Freddie Spector has been chosen as one of five students from his school to ask a question of astronaut Lilly Jun, when she beams in from the International Space Station. He has been on a space-fact- collecting blitz and has dozens of sticky notes posted all over his bedroom and other parts of the house with myriads of interesting snippets about outer space. He has also become a bit of an expert.

One night he is woken up by a loud crash from the neighbour’s house over the back fence and through the darkness he can see a large hole in their backyard. Has a UFO landed? Are there aliens in the house? What’s the green slime in the gutter near school?

Freddie and his sister, Henrietta, are determined to track down the alien, but their mum and friend Theo are convinced there is a perfectly rational explanation for all the mysterious goings-on.

All the while Freddie has learned a LOT about space and asked Astronaut Lilly a very good question. And the reader of this clever, funny middle grade novel with humorous black-and-white illustrations has learned a lot about space along the way, too.

Reviewed by Lynne Babbage

Age Guide 7+

Read an extract from the book

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashleigh Barton is a children’s author and content and copywriter based in Sydney, Australia. This means all her working hours are spent on her own creative projects or crafting copy for clients in various industries all over the world. No two days are the same – just the way she likes it.

Before writing full-time, she pursued my love of books (children’s books especially) by working in some of Australia’s biggest publishing houses. She ran marketing and publicity campaigns for globally-renowned authors and illustrators, including some of myher all-time favourites.

Visit Ashleigh Barton’s website