Bright Star: An Acorn Book
(the Adventure Friends #3)

K-Gr 2--The Adventure Friends are back for their third outing, and this time their eyes are set on the stars. Best friends Clarke, who is new in town, and Miguel, who knows everyone in town, are joined by Spider, the mayor's dog; all three share a love of adventure. In search of a new quest, Miguel and Clarke visit the library, where they collect all the adventure books they can find with the help of the librarian. After retreating to their secret fort, the pair read their books and try to find new ideas. Miguel shares that he has a plan, one that will take them far away. Later that evening, it is revealed that Miquel has built an out-of-this-world spaceship in his backyard. Spider joins them, and the trio blasts off into outer space, meets aliens (fireflies), experiences zero gravity (bouncing on the trampoline), and gazes at the stars. Four short chapters tell the story, with a few sentences per spread that contain both sight words and vocabulary-building text. Warm and vibrant illustrations capture the energy and enthusiasm of enjoyable imaginative play. Back matter includes a step-by-step guide for drawing Spider and invites readers to imagine their own space adventure. VERDICT Recommended for purchase where the series and beginning chapter books are popular.--Olivia Gorecke