HOW I HACKED THE MOON for Educators
Resources for educators who want to bring AI, coding, space exploration, and friendship to their classrooms
Life is boring on the moon.
Even with stewed grubs for lunch, regular spacewalks for low-oxygen drills, and skydiving sims. Not that 13 year old Moon Girl minds — for the first time she has a best friend and challenging coding sets to occupy her anxious mind. Even with 6x less gravity on the moon, the past four years living at the prestigious Lunar Coding Complex run by the sinister Big Smile Corp, have been more stable than her life ever was on Earth.
The problem with a charismatic best friend is that she's a magnet for trouble. The friends attempt (and fail) to hack the school's core database, catching the attention of a group of rebel hackers led by Dovrin, Moon Girl's long-time crush. When Dovrin invites her to join his crew, Moon Girl is thrilled at the chance to spend more time with him and prove her skills as a hacker.
As she gets in deeper with the rebels and closer with Dovrin, she realizes she's jeopardizing the only friendship she ever had. When she discovers Big Smile Corp's dangerous secret that threatens the lives of everyone she loves, she's not sure where to turn.
- •ATOS Book Level: 6.0
- •Grade Level: 6-9 (ages 10-14)
- •Word Count: Approximately 45,000 words
- •The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm
- •Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
- •Jinxed by Amy McCulloch
- •The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
- •Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
Educators can request an early digital copy of HOW I HACKED THE MOON for review and classroom planning. Fill out the form below to be considered for our early reader program.
HOW I HACKED THE MOON introduces students to high level AI and software engineering concepts, astronomy, and ethical dilemmas in an engaging narrative that also explores themes of friendship, self-worth, and courage.
Best suited for grades 6-9 (ages 10-14), this middle-grade novel balances complex themes with age-appropriate content and language.
The book naturally integrates coding, astronomy, and engineering concepts that align with STEM curriculum objectives.
Discussion Questions
Classroom Activities
Lunar Colony Design Challenge
Students work in teams to design their own lunar colony, considering challenges like oxygen supply, food production, and social organization.
Intro to AI Workshop
Using free platforms like Scratch or Code.org, introduce students to basic coding concepts mentioned in the book, such as loops, conditionals, and functions.
Ethical Dilemma Debate
Students debate scenarios inspired by the book's ethical dilemmas, developing arguments for different perspectives and discussing the potential consequences of various actions.
Downloadable Resources (coming soon!)
School Visits & Events
R.A. Dines is available for in-person and virtual school visits, workshops, and events. Programs can be customized to fit your curriculum needs and can include:
- •Interactive presentations about the writing process
- •Productive AI use workshops
- •Q&A sessions with students
- •Creative writing workshops