Published by Crown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  The sun is 4.6 billion years old, and the planets have decided to throw a birthday party.  They consider the guest list (if they invite Pluto, will they have to include the other dwarf planets?  Can a moon be counted as a plus-one if a planet has over 70 moons?) and what to give as a gift, finally settling on a testimonial from each one of them.  When the big day arrives, each one has a touching message, and as a surprise, the mysterious voice of Planet X is heard, wishing the sun a happy birthday from a great distance.  The sun is pretty reserved, but she declares the party “Stellar”, while looking both beaming and radiant.  Includes a list of websites, with the note that scientists are constantly learning new facts about the solar system, so the web can provide the most up-to-date information.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A great combination of a fun story and lots of facts about the planets that would make a good companion to Adam Rex’s Pluto Gets the Call.  I liked the acknowledgement that science changes so fast that books can go out of date quickly.

Cons:  Pluto got left off the guest list.