Earth to Dad

For ages: 9-12

Eleven-year-old Jameson O'Malley's dad is on Mars. The only way to see him, other than squinting into the night sky, is through the JICC - short for Jameson's Interplanetary Communication Console. Jameson thought the JICC would help shorten the millions of miles that stretch between Base Ripley and Mars, but he's is starting to realize no transmission can replace his real, actual father. When a new family moves onto Base Ripley, Jameson makes an unlikely friend in Astra Primm, daughter of the country's leading climatologist, who died in an explosion on Mars. But as Jameson's friendship with Astra grows stronger, he begins to notice the flaws in his own family. Mom is growing distant, and something is wrong with Dad. He's not sending transmissions as frequently as he used to, and when he does there are bags under his eyes. Jameson begins to realize there's more to the story than he knows - and plenty people aren't telling him. Determined to learn the truth and discover what happened to their parents, Jameson and Astra embark on a journey exploring life, loss, and friendship that will take them to the edge of their universe.

Author Bio:

Illustrator Bio:

Spanish born Marcos Calo began his career working for various Spanish animation studios as a concept artist for CGI movies. During that time he also worked freelance doing illustration, commercial work, and occasionally comic books. Marcos usually works digitally, although he still likes to start his drawings on paper first. After wandering around different cities, he is finally settled in A Coruña, where his collection of comics and picture books is always growing.