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Aliens and Other Worlds: True Tales from Our Solar System and Beyond by Lisa Harvey-Smith ill. Tracie Grimwood

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From the author of Under The Stars, Astrophysics For Everyone.

Did life on Earth arrive on a meteorite from outer space? Are there living beings on planets beyond our solar system? If they are out there, what might these aliens look like? Would they be smart, curious, scared? Would they even want to meet us?

Revealing the wonders of scientific inquiry, astrophysicist and best-selling author Lisa Harvey-Smith guides Earthlings young and old through our search for alien life. On the way, she considers where our best chances are to find any galactic neighbours; ponders whether they might already be living among us; and looks at what we might learn about aliens from life at Earth’s extremes.

Asking all the important questions, answering some and explaining why others need further investigation, Aliens and Other Worlds explores the mystery of life beyond Earth. With illustrations by acclaimed artist Tracie Grimwood, this mysterious, awe-inspiring journey will thrill anyone with eyes fixed on distant horizons.

The author is a presenter alongside Professor Brian Cox on ABC TV’s Stargazing Live. Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa.harveysmith/

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space by Dr Dominic Walliman ill. Ben Newman

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 17 Feb 2022

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First published nearly 10 years ago, and now revised an updated in a new edition, this is an illustrated non-fiction book every bit as good as we have come to expect from Flying Eye Books.

Follow the illustrator, Ben Newman, on Instagram and read about what this book means to him:

What is it like to live in space? Is there life on other planets? What exactly is a black hole? Join Professor Astro Cat and the gang as they travel across space to find out everything there is to know about our galaxy, the solar system and the Universe. From asteroids to alien life and rockets to rovers, there’s so much to discover in the Frontiers of Space. Blast off with this revised edition featuring new content and the latest research and discoveries.

There is a whole series of ‘Professor Astro Cat’ books to discover….

The author has his own channel, Domain of Science, on Youtube:

The Infinity Files by S. M. Wilson

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Escape into space with the star-spangled new series from the author of The Extinction Trials.

Get in. Get out. Keep to the task. Leave no trace. Ash Yang dreamed of being a starfighter pilot. But when she crashes out of her final test – literally – she somehow lands the most powerful job in the universe. As Guardian of the Infinity Files she must secretly planet-hop through the galaxies, stealing or returning treasures that have the power to stop wars…or start them. But when her home planet is the one at war, can she use her new skills to save it?

Space Oddity by Christopher Edge ill. Ben Mantle

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5 STAR BfK review

Science and laughs combine in this out-of-this-world adventure, featuring illustrations by Ben Mantle!

You might think that this story is going to be an intergalactic adventure filled with UFOs, black holes, killer robots and some very foul-smelling aliens. And you’d be right. But it’s mostly about a boy called Jake, his embarrassing dad, and the mind-boggling question… are we really alone in the universe?

Space Detectives by Mark Powers ill. Dapo Adeola

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Dog lost in space? Grown an extra head and don’t know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives! Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world’s first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.

However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES! Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom?

Dapo Adeola, the illustrator, was recently featured in Meet An Illustrator…

Waterstones Piccadilly expands children’s section | The Bookseller

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The Bookseller reports:

Waterstones’ flagship Piccadilly store is expanding its children’s section after a sales increase of 20%.

London regional manager Luke Taylor said the company decided to re-think the space after “the recent explosion in children’s sales”, driven by reference, games and educational related products.

The children’s area will take up two-thirds of the second floor and will include a bigger picture book and board book range, a new YA space with crossover titles like Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, and an area for related products such as party packs and toys.

via Waterstones Piccadilly expands children’s section | The Bookseller.

Children’s space stories are ready to take off again, hopes SF Said

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SF Said hopes the time is right for space science to once again become a popular theme in children’s fiction.

When I was a child, spaceflight was a thrilling reality. The Apollo and Soyuz missions promised to extend our reach to the stars. Space exploration fuelled an explosion of stories during the postwar years in comics such as Dan Dare and Tintin’s Destination Moon, and in TV programmes and films such as Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. Yet even back then, space novels written specifically for young readers were hard to find.

They disappeared completely with the decline of space exploration in the 1980s and 1990s. But the new century has seen a re-ignition of interest in space. Star Wars is even bigger now than it was in the 1970s… …

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Yet children’s fiction has somehow remained adrift from these developments. Where are all the epic new space stories for young readers? Occasionally, there’s a novel in which space is an ingredient. Frank Cottrell Boyce’s Cosmic is one example, as is Sally Gardner’s Carnegie Medal-winning Maggot Moon. But full-blown epic space stories have yet to enjoy anything like the visibility in children’s books that they enjoy elsewhere.

The prevailing wisdom in children’s publishing is that space is a hard sell. Everyone is a little scared of it. No one knows why. I’ve discussed this with authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians; we all acknowledge that it’s an anomaly.

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Happily, there are signs that the tide is turning. Puffin has been commissioning Doctor Who ebooks from some of our best children’s writers, including Eoin Colfer (who also wrote a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy sequel), and the new children’s laureate, Malorie Blackman. Increasingly over the last year, I’ve heard it whispered that “space is the next big thing in children’s books”.

I hope that’s true, because I’ve spent the last seven years writing Phoenix, a space epic for readers of nine and up, set in a galaxy where humans and aliens are at war.

via Children’s space stories are ready to take off again | Books | theguardian.com.