Journey to the Moon #1 (Astronaut Girl)

Product Description Can Astronaut Girl save the day with a little help from science? Find out as she and her space crew make their debut in this chapter book series!Val, aka Astronaut Girl, is just your typical eight-year-old scientist. She has her own laboratory and conducts experiments with her crew--her cat and baby brother. She loves science and knows everything about outer space. That's why she's surprised to learn that her new neighbor Wallace would rather talk about a fake space show than about real missions. But when Astronaut Girl, Wallace, and the Astro crew get lost on their own lunar adventure, they must all work together to find their way back home.Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent. About the Author Cathy Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and young adults. She lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Ellen Vandenberg is the author of numerous books for young readers. She lives in New York City.Gillian Reid is a British illustrator, character designer, and teacher. She lives in Ontario, Canada. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 Summer Day Splashdown! “Wake up, Astro Cat! Pay attention to the controls,” I said. “We need to practice splashdowns.” Astro Cat yawned. He is a little lazy, but he’s a pretty good first mate. “Val,” Mom called from across the yard. “Please watch the Baby—he’s squashing my petunias.” Mom was working on some experiments in her garden. She’s a botanist. That’s a scientist who works with plants. I am a scientist who works in space! Daddy is one of those, too. He is an astrophysicist. He was working at his lab today. And I was working at my lab. That’s the gazebo in our backyard. Today I was pretending it was the Apollo 11 spacecraft. “Sure, Mom,” I said. “The Apollo 11 had a crew of three. The Baby can be part of the team.” Soon the three of us were in the spaceship. I double-checked my book, The Universe, to make sure I was getting everything right. “Okay, let’s focus, people,” I told my crew. “A splashdown is how spaceships come back to Earth. A parachute helps them slow down as they fall through the atmosphere. Then they splash into the water to soften their landing.” Astro Cat yawned again, and the Baby was watching a butterfly. I wasn’t sure they were paying close enough attention. But that was why I was the commander! “We’ll only have one chance to land back on Earth, so it’s important to be prepared,” I warned. I put on my helmet and set my stomp-on rocket launcher at the edge of the gazebo. “Begin the countdown, second mate!” The Baby gurgled. He tossed a Cheerio out of the gazebo. That reminded me to put his helmet on, too. Astro Cat was sleeping, so I decided to let him be. “Five!” I counted. More Cheerios went flying. “Four, three, two, one . . . liftoff!” I yelled. I stomped on the launcher. The rocket flew toward Daddy’s birdbath, ready to splashdown—and then right over it! “Oh no!” I cried. “Malfunction! Malfunction! It went over the hedge!” Suddenly the hedge started shaking. Then a face I’d never seen before poked through the leaves! Chapter 2 Meeting Wallace “Hi,” the face said. “I’m Wallace. We just moved in.” Then a hand appeared. It was holding my rocket. “Is this yours?” Wallace asked. “That’s my rocket,” I told him, grabbing it back. Mom looked up. “Oh, hello,” she greeted Wallace. “I heard we had new neighbors with an eight-year-old! Look, Val—a kid your age right next door! Come on over, Wallace. Welcome to the neighborhood!” He came in through the gate. “Thanks,” he told Mom. “My parents and Gramps and I just moved in, but we’ve been visiting for ages. My aunts and uncles and cousins all live here.” “How nice,” Mom said with a smile. “That should make it a little easier getting settled.” “I hope so.” Wallace smiled back at her. Then he lo