Planet Earth Is Blue

Planet Earth Is Blue (2019) is the first novel by Nicole Panteleakos. A work of realistic fiction written for middle grade readers, it follows Nova Vezina, a preteen girl in foster care who loves astronomy and dreams of space travel. Nova, who has autism and is mostly nonverbal, is especially inspired by Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from Nova’s home state of New Hampshire who has been selected to take part in the Challenger space shuttle mission. Nova is in a new foster home, but her sister, Bridget, is missing, though she promised to return before the launch to watch it with Nova. Nova’s story demonstrates how deeply and personally such an event can affect a person, the challenges of being neurodivergent in adolescence, and the coping strategies developed by children in foster care.

Panteleakos earned an MFA in children’s literature from Hollins University, and she cares deeply about representing people on the autism spectrum in authentic, realistic ways, without relying on stereotypes. Planet Earth Is Blue was a 2020 Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book, a Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award winner, and a Nerdy Book Club Award winner, among other distinctions.

This guide refers to the First Yearling edition, published in 2020.