Children’s Book World

Melissa Trempe is coming to Friends’ Central School!  

Author Melissa Trempe will visit FCS on April 19 to celebrate her new book Ladybug Launch – Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space

Melissa Trempe has hiked a volcano and swum with sharks, but she has yet to travel to outer space. Like her coauthor, she had few resources growing up and is a first-generation college graduate. As an educator, she’s passionate about equality and helping children find their inner strength to achieve anything. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her wonderful husband, song-writing daughter, animal-loving son, and hole-digging husky. Visit her at MelissaTrempe.com.

While supplies last, each book will come with a tiny wooden ladybug for good luck! Please order your books by April 12, 2024!

This offer is only available to FCS students.
Books will be delivered to your school for distribution, so please be sure to fill out the student name, grade, and teacher fields!

About Ladybug Launch

Based on a true story, this out-of-this-world picture book follows the exciting scientific journey of a chica and a chinita with sky-high aspirations—perfect for fans of Mae Among the Stars and What Miss Mitchell Saw.

Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug that dreams of visiting the stars. But neither dream is easy to reach. Ladybugs are meant to munch on garden pests. And no one from Natalia’s family has ever been to college. Still, both Natalia and Luna want más.

Then Natalia’s all-girl class designs an experiment. If astronauts want to live in outer space, they’ll need to grow food. Could chinitas go along to keep the pests away? The girls are eager to find out, and Luna is hungry to help. If their theory is correct, it’s a project worthy of NASA itself—and the stuff all dreams are made of.

This inspiring picture book is based on the real story of Chilean high school girls who convinced NASA to send ladybugs to space!