Like a kid-friendly Star Trek: Voyager, this zany, clever, and fast-paced sci-fi adventure is ultimately about each person's responsibility to fellow humans.

PSS 118 is just your typical school—except that it's a rickety old spaceship orbiting Jupiter. When the school is mysteriously attacked, thirteen-year-old Jack receives a cryptic message from his father (the school's recently-fired-for-tinkering-with-the-ship science teacher).

Amidst the chaos, Jack discovers that his dad has built humanity's first light-speed engine—and given Jack control of it. To save the ship, Jack catapults it hundreds of light-years away and right into the clutches of the first aliens humans have ever seen. School hasn't just gotten out: it's gone clear across the galaxy. And now it's up to Jack and his friends to get everyone home.

• Witty and fun sci-fi story with heart 
• Explores middle-grade themes of teamwork, self-esteem, and taking responsibility for one's actions 
• Page-turning quest framework is especially appealing for this age group