"Tender and illuminating. A beautiful debut." --Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me A heartrending and hopeful story about a nonverbal girl and her passion for space exploration, for fans of See You in the Cosmos, Mockingbird, and The Thing About Jellyfish. Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger--it's the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across America will watch the event on live TV in their classrooms. Nova and her big sister, Bridget, share a love of astronomy and the space program. They planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget has disappeared, and Nova is in a new foster home. While foster families and teachers dismiss Nova as severely autistic and nonverbal, Bridget understands how intelligent and special Nova is, and all that she can't express. As the liftoff draws closer, Nova's new foster family and teachers begin to see her potential, and for the first time, she is making friends without Bridget. But every day, she's counting down to the launch, and to the moment when she'll see Bridget again. Because as Bridget said, "No matter what, I'll be there. I promise." A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year “Pantleakos masterfully blends character and plot in this gorgeous, hopeful story.” — Booklist , Starred Review  “Bursting with worry, joy, empathy, humor, and even mischief, Nova is endearingly nuanced... Stellar.” — Kirkus Reviews , Starred Review  “An exceptional debut featuring a character everyone can root for.” — School Library Journal,  Starred Review  “Tender and illuminating, Planet Earth is Blue is a beautiful debut novel about the strength of a girl who knows exactly who she is, even when others can’t see her.” —Rebecca Stead, Newbery-winning author of When You Reach Me “A powerful story about the extraordinary mind of a young girl with autism and the bond between sisters.” —Ann M. Martin, Newbery Honor–winning author of A Corner of the Universe and the Baby-sitters Club books   “Nova is a character you will never forget, who will break your heart and put it back together again in a new way. She felt so real.” —Gennifer Choldenko, author of the Newbery Honor Book Al Capone Does My Shirts and One-Third Nerd   “A remarkable, sensitively told debut with a joyfully positive portrayal of neurodifference. Nova and her indomitable spirit will remain with you long after you close the book.” —Cindy Baldwin, author of Where the Watermelons Grow   “As close to perfect as a story can get. It speaks to heartbreak and joy, pain and resilience, tragedy and humanity (both big and small) in a unique and utterly engaging ‘speechless’ voice that transcends all boundaries.” —Nora Raleigh Baskin, author of Anything but Typical and Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story   “Nova’s story will wrap itself around your heart page after page after page. It’s like reading a hug. A beautiful debut!” —Ellie Terry, author of Forget Me Not Nicole Panteleakos is a middle-grade author, playwright, and Ravenclaw whose plays have been performed at numerous theaters and schools in Connecticut and New York City. She earned her BA in Theatre Scriptwriting from Eastern Connecticut State University and is currently working toward her MFA in Children's Literature at Hollins University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and has three awesome godchildren, two quirky cats, and at least one Broadway song stuck in her head at all times. Planet Earth Is Blue is her debut novel. Visit Nicole on Twitter at @NicWritesBooks, on Facebook (facebook.com/nicolepanteleakos), or at nicolepanteleakos.com. Bridget was gone.   And Nova was broken.   Nova hadn’t wanted to run away from the last foster family. They were nice enough. Sure, it wasn’t easy sharing one bedroom with four other girls in three sets of bunk beds. There was no privacy for Bridget, who liked her space, and there was no room for hand flapping or bouncing, which Nova liked to do while pretending she was in space.   Plus there was a rule no shower could last more than eight minutes.   And they weren’t allowed to watch TV, listen to records, or drink anything with caffeine. But there had been hot oatmeal in the mornings. Cold lemonade with lunch. Warm blankets at night. Nobody yelled bad words or spanked them. Nobody made Bridget scrub floors like Cinderella. Nobody called Nova Dumbo because she couldn’t speak. Most importantly, they were together.   Bridget hated it anyway.   “I’m out of here,” she kept saying. “I can’t stand it another day. I’m losing my mind.” Nova wasn’t worried then. She knew they’d end up somewhere else eventually.   When the time came, though, leaving was different. No social worker to transport them. No paperwork for adults to sign. Bridget didn’t even glare at the failed foster parents and say goodbye. Nova and Bridget just piled into a car and drove away. This was not their routine, which made Nova’s