Vega’s Piece of the Sky

Gr 3-6–When a meteorite falls, three middle schoolers reluctantly join together to find it. Each has a motivation—raising money for a grandparent’s medical bills, appeasing a rock-hunting father, or quelling their anxiety. Told in alternating viewpoints, two female cousins and their new male friend have an eventful night in the desert looking for a meteorite while dodging natural disasters and wildlife. This novel weaves together adventure, friendship, a representation of Latinx culture, traditional constellation lore, and a small amount of space science. Here readers find well-developed characters with distinct voices and a tightly paced, fast-moving plot that harmoniously blend into a heartwarming, energetic novel. Some plot lines are not as fleshed out as others, as the ambitious novel navigates three narrators and their separate backstories and motivations. That, however, does not detract substantially from the overall effect.