Mars and Houston, by James Crowley

Here's a sweet story about the power of friendship.  Joey has a bad habit of climbing out onto the roof of his house.  As much as his mom forbids him to do so, he loves to crawl out there and dream about being an astronaut.  Not only does his mother not want him to get hurt, she discourages his obsession with becoming an astronaut.  Joey has autism, and his mother wants him to face the reality that he would be unsuitable for a career as an astronaut.

To Joey's delight, Ben moves in across the street, with whom he strikes an unlikely friendship.  Ben, academically well ahead of other kids in his grade, and Joey find a common bond, in that they are both bullied and find themselves on the fringes of their class.  At first Ben is a bit annoyed by Joey, whose social skills are typical of boys with autism, but they do become good friends, and Joey's passion for space inspires Ben.

Joey's mother is overprotective, but not enough to keep Joey out of trouble.  Ben gets the blame for a tragic accident, and later Ben moves away.  In the end, the power of their bond of friendship saves the day.  Mars and Houston is a simple but sweet book, nicely written with a great message about stepping outside your comfort zone (for), faithful friendship (definitely for), bullying (against), and pursuing your dreams (for).  It's just the thing for an older elementary or middle school reader, and would be a great After School Special type of movie.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!