Sara is home sick with a cold and BORED! Her friend Jill stops by to visit and offers to cure her boredom by telling her all about the solar system. Creating an imaginary spaceship named "Unbored," Jill crews it with a mix of pets (hers and Sara's). These loyal space pets set out to visit the solar system and report back to the girls. After they visit each object (the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc.) they send back a brief report about the size, contents, origin of its name, and amazing features. These reports are very important, because the imaginary spaceship is powered by "enthusiplasma" a fuel created from Sara's enthusiasm for the solar system - the more cool facts they discover, the more power the ship has.
This unique way of presenting the content is engaging and humorous. Scenes such as the engineering officer providing extra power by running on his hamster wheel, or the Cosmic Kitty accidentally launching the shuttle when she strolls across the Emergency control button keep the presentation from bogging down in dry facts. But there really isn't much danger of boredom when the crew are exploring worlds that may rain diamonds or moons with volcanoes that shoot out water. Along with some famous men such as Tycho Brahe and Galileo, the crew also hear about females such as Caroline Herschel and Venetia Burney. American space programs such as the Apollo missions and Voyager receive much of the attention, but the Russian Venera probes and the Indian Space Research Organization's Mars Orbiter Mission are also mentioned.
For an overview/introduction to the features of the solar system, this book is a great choice. It has funny pets in space suits, quick reviews (in the reports sent back by the Space Pets to Sara), a glossary, and even a guide to watching meteor showers. Recommended for middle grades and up.
128 pages 978-1626721418 Ages 9-13
Recommended by: Suzanne Costner, Library Media Specialist, Tennessee USA
See more of her recommendations: https://fveslibrary.blogspot.com/
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With Science Comics, you can explore the depths of the ocean, the farthest reaches of space, and everything in between! These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects.
In this volume, get up close and personal with Earth's nearest neighbors―Venus with its acid rainstorms, Saturn and its rings of ice, and the heart of it all, the Sun. Humans have always been fascinated by outer space and we’re learning more about our solar system every day. Did you know that our Solar System was born from a cloud of cosmic dust? That Jupiter’s red spot is really a raging storm? Join Sara, Jill, and their space-faring pets on a quest to learn more about the wonders of our Solar System―and beyond!--from the publisher
