{"id":25932,"date":"2015-01-25T01:46:56","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T05:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25932"},"modified":"2015-01-25T01:46:56","modified_gmt":"2015-01-25T05:46:56","slug":"review-of-space-case-by-stuart-gibbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25932","title":{"rendered":"Review of Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"space_case_large\"<\/a>Space Case<\/em><\/p>\n

by Stuart Gibbs<\/p>\n

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014. 337 pages.<\/p>\n

Dashiell Gibson is the first twelve-year-old to live on the moon. And he is quick to inform the reader that accommodations do not live up to the hype they were told when his parents were being recruited for Moon Base Alpha.<\/p>\n

However, the moon is an ideal setting for a locked-room mystery. Dash overhears Dr. Holtz talking to someone excitedly in the middle of the night. He\u2019s going to make a big announcement. The next morning, Dr. Holtz turns up dead. The official version is that he committed suicide. But Dash can\u2019t believe it. Why would he commit suicide when he was so excited about whatever he was going to tell the world?<\/p>\n

I liked the beginning and set-up of this book. The time is the not-too-distant future, and having dealt with the government myself, I found it easy to believe Dash\u2019s description of how things function on Moon Base Alpha.<\/p>\n

Living in Moon Base Alpha is like living in a giant tin can built by government contractors. It\u2019s as comfortable as an oil refinery. You can\u2019t go outside, the food is horrible, it\u2019s always cold \u2013 and the toilets might as well be medieval torture devices.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I also liked the interpersonal dynamics of a small group of people living in a limited amount of space. The Space Tourists, who paid a fortune to travel to the moon, are the unhappiest about how things have turned out. The other kid who\u2019s Dash\u2019s age is obsessed with video games and will do anything to play them \u2013 even when they\u2019ve been ordered to stay off the internet so no news will leak out of Dr. Holtz\u2019s death. Another ship arrives soon after and a girl Dash\u2019s age arrives \u2013 as well as a security officer who is interested in Dash\u2019s theories about the death.<\/p>\n

I was less enthusiastic about the book by the time I\u2019d finished \u2013 mainly from quibbles about how things turned out. But along the way, we had an exciting life-threatening encounter on the surface of the moon. <\/p>\n

Kids will find plenty to love about this mystery on the moon.<\/p>\n

stuartgibbs.com<\/a>
\nKIDS.SimonandSchuster.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/space_case.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a book sent to me by the publisher.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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