Freddie Spector, Fact Collector: Space Cadet (Ashleigh Barton, illus Peter Cheong, Lothian)

Freddie Spector, Fact Collector: Space Cadet is the first instalment in this funny, fact-filled junior fiction series, ideal for ages 7 to 10. Freddie is a wacky, confident eight-year-old boy who collects facts on sticky notes. When Freddie gets interested in a topic, he dives deep, poring through books and websites until he has enough facts to cover his entire house in sticky notes, testing his mum’s patience. Freddie’s most recent fixation coincides with an explosive bang he hears coming from his neighbour’s house and the appearance of an enormous hole in their backyard. In Freddie’s mind, this means only one thing—a UFO crash site. Together with his older sister Henrietta, Freddie resolves to get some answers as he confronts a series of oddities: suspicious green slime, an upstairs bedroom glowing red, and cagey behaviour by the neighbours. With each twist, Freddie puts his space knowledge to the test to solve this mystery. Freddie is an engaging narrator who kids will be drawn to. The mystery plot is more comic than suspenseful and serves as an effective device to pack in a large amount of educational content without weighing down the story. This promising new series from Ashleigh Barton (Dinosaur in My Pocket) celebrates science and will likely spark a further interest in space for young readers. With illustrations throughout by Peter Cheong (Pow Pow Pig series), Space Cadet is perfect for fans of Renée Treml’s Sherlock Bones, Andrea Beaty’s The Questioneers, and Anh Do’s Weirdo books.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Charlotte Callander is a freelance writer and an educator at Melbourne Museum. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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