Planet Earth Is Blue

The novel foreshadows the space shuttle Challenger’s explosion and Nova’s impending realization of Bridget’s death. Nova’s unwillingness to hand over the flash card with Bridget’s name on it indicates that, on some level, she suspects that her sister isn’t returning, but Nova wants to keep her close: “The tips of her ears tingled as she began to shake. Not bounce, not flap, but shake” (132). This is a new feeling for Nova and a new physical expression of what she can’t verbalize. Though she hopes to stay with the Wests, which she acknowledges when she’s calm, she doesn’t want to think about them at this moment. The only important thing is that “Bridget [i]s gone” (132). The repetition of this language, that “Bridget [i]s gone” when Nova imagines herself on the moon, alone, further suggests that, somewhere in Nova’s mind, she knows that Bridget isn’t going to return (147).

Also foreshadowing this reality are the scenes in which Joanie and Nova stop at the cross by the side of the road and Mrs. Steele insists that she tried to tell Nova what happened to Bridget. Joanie mentions that Nova has already been to see the cross with Francine, noting how it feels to miss people who are gone, “like how [Joanie] know[s] [Nova] misses Bridget” (139). The family repeatedly taking Nova to the cross and discussing it indicate that the place has major significance. The vagueness of Joanie’s words and how she seems to be talking around something rather than about it confuse Nova. However, many readers know that a cross like this marks the spot where someone died. This, combined with Mrs. Steele’s claim that she “did [her] best to make [Nova] understand” why Bridget wasn’t around during “[t]hose first few days” (149), suggests that Bridget died in a car accident and that the cross site is where it happened. Nova continues to worry that Bridget won’t keep her promise to return for the shuttle launch, and her upset over the broken helicopter and the missing Leia—which represent a space shuttle and Sally Ride, respectively—symbolize not only her fear that Bridget won’t come back but also the forthcoming Challenger tragedy. To Nova, the helicopter breaking is a “big deal” because it symbolizes the games she played with Bridget and her Challenger dreams; their meanings overlap, giving the shuttle launch increased significance and thematically hinting at The Personal Impact of Historic Events. When Bridget ran their pretend missions, the girls succeeded; Bridget’s absence, despite her claim that she’d never go anywhere without her sister, leaves Nova confused and worried. In addition, the dramatic irony inherent in her inability to understand that her sister is gone and her obliviousness to the inevitable Challenger disaster build tension and suspense as readers await Nova’s response to both.

Many moments in these chapters thematically illustrate The Challenges of Being Neurodivergent in Adolescence as well as Coping Strategies of Children in Foster Care. Mrs. Steele, who has known Nova for years, constantly underestimates her. When Francine asks Nora to say “hello,” Mrs. Steele says that Nova “doesn’t really understand what we’re saying” (143), which is entirely untrue. Furthermore, Mrs. Steele’s “delight” at Nova’s “darling” wave is infantilizing and condescending. In addition, Mrs. Steele doesn’t recognize the sound of Nova’s laugh, which makes Nova feel “[e]mbarrassed, [and so she] smack[s] herself one-two-three-four times in the temple, mentally scolding herself for making so much noise” (146). This demonstrates not only most people’s underestimation of Nova but also their misinterpretation of her actions and sounds. Because most adults don’t recognize her speech or writing patterns, they believe that she’s incapable of doing either intelligibly. Nova “scolding” herself for laughing loudly suggests that she has gotten in trouble for making these sounds before.

Conversely, she’s happy that the Wests report good things to Mrs. Steele because “the last foster family […] always told her bad things” (135). When speaking to the social worker, the Wests insist that “[Nova] is much smarter than [Mrs. Steele] realize[s]” (149). These clues suggest that Nova has endured inappropriate, perhaps even cruel, treatment at the hands of some of her foster parents and that even Mrs. Steele has failed her in many ways. Evidence of these adults’ failures is the Wests’ realization that Nova’s mother, sister, and Nova herself “fell through the cracks” in society and were let down in different ways (151). Francine argues that if Nova “had proper education from the beginning, if she’d had consistency” (151), she would have reaped major benefits and wouldn’t be repeating sixth grade after finishing half of seventh somewhere else. Nova’s ability to maintain hope and excitement, despite the myriad ways that others have let her down, highlights her resilience.