Space Trip

A group of eight sixth graders, all top students from the planet Tellis, set out on a field trip to a space museum a few hours away. Their teacher, Mr. Flinn, has run out of patience with them, since they bicker constantly and cannot get along, which is a poor example for the planet's best and brightest. On the ride home, their self-driving space bus is struck by a space rock that knocks out the engine and leaves Mr. Flinn unconscious. The children must learn to cooperate, and their troubles soon turn out to have a more troubling cause than a rock.

The novel is written at a reading level of 1.5 or below and includes illustrations on every spread to support visual literacy. Its characters come from a range of cultures and backgrounds and are close in age to the readers it is written for.

The book is part of a line of short Hi-Lo chapter books designed for struggling readers in upper elementary grades, a line that also includes other genres such as sports, realistic fiction, and fantasy.