172 Hours on the Moon

Gr 10 Up—In 2019, three teenagers embark on the journey of a lifetime: a weeklong stay inside a space station on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility. Selected by international lottery in NASA's publicity-grabbing campaign for funding, Mia, Midori, and Antoine have relatively little training or even interest in science or the space program. As the mission quickly turns from bad to worse, the teens and astronaut crew soon realize that they are not alone. Gripping and suspenseful, 172 Hours will have readers constantly asking themselves how the characters can possibly survive. The smooth translation flows well, and, despite a somewhat slow-paced beginning, the story grabs readers and doesn't let go. The young people, initially bratty and self-serving, grow more sympathetic through their intense fear and acts of courage. A chilling final twist will make readers want to revisit certain events to see how they could have possibly missed it coming. With descriptions of the desolate, eerie lunar surface and the creepy 1970s space station, Harstad deftly enables readers to experience the otherworldly environment. An author's note describes factual events about extraterrestrial communication and the NASA space program. Several illustrations, advertisements, maps, and photographs are included, all of which enhance the story and help readers envision an environment they will likely never visit. Original, creepy, intense, and quite violent, 172 Hours is page-turning sci-fi that will stay with readers long after the shocking and heartbreaking conclusion.—Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TX