and exclaimed how much she liked it. If I take all my reviews from students like her, I will not go wrong. Gibbs created a fascinating take on future moon colonization with plenty of reality, as in the things that could happen a few decades down the road as well as things 12 year old boys would encounter even in the space of a base on the moon. The narrative stretches for only two days but Gibbs packs so much information into the narrative, you close the book feeling as if you know everything possible about Moon Base Alpha and the things Dash gets up to while there. The conclusion of the mystery plus another surprising revelation make for a satisfying ending whether more books had not been written in the series or as they have. I definitely recommend this book.