This was a very sweet and completely wonderful story. Stella is sweet, and Dominguez does an excellent job building her as a character and causing the reader to FEEL Stella’s anxiety and elation.

Wow!

Mejia did an excellent job of emphasizing how the privileged will do everything in their power to keep others from having anything and how eventually, the oppressed will rise up.

I did not enjoy this story. The book is beautifully written and illustrated. I believe Zoboi did an amazing job crafting the story. I don’t enjoy sci fi. I wasn’t ever an astronaut child. I did, however, get a glimpse into that world through EG’s eyes. I’ve known creative “imagination station” kids; I have two of my own. While I did not enjoy the story, I loved the craft of the book.

Very torn about my review. On one hand, I loved the language and the setting. I appreciated the perspective, but I still hate Gatsby and this iteration is still Gatsby. It really could have been a novella, too.

If I didn’t hate Gatsbyesque stories, this would probably be 4 or 5 stars. I’d hoped this one would help me love the story, but I can’t.