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We Dream of Space

A Newbery Honor Award Winner
4.11 goodreads logo

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( 8,560 ratings, 1,466 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly is set in the 1980s and follows the lives of the Nelson Thomas siblings: Cash, Fitch, and Bird. As they navigate personal struggles and dynamics within their family, their fascination with the impending launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger becomes a source of hope and inspiration. Through their stories, the book captures themes of ambition, disappointment, and the bonds of family.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$1699
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate heartfelt stories about family dynamics and individual growth. Set against the backdrop of the 1986 Challenger launch, it follows three siblings navigating their own challenges and dreams. It's a captivating blend of history and personal development, perfect for young readers intrigued by space and emotional journeys.

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A Newbery Honor Book • BookPage Best Books • Chicago Public Library Best Fiction • Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee • Horn Book Fanfare • New York Times Notable Children’s Book • School Library Journal Best Book • Today Show Pick • An ALA Notable Book

“A 10 out of 10 .

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Newbery Honor Book • BookPage Best Books • Chicago Public Library Best Fiction • Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee • Horn Book Fanfare • New York Times Notable Children's Book • School Library Journal Best Book • Today Show Pick • An ALA Notable Book

“A 10 out of 10 . . . Anyone interested in science, sibling relationships, and friendships will enjoy reading We Dream of Space.”—Time for Kids

Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas in this pitch-perfect middle grade novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. This acclaimed Newbery Honor Book is a great choice for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Rebecca Stead.

Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties. Cash, who loves basketball but has a newly broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade on Main and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesn't understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASA's first female shuttle commander, but feels like she's disappearing.

The Nelson Thomas children exist in their own orbits, circling a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga. As the launch of the Challenger approaches, Ms. Salonga gives her students a project—they are separated into spacecraft crews and must create and complete a mission. When the fated day finally arrives, it changes all of their lives and brings them together in unexpected ways.

Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers.

We Dream of Space is illustrated throughout by the author.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly is praised for its exploration of space exploration and sibling bonds through the lives of three siblings preceding the 1986 Challenger launch. Reviewers highlight the book's engaging writing style, relatable characters, and the compelling depiction of family dynamics and personal growth. It's noted for showcasing the powerful impact of words and its ability to balance middle school dilemmas with larger existential questions. The novel's setting in the 1980s, combined with its celebration of optimism and resilience, makes it highly appealing for middle-grade readers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780062747310

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 June 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Greenwillow Books

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 29.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 194.0mm

Weight: 386g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning novels Hello, Universe and The First State of Being, which was also named a finalist for the National Book Award. She received a Newbery Honor for her acclaimed novel We Dream of Space. Erin Entrada Kelly grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and now lives in Delaware. She teaches in the MFA in writing for children and young adults program at Hamline University. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Philippines Free Press Literary Award for Short Fiction and the Pushcart Prize. Before becoming a children's author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor and received numerous awards for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press. Erin Entrada Kelly's debut novel, Blackbird Fly, was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, an ALSC Notable Book, and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book. She is also the author of The Land of Forgotten Girls, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; You Go First, an Indie Next Pick; Lalani of the Distant Sea, an Indie Next Pick; Those Kids from Fawn Creek, named to numerous best-of-the-year lists; and five popular novels for younger readers, Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, Surely Surely Marisol Rainey, Only Only Marisol Rainey, Your Turn Marisol Rainey, and Felix Powell, Boy Dog, which she also illustrated.

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