Children of Stardust

by Edudzi Adodo

“Brimming with adventure, tenacity, and magic.”―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

This exhilarating and playful middle grade novel rockets through space on an epic quest to protect the galaxy.

Zero Adedji dreams of joining one of the Saba guilds―groups of intergalactic travelers who explore space, retrieve lost treasures, and hunt down criminals. Instead, he must scrape by as a guide to travelers stranded on his home planet of Anansi 12. Then he meets Wanderblatch, a strange creature with an even stranger object: a golden pyramid that houses a legendary Kobasticker called the Jupiter. When the Jupiter chooses Zero as its next host, he is recruited by a top Saba guild so he can harness his newfound powers.

But the stakes are rising, and Zero and his friends Camih and Ladi are tasked with recovering an artifact known as the Mask of the Shaman King, which can grant wishes at a terrible price. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt―Space Mafia head Rozan Leombre is desperate to use the Mask to break his family’s curse. The trio must use their wits, courage, and friendship to achieve their quest and protect the galaxy.

Action-packed, wildly imaginative, and laugh-out-loud funny, Children of Stardust is a fast-paced space adventure that launches a brand-new and unique voice in children’s literature.

Black-and-white illustrations throughout

Ages 8-12
Grade Level 4-7
Paperback | 288 pages | Norton Young Readers | 2023

Edudzi Adodo graduated from Durham University in England, where he studied politics, philosophy, and economics. Now, he writes the stories he wished he had as a child: science fiction infused with African culture and mythology. He lives in Lomé, Togo.