Danny and the Trip to Outer Space

The most important thing to know about this book is that David T. Lee wrote and illustrated it at age 8. That fact transforms a straightforward adventure — Danny's RC plane grows to full size, carries his family to the Moon, then fends off Martian Spacebattlers — into something genuinely motivating for young readers. President Obama sent a thank-you note when he received the first book in the series as a gift. The plot moves quickly through its sixteen chapters, and the imagination on display is real. The honest caveat is what you would expect: an adult reader will notice that the prose is unpolished and the editorial shaping is minimal. That is entirely beside the point for a seven-year-old who sees a kid their own age as the author. For early chapter-book readers, this is both a fun read and an inspiring one.