CatStronauts: Mission Moon
The CatStronauts series, Book 1
Drew Brockington
Little, Brown and Company
Fiction, CH Graphic Novel/Humor/Sci-Fi
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Cross-Genre, Felines, Robots, Space Stories
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Description
Oh, no! The world is about to run out of power! Fortunately, the President of America knows just who to call: the World's Best Scientist, who hatches a plan to put a solar power plant on the moon and beam energy back to Earth via microwave. To accomplish this, World's Best Scientist knows who else to call: the CatStronauts over at the Catsup Space Agency. Major Meowser, Waffles, Blanket, and Pom Pom - as well as the entire space agency, which hasn't conducted a moon mission in 30 years - have just 60 days to train, build a rocket, and get the lunar power plant online, or Earth will run out of energy and life as every cat knows it will end.
Review
Melding humor and science and more than a few nods to the history of the (human) space race, CatStronauts is a fun little graphic novel for kids (and grown-ups reading along, or just looking for a light, fast-reading adventure). The illustrations are whimsical, with details that add to the humor and the resonance for those looking for real-world space connections. Characters are simple yet distinct and fun, learning to work together in a crunch and science their way through problems in true astronaut fashion, and the plot moves briskly (with more than a few throwaway puns and jokes). There's a little peril, a little conflict, and no real spoiler that things come together by the end. I had fun reading it, and if I ever need a light pick-me-up in the future, I might continue the series.