THE SECRETS OF STAR WHALES

Following in the footsteps of his asteroid miner father, a boy chases a mysterious galactic species.

On Azura, “a dying space station the universe forgot,” 12-year-old Max spends his days lobbing smoke bombs at teachers with his best friend, India. Their new sub, Mr. Hames, shares an obsession with Max’s late father: giant singing whales who swim in the vacuum of space. Max’s story is as much fantasy as science fiction, featuring both flesh-eating sirens and solar sails. The science parts, though, are fuzzy at best; at one point, Max stands on the floor of a ship before its artificial gravity kicks in, and the menu on this remote space station consists of cupcakes and steak. Despite trappings of futurism, characters and classroom dynamics read as true to those of contemporary Earth: Max worries about getting in trouble as much as he misses his dad, the space station runs on gossip, and Max eventually has to save the star whales from hunter-profiteers. The text can be clunky in its use of adverbs, but it also offers some trenchant aphorisms. For example, “Life’s not about experience. Life’s about possibility.” Even better, as Max’s mother tells him as they grieve together, “Crying is healthy.” Main characters seem to be assumed White; names signal diversity in the supporting cast.

Entertaining and hopeful.