Space Case is a Children's novel by Stuart Gibbs. It's the first book in the Moon Base Alpha series.
Dashiell "Dash" Gibson has been living on the moon for about six months now. You'd think being one of the first people to ever actively live on a celestial body besides Earth would be pretty exciting, right? Well, IT SUCKS!! He's basically living with his family and a whole bunch of other people on a big dull rock miles away from all his friends with little to do. Unlike Roddy Marquez, Dash isn't the kind of kid who does a lot of video games. He's a more active kid, but on the moon, all they have for that is the gym. All he has to eat are the same dehydrated food cubes, the only toilets are across the base from his living quarters, and there aren't that many other kids Dash's age that share his interests there.
One night, however, while trying to change the filter on the toilet he used, Dash hears Dr. Ronald Holtz, the man who spearheaded Moon Base Alpha and was one of its head researchers, comes into the bathroom. Dash overhears him talking and learns that Dr. Holtz has a big discovery to announce. First to everyone on the base, and then to the world.
However, it's announced in the morning that Dr. Holtz died.
Apparently, Dr. Holtz went out on the lunar surface alone with an improperly fitted spacesuit, which goes against Moon Base Alpha's safety protocols. Everyone thinks Dr. Holtz, being 70, probably just killed himself by accident, his actions being the result of dementia. Dash, however, is unconvinced. He suspects foul play is at hand in Dr. Holtz's death, and has decided to look into it himself, despite most of the adults asking not to.
The book was published on September 16th, 2014. Not to be confused with the webcomic of the same name.
Space Case contains examples of:
- Deep Cover Agent: The gentle Daphne is revealed to be a corporate spy, but immediately breaks down and admits guilt once confronted.
- "Eureka!" Moment:Dash has one when he describes the movements Dr. Holtz's hands are making to be "signing". It has him realize he's using sign language.
- He has another one near the end of the book. See Wham Line.
- First Contact: The secret that got Dr. Holtz killed is that an alien contacted him through an interstellar radio message and wanted to establish diplomatic ties with humanity.
- Have You Told Anyone Else?: In the audio recording of Dr. Holtz's last moments, His companion asks him if the aliens have made contact with anyone else. When Holtz says no, that person makes it clear that he shuns First Contact and forces Holtz to commit suicide—by threatening his family—in an effort to delay an interplanetary meeting.
- Jabba Table Manners: Roddy wolfs down fresh hamburgers from the supply shuttle in an animalistic way, despite being reprimanded by his mother. He nearly chokes from taking too big of bites.
- Keep Away: When Dash goes looking for Roddy, he finds Lily and Patton Sjoberg keeping his VR goggles from him.
- Papa Wolf: Kira's father gives Nina a What the Hell, Hero? speech for not doing a better investigation into Dr. Holtz's death before the killer endangered Kira.
- Potty Emergency: At the beginning of the story, Dash is woken up at 2:30 AM by a need to use the bathroom, which he blames on the chicken parmigiana food cube he ate for dinner that day.
- The Reveal: Garth Grisan killed Dr. Holtz to keep him from telling the world aliens exists. He did it because he didn't want to cause Earth to panic, and so the government could prepare for a potential Alien Invasion.
- Rhyming Title: Space Case.
- Wham Line: Five examples.
- After Dash talks about how he overheard Dr. Holtz talking about a phone call, his new friend checks this out and then get back to him. Holtz wasn't really on the phone. Instead, Zan was telepathically communicating with him and he was talking out loud.
Kira: Well, I tried, but .... there's no record of Dr. Holtz making a call at two thirty that night. In fact, there's no record of anyone making a call at any time around then.- The nature of the discovery Dr. Holtz was working on when he died is revealed by an audio recording.
Dr. Holtz: I've identified an alien life form.- The Reveal about who the Big Bad is is discerned through re-watching a video where someone is talking in American sign-language. In a Virtual Blunder, the computer initially said that Dr. Holtz was saying "Earth killed me." Actually, he was spelling out someone's name.
Dash That wasn't an E, was it?Dash's Mom: No.Dash Was it a G?Dash's Mom: Dr. Holtz wasn't spelling "earth". He was spelling "Garth."- Immediately after the third Wham Line, the adults look around for that person.
Nina: Computer, where is Garth Grisan right now?Computer: Dismantling the main air lock.Everyone gasps in alarm.- After the culprit's capture, Dash figures out a loose end and goes to visit a mysterious investigator who no one else knows anything about.
Dash: Tell me. What planet are you from.
