honeyheartbaby's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nukie19's review
5.0
I asked my 6 year old future astronaut how many stars this book should get and she said "one million and fifty stars." All in all, I found it pretty predictable but fun to read. The book goes perfectly with any Luciana fans and will not bore the adults reading it either.
jetaimee's review
4.0
L O V E this series so much.
Luciana have to part with her BFF just to go to space camp.She is there there is a lot of different tasks she have to face.
Did she make the right decision to go to space camp and leave her family and friends to follow her dreams or was this just not right for her?
Find out in Luciana.
Luciana have to part with her BFF just to go to space camp.She is there there is a lot of different tasks she have to face.
Did she make the right decision to go to space camp and leave her family and friends to follow her dreams or was this just not right for her?
Find out in Luciana.
perilouspages's review
3.0
It was actually pretty good, as far as AG books go. I really want to know more about baby Isadora, though! I can't wait to read the sequel! I already have it on hold at the library! :D
liri_reads's review
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
msjoanna's review
3.0
A cute book aimed at relatively young children. I read this aloud with my 7 and 10 year old kids and both enjoyed it, though the 7 year old liked it more. The characters felt realistic enough to make them likeable and the plot moved along with enough action to make everyone want to keep moving forward. There wasn't a lot of learning about space or science in the book despite the space camp setting, but the overall premise was STEM-positive.
I liked that the children in the book made a mistake and took ownership for it and worked to make it better. They made morally sound choices in a way that felt natural in the plot and the book didn't feel the need to hit readers over the head with the ethic--they just decided to do the right thing (e.g., fess up, accept consequences, etc.).
This isn't a book with crossover appeal to adults, but it wasn't objectionable as a choice to read with kids.
I liked that the children in the book made a mistake and took ownership for it and worked to make it better. They made morally sound choices in a way that felt natural in the plot and the book didn't feel the need to hit readers over the head with the ethic--they just decided to do the right thing (e.g., fess up, accept consequences, etc.).
This isn't a book with crossover appeal to adults, but it wasn't objectionable as a choice to read with kids.
backonthealex's review
3.0
It's been a while since I've read an American Girl book now that all my Kiddos are too old for them, and I don't think I've ever read a Girl of the Year book. We always stuck to the historical stories. So when I realized that we would be celebrating a big historical event this week - the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20 - I thought this would be a fun book to start the week off.
More than anything, Luciana Vega, 11, wants to be an astronaut and now she's just arrived at Space Camp. Luci has tried for a scholarship to Space Camp three times and finally won thanks to the essay she wrote about planetary geology. But Luci also has something else on her mind besides space - a baby named Isadora. She and her parents are hoping to adopt Isadora, an orphan in Chile, the country where Luci's parents grew up. Naturally, only child Luci worries about whether she will be a good older sister.
At Space Camp, Luci's bunkmates in Habitat 4b are Ella, 11, her younger sister Meg, 9, and cousin Charlotte, 11, as well as Joanna from Germany. There is also a companion boys Habitat. For their week at camp their trainers are Mallory, Alex, and Mallory's robotic dog Orion. Unfortunately, tension between Luci and Ella can be felt immediately, as well as between Ella and James, both highly competitive know-it-alls. But it is Luci who ends up as the team captain for the girls, and James for the boys. Besides space-related activities and exercises, each team will build a robot, complete with daily challenges to win bolts. The idea is accumulate a lot of bolts (which is the point system they use) and the team with the most bolts at the end of the week is the winner.
Unfortunately, Luci didn't read all the material sent to the campers and her impulsiveness causes her team to come in last place in the first challenge. Knowing her teammates are disappointed with her, Luci manages to come up with a plan to build their robot with junk parts that won't cost them any bolts. It's a good idea, and they even find and fix a motor module to build a walking robot. But when the part goes missing, Luci is sure that James took it to set them behind. And the plan she hatches for getting it back leads to disaster for James and his team. Can Luci ever fix the mess she made?
I thought this was a fun, typical American Girl book but I mean that in the best way. Sure, the main character faces challenges, makes mistakes, learns lessons from her mistakes and lands on her feet. Luci's real challenge is to learn how to be a team player and by extension, a good big sister, to think before she acts, and to not ignore preparation materials. Know-it-all Ella is the opposite of Luci and a great foil for her, because she also needs to learn how to be a team player in order to be a good friend. Each girl brings baggage with them and together they help each other become better team players. I actually wish we were given more of Ella's story instead of her merely being a plot device for Luci.
Although this is an introductory story for readers to get to know her, I wish that more of Luci's Chilean background had been included, but that seems to happen in another book. I did love the STEAM aspect of Luci's story and hope it has an influence on girls who might otherwise pass on STEAM-related activities, books, and ideas.
I received this book from Scholastic a while ago and it has been borrowed by three girls already, all of whom said they really enjoyed it, liked Luci as a character, and will read more of her story (and they really, really like the purple streak she has in her hair). I personally never thought much about robotics, other than supporting the kids in my family who are into them, but I did find the robotic element of the story very interesting ( especially Mallory's dog Orion) and I gained a whole new appreciation for robotics.
Although Luciana is 11, I would recommend this book for readers as young as 8 or 9. It's not a complicated story, there's just enough science to ignite curiosity and Luci's challenges and concerns are not specific to Space Camp. And her story is just good summer reading and you don't need to buy the doll to enjoy it.
This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Scholastic Press
More than anything, Luciana Vega, 11, wants to be an astronaut and now she's just arrived at Space Camp. Luci has tried for a scholarship to Space Camp three times and finally won thanks to the essay she wrote about planetary geology. But Luci also has something else on her mind besides space - a baby named Isadora. She and her parents are hoping to adopt Isadora, an orphan in Chile, the country where Luci's parents grew up. Naturally, only child Luci worries about whether she will be a good older sister.
At Space Camp, Luci's bunkmates in Habitat 4b are Ella, 11, her younger sister Meg, 9, and cousin Charlotte, 11, as well as Joanna from Germany. There is also a companion boys Habitat. For their week at camp their trainers are Mallory, Alex, and Mallory's robotic dog Orion. Unfortunately, tension between Luci and Ella can be felt immediately, as well as between Ella and James, both highly competitive know-it-alls. But it is Luci who ends up as the team captain for the girls, and James for the boys. Besides space-related activities and exercises, each team will build a robot, complete with daily challenges to win bolts. The idea is accumulate a lot of bolts (which is the point system they use) and the team with the most bolts at the end of the week is the winner.
Unfortunately, Luci didn't read all the material sent to the campers and her impulsiveness causes her team to come in last place in the first challenge. Knowing her teammates are disappointed with her, Luci manages to come up with a plan to build their robot with junk parts that won't cost them any bolts. It's a good idea, and they even find and fix a motor module to build a walking robot. But when the part goes missing, Luci is sure that James took it to set them behind. And the plan she hatches for getting it back leads to disaster for James and his team. Can Luci ever fix the mess she made?
I thought this was a fun, typical American Girl book but I mean that in the best way. Sure, the main character faces challenges, makes mistakes, learns lessons from her mistakes and lands on her feet. Luci's real challenge is to learn how to be a team player and by extension, a good big sister, to think before she acts, and to not ignore preparation materials. Know-it-all Ella is the opposite of Luci and a great foil for her, because she also needs to learn how to be a team player in order to be a good friend. Each girl brings baggage with them and together they help each other become better team players. I actually wish we were given more of Ella's story instead of her merely being a plot device for Luci.
Although this is an introductory story for readers to get to know her, I wish that more of Luci's Chilean background had been included, but that seems to happen in another book. I did love the STEAM aspect of Luci's story and hope it has an influence on girls who might otherwise pass on STEAM-related activities, books, and ideas.
I received this book from Scholastic a while ago and it has been borrowed by three girls already, all of whom said they really enjoyed it, liked Luci as a character, and will read more of her story (and they really, really like the purple streak she has in her hair). I personally never thought much about robotics, other than supporting the kids in my family who are into them, but I did find the robotic element of the story very interesting ( especially Mallory's dog Orion) and I gained a whole new appreciation for robotics.
Although Luciana is 11, I would recommend this book for readers as young as 8 or 9. It's not a complicated story, there's just enough science to ignite curiosity and Luci's challenges and concerns are not specific to Space Camp. And her story is just good summer reading and you don't need to buy the doll to enjoy it.
This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Scholastic Press
erine's review
4.0
A book I would have loved as a kid: all the best aspects of the American Girl series in a modern setting. Luciana loves science, is creative, impulsive, and friendly. She heads to space camp, and although she starts out pretty clueless, she learns a lot. I loved the take on failure, and how each character had their own flaws.
American Girl, Girl of the Year 2018
American Girl, Girl of the Year 2018
lyzhd's review
4.0
Luciana encourages girls to enjoy STEAM as well as provides imagination fuel for those who already do. While this book is for older independent readers (4th grade reading level & up), my seven-year-old loved listening to the story that was also major drama. Boys, too, could relate to Luciana’s experiences & learn lessons in teamwork along the way.
roselaina's review against another edition
2.0
*2.5
Cute, but rather boring and more than a little nonsensical at times.
Cute, but rather boring and more than a little nonsensical at times.
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