Author(s): Jenny McLachlan

Senior Fiction

Science geek Meg is left to look after her little sister for ten days after her free-spirited mum leaves suddenly to follow up yet another of her Big Important Causes. But while Meg may understand how the universe was formed, baby Elsa is a complete mystery to her. And Mum's disappearance has come at the worst time- Meg is desperate to win a competition to get the chance to visit NASA headquarters, but to do this she has to beat close rival Ed. Can Meg pull off this double life of caring for Elsa and following her own dreams? She'll need a miracle of cosmic proportions - Fans fell in love with the warmth, wit, romance and fierce friendships in Flirty Dancing, Love Bomb, Sunkissed and Star Struck, and Stargazing for Beginners has all that and galaxies more. This is the best kind of real-life fiction with big themes and irresistible characters, it goes straight to your heart.

Meg (short for Megara, but she doesn't share her Mum's passion for Disney) wants to be an astronaut. Not in the little kid way either - she's fifteen and she knows the odds; she knows how hard she has to work. Constant study doesn't leave much time for socialising, and since her best (only) friend moved to New Zealand, she doesn't have anyone to translate other teenagers into a language she understands anyway. But when her very free-spirited Mum calls her from a plane that's about to leave for Myanmar, Meg's carefully organised life is thrown into chaos - mainly because she's been left to take care of her baby sister Elsa. Meg can handle the mysteries of space, but a toddler is quite a different story. Fans of Jacqueline Wilson will be drawn to this affirming story, which deals gently with themes of social isolation and sacrifice while charting the slow but sure journey of a young woman learning to be herself. Recommended for ages 12+. Freya