Author(s): Josie Montano, Kathy Hoopmann

Junior Fiction/Lower Primary

Mona is earth-bound. Kiki is mission control. Bart has a galactic space obsession. And Zane’s thinking is off the planet. The Secret Science Society need to come up with a prize-winning experiment. Can they build a rocket ship to put a dog in space? Will Zane’s secret plan end in an astronomical DISASTER? .... the ending is out of this world. THE SECRET SCIENCE SOCIETY IN SPACE is a fun story about diversity and individuality and the joys of science. It follows the adventures of four students who are forced to work together to represent their school to produce a project for a science fair. Zane has ADHD, Bart is autistic, Kiki has anxiety and Mona is, well, Mona is Mona. After visiting a space exhibition, they are alarmed to discover that Laika, the first dog to orbit the Earth, was sent up in a rocket with no chance of return. They decide that their project would be to create a spaceship that could bring animals home safely. On the day, Zane not only sneaks in a real dog but has the brilliant idea of cooking a piece of steak for ‘space-smell’ authenticity. Naturally, this leads to DISASTER! The twist gets even bigger when it is revealed that Mona’s dad is a real live astronaut. Despite a comedy of errors, naturally, they win first prize. As they work together, the very diverse characters discover that they all have strengths and weaknesses and that to be the best team, they had to support each other in the difficult times and celebrate the good. Mona is earth-bound. Kiki is mission control. Bart has a galactic space obsession. And Zane’s thinking is off the planet. The Secret Science Society need to come up with a prize-winning experiment. Will their excursion to the Planetarium be over the moon? Do they really build a rocket ship to put a dog in space? And will they solar-brate a win at the Science Expo? Zane’s mystery modifications can only lead to one thing: An astronomical DISASTER! But ssssshhhhh, the ending is out of this world.