This Place Has no Atmosphere

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A gorgeous new package for Paula Danziger's backlist with an introduction from Ann Martin!

In the year 2057 people live in malls, take classes in ESP, and get detention from robots. Fifteen-year-old Aurora loves everything about her life. She's part of the coolest group of kids at school and has just started dating the best-looking guy in her grade. Then her parents make the announce­ment that she's sure will ruin her life--the family's moving to the moon! What with water rationing, no privacy, and freeze-dried ham­burgers, how will Aurora ever feel like she's home again?

Paula Danziger's novels are hilarious, genuine, and full of dynamic female characters that have won the hearts of her readers and turned her books into beloved classics. These playful covers full of charming details capture the spirit of Paula's stories and will brighten up the book­shelves of her fans and a new generation of readers.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-9 A mischievous spoof of a science fiction novel as well as a warm and funny saga about a teen of the future who is having severe difficulty adjusting to a family move. Aurora's parents are overjoyed to have been invited to inhabit a colony on the moon, but like any teen, Aurora is devastated by the thought of leaving her boyfriend and a school where she feels important. Her trip in the space shuttle is as unhappy as her arrival on the moon, which has No Atmosphere , at least not for Aurora. At the low point of her depression, she suggests to 16-year-old Hal that they produce a play and involve all the kids in the tiny moon colony. Eventually Aurora's parents become more involved with her, she finds she actually likes little kids, and she listens when a teacher tells her that we are ``not always the center,'' but rather a ``part of the Universe.'' This is a good family story with characters that have believable faults. Danziger has a keen ear for teenage jokes and chatter; puns, some witty and some corny, punctuate the realistic dialogue. Aurora's story suggests to middle school readers that the teens of 2057 will suffer the same bittersweet emotions as those of today, and that caring friends, a loving family, and a sense of humor are important anywhere. Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, Tex. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 6-9. Danziger takes her special brand of humor and transports it to the twenty-first century. It's 2057, and while some things have changed, zits and cliques go on forever. Fifteen-year-old Aurora loves everything about her life, going to the Monolith Mall, hanging out with her friends (who just happen to be the coolest kids at Alan B. Shepherd High), and getting to know her new boyfriend Matthew. Then comes the devastating news her parents, medical workers for the space agency, decide to move to the moon where a space colony with 750 people now exists. Aurora puts up a good fight, but she soon finds herself on a space shuttle heading into the stratosphere. Danziger creates a hilarous yet believable brave new world. Her themes about moving, leaving old friends, making new ones, and learning about oneself have an added fillip when they take place in another part of the galaxy. IC. Moon Fiction / Moving, Household Fiction / Science fiction [OCLC] 86-46070

Kirkus Book Review

This new novel by the popular Danziger features a heroine who lives in the year 2057 but whose problems will seem familiar to today's teens. Aurora Williams, 15 and a sophomore, is in the right crowd with the right best friend, and even has a date for the big dance with the right boy. When her parents announce that they are joining a colony on the moon, she is devastated and considers every option, from pregnancy to being nice to her sister to escape. Dragged sulkily to her new home, having wrung from her parents the promise of a return to earth after a year, she begins a reluctant adjustment and, of course, finds that the kids on the moon are not as bad as she thought they'd be, that there are values beyond the ones she's held so dear, and that she'd like to stay after all. An understanding friendship with a boy helps. A Danziger book is rarely distinguished by plot, characterization or literary style. She does hone in, unerringly, on the concerns of her audience, using a style that rat-tats out wisecracks--not great, but funny and on the mark. Her audiences will not be disappointed. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.