MIKE STELLAR

Strange behavior from all the grown-ups and the over-hasty departure of an interstellar expedition raise a lad’s suspicions in this adventure-comedy set in 2174. Still wondering if there’s truth to the rumors that his scientist parents are to blame for the disappearance of a previous expedition, Mike finds troubling clues that they’re out to sabotage the newest one too after they hustle him aboard a ship that takes off almost immediately for the nearest wormhole. On the way, not only does Larc, an oddly knowing classmate with long, white hair, attach herself to him, but he’s horrified to find his dragonesque old teacher Mrs. Halebopp aboard as well. As it turns out, they and his parents are allied in a secret effort to rescue the lost explorers while exposing a corporation’s ruthless scheme to reap quick profits by terraforming newly discovered planets at the expense of local ecologies. Readers will enjoy watching Mike work his way through both muddled feelings and adult secrets with savvy sleuthing, sharp observation and courage in the clutch. (Science fiction. 10-12)