THE LAST STAR CHASER

A family vacation in outer space on a luxury spaceship goes horribly wrong.

Zenna is on a two-week family vacation on the Star Chaser, but she’s stuck babysitting her annoying, space-obsessed 8-year-old brother, Kain, and she’s not into any of it. When a devastating solar flare collides with the ship, everyone is instructed to head for the escape pods, but Zenna’s parents aren’t with them—they’re at the onboard spa. Panicked but seizing control and taking responsibility, Zenna ushers Kain into a pod. They have a jerky landing on the planet Skoll, and as they head into the alien terrain, the siblings watch more pods streak “across the cotton candy sky.” Soon after, the Star Chaser crashes. They follow the smoke, hoping to find their parents, along the way befriending a giant blue, orange-eyed wolf, whom they name Spike. They also encounter a group of menacing prison-bound teens, whose leader, Jet, threatens Zenna and Kain. But Spike protects the siblings, scaring the juvenile delinquents away. Later, as Zenna, Kain, and Spike take refuge for the night, Arron, one of the prisoners, shows up. He’ll help them find the Star Chaser, but can they trust him? This accessible story captures the fast-paced momentum of a survival story with a vulnerable realism, with Zenna confronting challenge after challenge. Most characters read white.

A thrilling science-fiction narrative with appeal for reluctant readers.