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Smart Books series

Starbound Zara

Illustrated, narrated space adventures starring Zara Chen, her drone Pip and a crew of friends across the multiverse. Ten novels, told as 20 stories, and every story is written three ways: for ages 7-8, ages 9-12 and ages 13+. Pick your child's reading level.

Pick a book to read!

Kids Mode keeps children on this bookshelf: no prices, no links out. Grown-ups leave it with a quick check.

Ages 7–8 set
US$ 12.99 one-time

All 20 stories at the ages 7–8 reading level. Same stories as the other sets.

Get the Ages 7–8 set
Ages 9–12 set
US$ 12.99 one-time

All 20 stories at the ages 9–12 reading level. Same stories as the other sets.

Get the Ages 9–12 set
Ages 13+ set
US$ 12.99 one-time

All 20 stories at the ages 13+ reading level. Same stories as the other sets.

Get the Ages 13+ set
All three reading levels
US$ 25.99 one-time

Every edition of every story: all 60 books, for every age. One payment, yours to keep. Only needed for more than one age.

Get all three levels
Illustration from Book 1A: Zara and the Glowing Map

The books

The first pages of every book are free to read and hear — no sign-up.

20 stories, each written at three reading levels. Pick the level for your child — the first pages of every book are free.

Ages 7–8 — 20 books

Ages 9–12 — 20 books

Ages 13+ — 20 books

Meet the friends

The same characters, with the same voices, in every Starbound Zara book. Tap to hear them.

Questions

Are the three age sets different stories?

No. There are 20 stories, and every story is written three times, for ages 7-8, ages 9-12 and ages 13+. The plot and the pictures are the same; the words, the vocabulary and the depth change. Most families need only one set: the one that matches their child's reading level.

Which set should I choose?

Ages 7-8: short sentences, simple words, gentle tension. Ages 9-12: fuller scenes and more of the story. Ages 13+: the full novel-length detail and the hardest moments. You can read the first pages of any level free before you decide.

Can I switch levels later?

Each set unlocks the 20 books written for its age group. To read the same stories at another level you can buy that set too, or buy the all-levels pass, which unlocks all 60 books.

What is the Starbound Zara pass?

One payment of US$ 25.99 unlocks every Starbound Zara Smart Book — the ones here now and every new one we add later, and it is yours to keep. No ads.

Can I buy just one book?

Yes. Every book has its own one-time price, and the first pages of each book are free to read and hear first.

How do I use my pass?

Checkout emails you a licence key. Open any Starbound Zara book, go past the free pages and enter the key in the unlock box — it opens every book in the series on that device, and you can use it on your other devices too.

Who are the characters?

— the same friends, with the same voices, in every Starbound Zara book.