Champions of the Galaxy

By Tọlá Okogwu

The Last Dragon on Mars meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this "fun, fast-paced" (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade alien adventure about a boy chosen to represent his country in a series of intergalactic trials that will determine Earth's fate.

Earth is in trouble. The interplanetary Alliance is unhappy with the danger humans pose to the rest of the galaxy and is planning to annex Earth and eradicate its human inhabitants...unless humans can redeem themselves in the Terra Trials. The trials require fifteen of Earth's smartest and bravest children to compete and save their planet.

Twelve-year-old Kola Adesola has been training to go on a three-month trip orbiting Earth with the UK Space Agency, but with the arrival of aliens, the mission has been grounded indefinitely. But he gets his chance to go to space when he's chosen to represent Great Britain as a Champion. Once aboard the alien ship, Kola meets the tentacled Onni and his assigned crew for the trials: the Champions from South Sudan, the United States, and South Korea.

But something is off about the competition. Strange things keep happening, and their alien hosts seem more invested in stoking the friction between the Champions than helping them succeed. Kola starts questioning whether the Terra Trials are a front for something bigger, but uncovering the truth may be too big a task for him alone. Can he convince his team that something isn't right, or will they all end up at the mercy of their alien hosts?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1665952474
• ISBN13: 9781665952477
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7