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Table of Contents
About The Book
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...
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...
Excerpt
Chapter 1: Evil Plumbing
Excerpt from The Official Residents’ Guide to Moon Base Alpha,
© 2040 by National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
WELCOME TO MOON BASE ALPHA!
Congratulations on your selection as a resident of the first permanent extraterrestrial human habitat! To ease your transition from earth, Moon Base Alpha (referred to from here on as “MBA”) has been designed to feel as comfortable and familiar as any residence on our home planet. Our engineers and designers have spared no expense to provide all MBA residents—or “lunarnauts”—with everything they need for a relaxing, pleasurable existence.
However, life on the moon will not be without challenges. There are obviously many differences between this residence and one on earth—many of which you may be pleasantly surprised by! To that end, please take the necessary time to read this helpful, informative manual in its entirety, as it will likely answer any questions you have about your new home (and perhaps a few questions you hadn’t even thought to ask yet)!
Once again, congratulations on your selection. Welcome to the moon. Enjoy your new home!
Excerpt from The Official Residents’ Guide to Moon Base Alpha,
© 2040 by National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
WELCOME TO MOON BASE ALPHA!
Congratulations on your selection as a resident of the first permanent extraterrestrial human habitat! To ease your transition from earth, Moon Base Alpha (referred to from here on as “MBA”) has been designed to feel as comfortable and familiar as any residence on our home planet. Our engineers and designers have spared no expense to provide all MBA residents—or “lunarnauts”—with everything they need for a relaxing, pleasurable existence.
However, life on the moon will not be without challenges. There are obviously many differences between this residence and one on earth—many of which you may be pleasantly surprised by! To that end, please take the necessary time to read this helpful, informative manual in its entirety, as it will likely answer any questions you have about your new home (and perhaps a few questions you hadn’t even thought to ask yet)!
Once again, congratulations on your selection. Welcome to the moon. Enjoy your new home!
About The Author
Photograph by Dashiell Gibbs
Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 13, 2015)
- Length: 368 pages
- ISBN13: 9781442494879
- Grades: 3 - 7
- Ages: 8 - 12
- Lexile ® 750L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®
- Fountas & Pinnell™ X These books have been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System
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Raves and Reviews
*STARRED REVIEW* The whodunit is smartly paced and intricately plotted. Best of all, the reveal is actually worth all the buildup. Thrillers too often fly off the rails in their final moments, but the author's steady hand keeps everything here on track. Fully absorbing."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Suspenseful."
– Booklist
"This zany sci-fi/adventure/murder mystery won't sit around gathering moondust, especially with such an eye-catching cover!; highly recommended for your middle-grade mystery collection."
– Jill Barton, MLIS, Collection Development, Ingram's Children's Advance
"Recommended as a breezy read, especially for the budding space scientist."
– School Library Journal
Awards and Honors
- CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)
- Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominee
- Oregon Battle of the Books List
- Maine Student Book Award Reading List
- Nutmeg Book Award Nominee (CT)
- Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Master List (IL)
- Great Lakes Great Books Master List (MI)
- Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (TN)
- Texas Bluebonnet Master List
- Edgar Allan Poe Award (Finalist)
- Mark Twain Award Final Nominee (MO)
- North Carolina Children's Book Award Nominee
- Sasquatch Book Award Nominee (WA)
- California Book Award Finalist
- MSTA Reading Circle List
- Wisconsin State Reading Association's Reading List
- Virginia Readers’ Choice Award
- Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee (MD)
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Space Case Trade Paperback 9781442494879
- Author Photo (jpg): Stuart Gibbs Photograph by Dashiell Gibbs(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
