Okay I'm so excited that I get to whip out this card already (context: I'm so excited to be old)

back in my day, I went to the library with my mom and wanted a book! I went to this magical land called the Reference Desk and waited 20 minutes in line to talk to a witch known as the Reference Librarian. I asked her for a book that was like Coraline and that damn witch refused to suggest anything but the damn Babysitters Club and the Dear Canada series. This damn book should have existed back then! I just kept rereading Coraline to spite that witch!

Okay yeah so as an adult reading middle grade, this is quite predictable. It reminds me of a very specific other book but I can't put my freaking finger on what book it is! For the target audience of this book though, this would be a good read with good morals, lovable characters. Also, as someone who wanted to bash my head through a wall when I was recommended stupid fluffy Babysitters Club over and over and over again as a child, this was the darker toned I wanted as a child! There's nothing graphically violent but it's darker and has an eerie feeling for most of the book and has a kidnapping.

This honestly seemed like a combination of Neil Gaiman's Coraline & Stardust but leaning more into steampunk and with space pirates. Also! Why do we as readers and writers under use space pirates?! I want more of that shit!

A second also: praise be to the cover gods. They are blessing middle grade titles like it's going out of style glares at YA titles with faceless girls in cloaks or badly photo shop stock image with ombre clearly done by an unpaid intern just doing their absolute best