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We Dream of Space
400 pages
A poignant, deeply empathetic exploration of three siblings navigating the messy gravity of their own lives against the backdrop of the 1986 Challenger launch.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like looking through a telescope at a distant, fragile constellation. It is a deeply empathetic, character-driven experience that moves at a steady, deliberate pace, allowing the reader to fully inhabit the lonely, anxious orbits of three siblings living in a tense household. The mood is steeped in a poignant 1980s nostalgia, balancing the quiet dread of parental arguments with the boundless, starry-eyed hope of space exploration. As the narrative builds toward a known historical tragedy, the emotional texture shifts from isolated frustration to a tender, shared vulnerability. It is a beautifully observant story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt invisible in their own home, offering a quiet but profound sense of connection and resilience.
- Mood
- nostalgic
- poignant
- quietly tense
- reflective
- Tone
- earnest
- empathetic
- melancholic
- hopeful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- sibling disconnection · parental dysfunction · collective grief · finding your orbit · resilience in tragedy
- The writing
- The prose is observant and emotionally precise, effortlessly shifting between three distinct adolescent perspectives with gentle clarity.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from the lonely, anxious isolation of three disconnected siblings to a quiet, fragile solidarity forged in the aftermath of a shared tragedy.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love character-driven, deeply empathetic middle-grade stories that don't shy away from the messy realities of family life.
Content notes
- family dysfunction
- arguing parents
- historical tragedy (Challenger explosion)
- anxiety
About the book
Newbery Medalist and author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas in this pitch-perfect middle grade novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. This acclaimed Newbery Honor Book is a great choice for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Rebecca Stead. Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties. Cash, who loves basketball but has a newly broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade on Main and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesn't understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASA's first female shuttle commander, but feels like she's disappearing. The Nelson Thomas children exist in their own orbits, circling a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga. As the launch of the Challenger approaches, Ms. Salonga gives her students a project. They are separated into spacecraft crews and must create and complete a mission. When the fated day finally arrives, it changes all of their lives and brings them together in unexpected ways. Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers. We Dream of Space is illustrated throughout by the author. - Publisher.
Description from Open Library.
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