book cover

Stargazing for Beginners

by Jenny McLachlan

Interest age: 12 to 14
Reading age: 12+

Published by Bloomsbury, 2017

  • Coming-of-age
  • Funny

About this book

Meg's dreamed of being an astronaut since she was seven. While everyone's at the school ball, she'll be spotting stars with her Grandad's friends. Fitting in when you're smart and geeky seems impossible; how does lab partner Ed do it so effortlessly?

Then Mum does a flit - a charity mission to Myanmar - leaving Meg in charge of her baby sister. Meg should be practising the talk which might win her a trip to NASA, but caring for Ella takes over her life. And what's going on between her and Ed?

This novel achieves a delicate balance between light-hearted fiction and thoughtful exploration of the pitfalls of being female, smart and good at science. Meg's fierce determination, mixed with anxieties and self-doubt, are engagingly, humorously and realistically portrayed.

About the author

Jenny McLachlan spent 13 years of her life teaching English: a job that combined her passion for the written word with her passion for showing off. It also provided her with the inspiration for her books. In the summer of 2014 she became a fulltime writer.

Jenny lives by the seaside with her husband and two small but fierce girls. In addition to writing, she enjoys exploring the South Downs, running and, if it will embarrass her husband enough, jiving in any vaguely suitable situation. 

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