Long Distance

Vega’s family recently moved from Portland to Seattle, forcing Vega to leave her best friend Halley behind. Any child who has moved to a new city will relate to Vega’s feelings of anxiety and uncertainty about settling into a fresh routine and making friends. Gardener deftly captures the disappointment of failed attempts to connect over video chat as Vega worries Halley has moved on from their friendship. In an effort to help Vega make friends in Seattle, her dads send a disgruntled Vega to Camp Very Best Friend that promises to help children connect with each other and “get out there”.

At camp, Vega experiences familiar crafting activities, nature excursions and bonfire nights, but soon it becomes clear that Camp Very Best Friend isn’t your typical setting for an outdoor summer adventure. Along with a group of fellow campers, Vega investigates a series of mysterious happenings that culminate in a surprising twist that readers will not see coming.

Gardener’s bold and highly pigmented illustrations feature diverse characters and a wide array of scientific instruments, like telescopes, starwheels and sextants that are woven throughout the story alongside interesting information that teaches concepts central to the study of space, stars and planets.

Long Distance is an engrossing middle grade offering about growing up that will satisfy a wide range of readers with its delightful twists and turns.