Lunar; Chris Bradford, illustrated by Charlotte Grange

Years ago, NASA put a man on the Moon. Now, in a cracking twenty-first century sci-fi adventure, Chris Bradford has a girl stranded, alone and fighting for survival thousands of kilometres above Earth after disaster strikes.

Lunar’s life on the Moon is awesome. Helping her dad carry out his mining surveys, collecting rock samples and racing around in the Rover are all in a day’s work. When a catastrophic meteorite strike destroys the base, Luna is inexplicably left behind as the rest of the crew escape in the emergency evacuation pod. With limited supplies, darkness closing in and no one even aware that she’s still alive, there’s no time to wait and be rescued. Luna has only one option. Save herself…

Chris weaves all of the best bits of the movies The Martian and Apollo 13 into a thrilling story of survival in Space against the odds as a young girl navigates a series of disasters and problems in the most inhospitable of environments. 

Fast-paced, engaging and wholly believable, readers are in for an absolute treat in this high-stakes, high-drama, high-tension read. Adrenaline charged from first page to last, short, exciting chapters ensure there’s no time to pause for breath and Charlotte Grange’s artwork vividly brings Luna’s peril and plight to life.

If I was ever stuck on the Moon, Luna is the person I would want by my side. Desperate but determined, the resourceful Space kid is a STEM star with a mind for problem solving, a brain full of useful facts and a whizz with tech. And if all of her Space skills weren’t enough, her delightfully upbeat tone, wit and wry sense of humour, that all come across in her first-person narrative, would lift the spirits in even the most challenging of circumstances.

Packed with heart-stopping action and crammed with Moon information and Space trivia (nappies and all), Lunar is a brilliant and accessible read that would be an excellent accompaniment to a key stage two Space topic. The first super-readable and exciting story in a trio that promises to be out of this world!

​Recommended for 8+.

With huge thanks to Barrington Stoke for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.