Eyes on the Sky by J. Kasper Kramer

Eyes on the Sky

J. Kasper Kramer

Atheneum Books for Young Readers · Paperback · October 14, 2025

From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a middle grade novel that’s “part gritty historical fiction, part The War of the Worlds” (Kirkus Reviews) about a budding young scientist in 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, who fears her weather balloon experiment has been mistaken for a flying saucer!

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A budding scientist’s experiments bring scientific curiosity into lively collision with Roswell’s flying-saucer mystery.
Themes
Scientific curiosity, Family hardship, Gossip and speculation
Pacing
Fast

About this book

From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a middle grade novel that’s “part gritty historical fiction, part The War of the Worlds” (Kirkus Reviews) about a budding young scientist in 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, who fears her weather balloon experiment has been mistaken for a flying saucer! Nothing ever happens in Roswell, New Mexico. Dorothy should know.

Continue reading

She’s lived her whole life on a rural ranch nearby, surrounded by the difficult memories from her family’s struggles to make ends meet during the Great Depression years ago. At least her older brother Dwight is home safe from the war. Unfortunately, he’s no better to talk to than her ancient pet sheep, Geraldine. Thankfully Dorothy has her experiments, like launching rockets off the top of her windmill. But one stormy night, she sends a gigantic weather balloon into the stratosphere—and an incredible blast lights up the sky. Suddenly, all the newspapers feature a flying saucer crash in their headlines and the sleepy town of Roswell is alight with gossip and speculation. But what if the so-called extraterrestrial vessel is actually Dorothy’s weather balloon? When FBI agents start asking questions, she begins to suspect there’s something out there, something dangerous. Either the government is after her for causing a national scandal…or aliens are real!

Science Meets Roswell

A budding scientist’s experiments bring scientific curiosity into lively collision with Roswell’s flying-saucer mystery.

Come here for

  • A young scientist testing ideas in 1947 New Mexico
  • The tension between a weather balloon and possible alien trouble

Expect

  • Historical fiction with science and extraterrestrial uncertainty
  • A rural ranch, family strain, and a town full of speculation

Where it sits

20th-Century U.S.60%
Alien Contact50%
Sci-Fi49%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Sibling Stories
  • 20th-Century U.S.
  • Alien Contact
Authors
J. Kasper Kramer
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published
October 14, 2025
Format
Paperback
Theme
Scientific curiosity · Family hardship · Gossip and speculation
Reading lane
Sibling Stories