Listen to a sample
Vega's Piece of the Sky
- Author
- Jennifer Torres
- Narrator
- Kyla García
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio for Young Listeners
- Publish Date
- 11 June 2024
- Run Time
- 4 hours 5 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Places and peoples, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Nature and animal stories, Children’s / Teenage social issues: Environment and green issues, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Friends and friendships, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Emotions, moods and feelings
What to expect
The space rock is just the latest thing to land, uninvited, in Vega Lucero’s road-stop hometown. But when she discovers how much a chunk of the meteorite might be worth, she realizes it’s exactly the treasure she’s been hoping to find—and maybe a way to convince her mom not to sell the family store to big city developers to help pay for her grandpa Tata's medical expenses.
Determined to find more pieces of the sky somewhere in the perilous desert wilderness, stubbornly independent Vega must set aside her distrust of outsiders to team up with Jasper, a would-be rival—and her own tagalong cousin Mila—on an overnight adventure to find more meteorites before the professional hunters who have descended on Date City do. But along the way, she realizes that she's not the only one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Jasper and Mila have secrets and worries of their own that has brought them on this journey.
Together, this ragtag group will battle against coyotes, a flood, and scorpions. But what they will ultimately discover is that no treasure is big enough to prevent unwelcome change. Only family and friends can help weather the unexpected that life brings.
Critics Review
-
"Captivating...very entertaining."—Booklist
-
"The fast-paced read is a classic summer coming-of-age story with plenty of adventure and heart. As in all good quests, the story’s true treasures are the relationships formed along the way."—Kirkus Reviews
-
"Here readers find well-developed characters with distinct voices and a tightly paced, fast-moving plot that harmoniously blend into a heartwarming, energetic novel."—School Library Journal
-
Praise for Stef Soto, Taco Queen:
"The core of the story—friendship and the importance of family—wins out, leaving tweens with a satisfying, gentle read." —School Library Journal
"[A] well written novel about family and pride and would be a great addition to the library." —School Library Connection
"[An] engaging glimpse of food-truck culture through the Soto family's sacrifices, values, and hardships. Once readers get past the drama, they'll cheer for Stef Soto, her family, and Tia Perla." —Kirkus Reviews
"This cheery, relatable story features short and sweet chapters with plenty of Spanish words and phrases sprinkled in and a cheer-worthy main character in Stef, a happy, funny girl who adores art above all." —Booklist
"Young readers will feel a kinship with Stef as she struggles to spread her wings in this engaging and relatable middle-grade novel about growing up." —Horn Book
"The bones of this polished debut are familiar...but Torres fleshes them out with authenticity, humor, and heart. Stef's fresh, honest voice will resonate with a broad swath of readers, as will the relatable struggles she negotiates." —Publishers Weekly
"Spanish words and humorous banter pepper the dialogue, and the dual stories of the threatened family business and Stef's issues with classmates make a nice, age-appropriate balance that validates Stef's experience while pointing to a world beyond middle school politics. Readers will be happy to snack on this." —The Bulletin
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jennifer Torres
- Narrator
- Kyla García
- Duration
- 4 hours 5 minutes
- Release Date
- 11 June 2024
- ISBN
- 9781668641194
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio for Young Listeners
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Places and peoples, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Nature and animal stories, Children’s / Teenage social issues: Environment and green issues, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Friends and friendships, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Emotions, moods and feelings
Synopsis
A meteorite comes crashing down on the lives of three middle schoolers changing everything they know about family, friendships, and community in this charming and heartfelt novel with a light STEM touch. The space rock is just the latest thing to land, uninvited, in Vega Lucero’s road-stop hometown. But when she discovers how much a chunk of the meteorite might be worth, she realizes it’s exactly the treasure she’s been hoping to find—and maybe a way to convince her mom not to sell the family store to big city developers to help pay for her grandpa Tata's medical expenses.  Determined to find more pieces of the sky somewhere in the perilous desert wilderness, stubbornly independent Vega must set aside her distrust of outsiders to team up with Jasper, a would-be rival—and her own tagalong cousin Mila—on an overnight adventure to find more meteorites before the professional hunters who have descended on Date City do. But along the way, she realizes that she's not the only one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Jasper and Mila have secrets and worries of their own that has brought them on this journey. Together, this ragtag group will battle against coyotes, a flood, and scorpions. But what they will ultimately discover is that no treasure is big enough to prevent unwelcome change. Only family and friends can help weather the unexpected that life brings.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.