Rocket Science

by Jeanne Willis

Adam Lurie is gifted, friendless, and has a passion for all things extra-terrestrial. When a strange creature turns up on the beach near his home, it doesn't take much to convince him he has found an alien.

While hiding the 'alien' from the outside world, Adam hatches a plan to return him to his own planet - by building a rocket.

This book contains a fair amount of technical data about rocket building and has a wonderfully poignant ending in which we come to understand the true identity of the alien.

A well-balanced, well-written story, which explores the nature of family relationships and friendship.

Publisher: Faber Children's Books

Jeanne Willis

Jeanne wrote her first book when she was five years old and hasn't stopped writing since. She now has over eighty titles to her name, including picture books, novels and television scripts. She has also won numerous awards, including the Children's Book Award, the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Silver Smarties Prize. Her teen novel, Naked Without a Hat (Faber) was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award in 2004. She often takes inspiration from dreams and interesting conversations with strangers.

Jeanne Willis