The Unlucky Launch

In this second book of a brand new-chapter book series, aspiring astronaut Astrid designs a rocket!

After seeing the big Space-E rocket launch, Astrid just knows she’s going to be exploring space in a rocket of her own someday! And in honor of the big launch, Astrid and her fellow Shooting Stars will be building rockets of their very own. What’s more exciting is the guest helper, Luke, who actually worked on the Space-E team!

The Shooting Stars are working towards more points on the Astro Board and Astrid is hoping she can impress Luke enough to score a tour of Space-E headquarters. But it turns out that Luke’s design might not be the best—and Astrid isn’t sure if she should speak up. Can Astrid use her voice to show there is more than one solution for a perfect take-off?

Rie Neal is a children’s book author who loves all things space. Growing up, she was often dragged on her grandfather’s unauthorized tours of NASA’s Ames Research Center, which she didn’t appreciate enough at the time. Eventually, though, she became a full-blown space fan, and began to write space-related books for kids. She also has a doctor of audiology degree from the University of Iowa and is nationally certified as an audiologist through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Today, she lives in the Silicon Valley with her husband and kids, where they drag people on (authorized) tours of the NASA Ames visitor center. Learn more about her books at RieNeal.com or connect with her on Instagram (@RieNealWriter).

Talitha Shipman is a picture book illustrator from Indiana. Her favorite subjects to paint are wild kids and wild animals. Nature inspires Talitha’s painting, and she hopes her work encourages curiosity and creativity in children of all ages. Her books include the Sidney Taylor Honor recipient Everybody Says Shalom by Leslie Kimmelman, American Farm Bureau Recommended Read Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz, and 2019 IPPY Silver Medalist First Snow by Nancy Viau. Her debut Author/Illustrator picture book Finding Beauty is coming from Beaming Books in Spring, 2021. Talitha lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana with her husband and their five-year-old wild child, Coral.