A group of teens, all with their own motivations, are picked through a rigorous schooling and selection process to be the first group in the race to colonize a new planet called Terra-Two. Taking place in a near-future England, the participants all carry a lot of baggage and share the desire for everything that the mission offers them: escape from poverty, proving one's self, even a supernatural belief in the mission. And that was the impression that the book left with me: in order to take on such an enormous task one has to believe, live, and breathe the fervor that it takes to carry things out. If you're not dreaming of Terra-Two, you'll never make it there.

Also of interest is the ethics of such an endeavor - with generation ships and beyond. What would informed consent even look like for minors to take on such a mission? How would the psychological effects of the astronauts and their families left on Earth be accounted for? If space travel makes this leap in real life, all of these questions become salient in new and immediately arresting ways. A thought provoking trip into the galaxy.