When it’s time to get away from the daily routines, there’s just nothing like taking a vacation—real or virtual—to rest, relax, and recharge. Whether the travel takes place in our physical world or that of our imaginations, some of us prefer sticking to familiar places and experiences, while more venturesome sorts go down less-traveled roads in search of exotic natural wonders or meetings with new peoples and cultures.

The least-traveled roads of all, at least so far, are those that lead away from our home planet—first to our neighbors in the solar system and then beyond to the Milky Way and other galaxies. In service to the sensible idea thatevery journey, no matter how open-ended, is enriched bya little background research, here are a few of manyinformative and sumptuously illustrated guides to theHigh Frontier’s most spectacular (literally)sights, along with revealing views of our local star’smust-see features, tantalizing glimpses of planetsorbiting other stars, and stimulating speculationsabout not only what is waiting for us out there—but who!

LOCAL EXCURSIONS

BAKER, David & Heather Kissock . Probing Space. (Exploring Space Series). Weigl. 2009. PLB $26. ISBN 978-1-60596-025-8; pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-60596-026-5. Gr 2-4–Imparting a sense of the huge effort that has gone into developing scientific instruments and getting them to, around, and on other planets and celestial neighbors, this survey–illustrated with a mix of color photos and photorealistic digital paintings–introduces several space probes and describes how they were built and sent on their missions.

BENSON, Michael. Beyond: A Solar System Voyage. Abrams. 2009. RTE $19.95. ISBN 978-0-8109-8322-9. Gr 4-7–Never have the planets, asteroids, and moons of our solar system looked better than in this album of super-high-quality space photos—selected for young viewers from an earlier compilation for adults. Chosen as much for their eye-candy appeal as for their significance, they’ll propel even the most firmly earthbound children on a mind-expanding imaginary voyage.

BJORKLUND, Ruth. Venus. (Space! Series). Benchmark. 2009. PLB $22.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-4251-6. Gr 5-7–With average temperatures well over 800 degrees, Earth’s “evil twin” is far and away the hottest planet in the solar system. Along with delivering the lowdown on our sizzling sister planet’s structure, surface, orbit, and history, the author makes ominous observations about the extreme consequences of the greenhouse gas effect.

CARSON, Mary Kay. Far-Out Guide to the Icy Dwarf Planets. (Far-Out Guide to the Solar System Series). Enslow. 2010. PLB $23.93. ISBN 978-0-7660-3187-6; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-59845-190-0. Gr 4-5–For travelers eager to rough it without having to go all that far from home (in astronomical terms), Carson presents four solar system outliers—three of them only recently discovered and none as yet visited by any astronauts or even space probes. A tantalizing set of space photos and speculative art enhances the author’s clear account.

CHAPLE, Glenn F. Outer Planets. (Greenword Guides to the Universe Series). Greenwood. 2009. Tr $65. ISBN 978-0-313-36570-6. Gr 9 Up–No solar system tour is complete, of course, without a swing past the gas giants—and for more studious young tourists Chaple offers detailed introductions both to the planets themselves and to their teeming, diverse systems of moons and rings. Despite the sparse and low-quality pictures, even adults will find plenty here on which to build memorable itineraries.

MILLER, Ron. Seven Wonders of the Rocky Planets and Their Moons. (Seven Wonders Series). 21st Century. 2011. PLB $33.26. ISBN 978-0-7613-5448-2; ebook $24.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-7283-7. Gr 5-8–Highlighting such not-to-be-missed features as Mars’s Olympus Mons, the wild gyrations of the Sun as seen from Mercury, and even the unique (so far!) presence of life on Earth, this stimulating and heavily illustrated guide to the inner planets guarantees a terrific start to any interplanetary tour.

O’BRIEN, Patrick. You Are the First Kid on Mars. illus. by author. Putnam. 2009. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-24634-0. Gr 3-5–With pictures and details that are so realistic it takes an effort to remember that it can’t happen (yet), the author takes readers up the Space Elevator, on board a spaceship, and off to Mars for six months of sightseeing and colony living.

VOGT, Gregory. Is There Life on Other Planets? and Other Questions About Space. (Is That a Fact? Series). Lerner. 2010. PLB $26.60. ISBN 978-0-8225-9082-8. Gr 2-4–Presented with plenty of space photos, artists’ conceptions, and even cartoons, this is the straight dope on gravity in space, how the Sun works, what the Moon is made of, whether there really are UFOs (yes, but they’re not crewed by aliens), and other matters of concern to young space scientists and travelers.

TICKETS TO DEEP SPACE

AGUILAR, David A. Super Stars: The Biggest, Hottest, Brightest, Most Explosive Stars in the Milky Way. illus. by author. National Geographic. 2010. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0601-3; PLB $27.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0602-0. Gr 5-7–Both the eye-filling space art and the author’s contagious enthusiasm really light up this introduction to star types, supernovae, black holes, planetary nebula, and more. From the “winking demon star” to the “butterflies of the universe,” here’s a full itinerary of not-to-be-missed interstellar sights.

BOW, James. Space Mysteries Revealed. Crabtree. 2010. PLB $26.60. ISBN 978-0-7787-7416-7; pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-7431-0. Gr 3-5–Enhancing any tour of the cosmos, this entertaining set of questions and answers explores a huge variety of topics, from “How does a flag fly on the Moon?” to “Where are we in the universe?” Many of the answers aren’t, of course, final ones—but even casual browsers will find plenty of food for thought here.

GREEN, Dan. Astronomy: Out of This World! illus by Simon Basher. Kingfisher. 2010. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-7534-6617-9. Gr 4-8–Dudes and dudettes too cool to touch conventional nonfiction will be hard put not to be won over by the combination of Pop Art cartoon illustrations and attitude-heavy narrative in this anthropomorphic gallery of planets, stars, galaxies, and other celestial residents. “Personal” statements like “I’m a total star–the center of everything, baby!” mix with surprisingly hefty doses of factual information.

JEFFERIS, David A. Galaxies: Immense Star Islands. (Exploring Our Solar System Series). Crabtree. 2009. PLB $26.60. ISBN 978-0-7787-3723-0; pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-3740-7. Gr 4-6–Young sky watchers wanting to bone up on the origins and types of galaxies, how to spot them, what lies in their cores, and how galactic haloes and other structures are formed will find just the ticket in this easy-to-use, handsomely illustrated guide.

SCOTT, Elaine. Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw. Clarion. 2011. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-24189-0. Gr 5-8–This tribute to our greatest-ever Eye in the Sky captures the “awesome” with a grand array of deep space photos and clear explanations of the Hubble’s components and mission, as well as some of the startling discoveries made with it. Overviews of the history of astronomy, the Big Bang, black holes, and more will enrich any reader’s understanding of what the pictures reveal.

Space: A Visual Encyclopedia. DK. 2010. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-7566-6277-6. Gr 4-6–In addition to discussing “Space Tourism,” this spectacularly illustrated tour sweeps viewers along from low Earth orbit to the farthest reaches of the universe with a mix of dazzling space photos, artists’ speculations, sky maps, cutaway views of spacecraft, and much more. Hundreds of accompanying captions, headers, and bite-size text blocks fill in plenty of details.

TRAMMEL, Howard K. Galaxies. (True Book: Space Series). Children’s Press. 2009. PLB $20. ISBN 978-0-531-16896-7; pap. $6.95 ISBN 978-0-531-22803-6. Gr 1-3–One of the ever-reliable “True Book” guides to science and nature, this title offers travelers leaving the nest for the first time a generous helping of facts and information about galaxies, their types, and their history in a visually appealing balance of easy-to-read text and bright, sharply reproduced space photos and art.

VOGT, Gregory. Milky Way. (Early Bird Astronomy Series). Lerner. 2010. PLB $26.60. ISBN 978-0-7613-3875-8. Gr 2-4–As an early introduction, this clear, informative, and helpfully illustrated look at our home galaxy’s shape, core, stars, star clusters, dust clouds, and other components will not only give younger tourists a sense of what to look for in their travels, but also a sense of wonder at the beauty, magnificence, and incomprehensible size of it all.

MEETING THE NATIVES

BUTTERWORTH, Nick. Q Pootle 5. illus by author. S & S. 2001. RTE. $13.95. ISBN 0-689-84243-0. K-Gr 2–An alien pilot late for a birthday party on the Moon crashes on Earth and makes repairs thanks to help from a friendly four-legged Earthling. This heartwarming tale of interspeciesfriendship features simple cartoon illustrations, a pithy text, and a climacticfoldout scene.

DARTNELL, Lewis. Astrobiology: Exploring Life in the Universe. (Contemporary Issues Series). Rosen. 2011. Tr $33.25. ISBN 978-1-4488-1862-4. Gr 8-10–Science-inflected tours being popular now, this close look at the characteristics of living things, how scientists search for signs of life on other planets in our solar system and beyond, what they have found so far, and some of the living things that survive on our own planet under extreme conditions will fully prepare prospective tourists to join the hunt.

DAVIS, Barbara J. The Kids’ Guide to Aliens. Capstone. 2009. PLB $26.65. ISBN 978-1-4296-3369-7. Gr 2-4–With a photo and drawing gallery of space visitors from film and legend for illustrations, Davis discusses close encounters, ancient visitors, common types of aliens, alien abductions–and scientists’ search for real signs of life elsewhere in the universe too.

HADDON, Mark. Boom! Random/David Fickling Bks. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-385-75187-2; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-75188-9. Gr 5-7–Two British lads find themselves pursued by aliens with deadly powers, beamed to distant Planet Plonk, and forced to defend Earth itself from–depending on the invaders’ mood—either invasion or destruction. A hilarious escapade, with some decidedly unfriendly nonhuman visitors.

HATKE, Ben. Zita, the Spacegirl. First Second. 2011. Tr $17.99 ISBN 978-1-59643-695-4; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-446-2. Gr 3-5–On a rescue mission to a distant planet, an intrepid young human explorer encounters a startling variety of alien allies and foes in this exciting, breathlessly paced, brilliantly illustrated graphic novel for middle grade science-fiction fans.

PRELUTSKY, Jack. The Swamps of Sleethe: Poems from Beyond the Solar System. illus. by Jimmy Pickering. Knopf. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84674-8; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94674-5. Gr 3-6–Lest young tourists think other planets are all fun and games, Prelutsky offers a set of gruesome cautionary verses (properly illustrated with scenes of ominous alien landscapes) detailing unhappy fates awaiting the unwary visitor at the hands (or whatever) of the predatory residents of planets like Gazook, Ogdofod, and Festor.

RAU, Dana Meachen. Aliens. (For Real? Series). Benchmark. 2010. PLB $20.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-4861-7. Gr 2-3–The pyramids, the statues on Easter Island—have we been visited by beings from other planets? The author thinks not, and with help from photos and physical evidence explains how such legends might have grown up around some of our world’s more mysterious sights.

SCHACHNER, Judith. Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice. illus by author. Dutton. 2009. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-525-47965-9. Gr 1-3–¡Hola! The cat with identity issues meets a body double—green, one-eyed, but otherwise not so different–on Mars, which is rightly dubbed the Red Planet because it’s covered in chili powder! Tumultuous pictures capture the pace and humor of this latest episode in the exploits of the would-be Chihuahua perfectly.

SERVICE, Pamela. Alien Envoy. illus. by Mike Gorman. (Alien Agent Series). Darby Creek. 2011. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-5364-5. Gr 3-5–In Zack’s sixth adventure as an alien hiding among humans, he finds himself engaged in a desperate struggle with nonhuman enemies who are out to prevent Earth from joining the Galactic Union. Can he survive their attacks to make his case before the Galactic Council? Retro-style cartoon illustrations underscore the drama.

STEER, Dugald A. Alienology: The Complete Book of Extraterrestrials. illus. by Douglas Carrell. (Ologies Series). Candlewick. 2010. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-0-7636-4565-6. Gr 3-6–A spectacular mix of movable flaps, artifacts, interactive features, dramatic illustrations, and extensive explanatory notes makes this must reading for all space travelers. Includes guides to selected alien types, worlds, cultures, spacecraft, and so much more.

TEAGUE, Mark. The Doom Machine. Scholastic. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-15142-9. Gr 5-7–When the Dimensional Field Stabilizer that his uncle cobbles together in the garage draws a spaceship full of hostile alien Skreep, young Jack and friends find themselves hauled off to exotic planets for encounters with nonhumans of diverse sorts and an evil Queen. Excellent vacation reading for preteens, with classic “Golden Age of Pulp SF” illustrations and atmosphere.

WITTENSTEIN, Vicki Oransky. Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths. Boyds Mills. 2010. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-592-8. Gr 5-7–This rare look at one of the most successful scientists searching for planets orbiting other stars provides clear explanations of the incredibly sensitive instruments required along with a sense of how ingenious researchers have to be in leveraging the data into credible evidence. Color photos of researchers at work and speculative artists’ views of exotic locales put readers on both ends of the telescope.