At only 17, Cal Lewis has it made in NYC as a social media reporter, with half a million followers and an internship at Buzzfeed awaiting him. Narrator Michael Crouch gives Cal an edgy tenor that quickly descends into anxiety with sharp breaths and sped-up pacing when Cal’s father is chosen to work on a NASA mission to Mars and must relocate to Houston, TX - immediately. Unprepared for the intrusive media frenzy awaiting them thanks to the oppressive StarWatch TV channel, all seems lost until Cal meets enigmatic Leon; the reserved son of Cal's new neighbors and fellow astronaut family. Crouch embodies Leon with warm, deep tones, and he and Cal quickly fall for each other - even as Cal begins to fight fire with fire on his own media channel. Listeners are treated to “live episodes” of StarWatch's popular reality show Shooting Stars – narrated by a full cast – that enliven the storyline for listeners and emphasizes the unsettling grip that the media has on the lives of all the astronauts and their families. A wonderful story; truly lifted to new heights in the audio format.
