How I Hacked the Moon by R. A. Dines is a fun and action-packed middle-grade science fiction novel. It follows a thirteen-year-old girl who is in her fifth year of an eight-year boarding school on the moon. The program is funded by a big tech company, and the students attend a variety of classes while also working with the data centers on the moon. Everything seems normal at first, but it’s no surprise that the big tech company is hiding something sinister. As an adult, I’m clearly not the target audience for How I Hacked the Moon, but I’m a parent to two kids, ages ten and twelve. I end up reading a lot of middle-grade fiction with them, and I can confidently say that this story would capture their attention.

The plot is easy to follow, and R. A. Dines keeps the story moving, pulling the reader into this fictional world. I stayed curious throughout the whole book, always wanting to turn the page. It’s clear, too, that the author understands the middle-grade audience and the complexity of their friendships and crushes. The main character has a distinct voice and is definitely believable as a thirteen-year-old girl. The feelings the characters have and the decisions they make are spot-on for this age group. A big complaint my tween has about book characters is that they seem too perfect and completely unrealistic for their age, so I know he’d appreciate the characters in How I Hacked the Moon. They are flawed and real.

In How I Hacked the Moon by R. A. Dines, we meet Jenny, a 13-year-old tech genius living in the Lunar Coding Complex. It’s basically a high-tech, underground boarding school built inside moon tubes, where the Big Smile Corporation trains teens to build AI models. Jenny—or Moon Girl, as they call her—actually likes the predictable routine of the place, especially since she has her loyal, athletic best friend (Jo) by her side. But everything changes when a simple prank on the base’s comms system gets her noticed by a secret group of older student hackers. Once she’s in with them, they uncover some dark corporate secrets—specifically, that the company plans to keep the kids isolated on the moon forever. Suddenly, Jenny has a huge choice to make: play it safe and stay quiet, or take a huge risk and fight back.

What makes R. A. Dines’ How I Hacked the Moon so absorbing is that it’s really about the power of teenage friendship. The bond between Jenny and Jo is the real heart of the book, showing how two completely different people can find a common purpose when they’re trapped in a strict environment. It’s great to watch Jenny go from an invisible, lonely coder to a key part of a rebel team. Dines grounds the futuristic setting in real human emotion, letting us watch Jenny navigate her first real friendship and even a crush on a fellow hacker. The dialogue feels very natural, too, capturing all that awkwardness and fierce loyalty you see in early adolescence. Every conversation builds a stronger sense of community among these stranded kids. It’s a really heartwarming read, and perfect if you’re looking for an uplifting sci-fi adventure (for both children and adults) about finding your people in the most unlikely of places.