Astra the lonely airplane never has to be lonely again! Her new hangar in sunny LA is home to three amazing new friends: Lana, a sleek, beautiful Learjet; a giant cargo plane named Hank; and Helen the crime-fighting helicopter.

In fact, they’re all so cool that Astra soon starts to wonder if she’s cut out for life in Hollywood! But when Lana, Hank, and Helen are each faced with unexpected problems, Astra discovers that you don’t need to be the fastest, the strongest, or the bravest to be important. It’s being a good friend that makes you a star!

Astra in Hollywood is the second book in the Astra the Lonely Airplane series by author Julie Whitney. I reviewed the first book a few weeks ago and adored it so I was eager to see how Astra was getting on in her new home, Los Angeles.

Within her new hangar, Astra encounters three other aircraft: Lana the jet, ferrying celebrities across the globe; Hank the cargo plane, responsible for transporting mail; and Helen the helicopter, who reports on traffic and helps catch criminals. The three aircraft all have very important jobs and Astra finds herself grappling with feelings of inadequacy.

However, when the three aircraft need help, Astra is there with her expertise and knowledge.

Retaining the endearing rhyming style and vibrant illustrations of the first book, Astra in Hollywood has plenty of charm and a fascinating plot. The story even though a continuation from book one would work perfectly well as a standalone too.

Astra in Hollywood is a delightful, entertaining, and thought-provoking read. Throughout the story, children will learn to embrace their strengths, the value of helpfulness, and appreciate the uniqueness of their capabilities.

Whitney is a public relations professional with more than 35 years of experience, having worked on both the agency and client side and also in the television industry. Her company, Phillippi-Whitney Communications, LLC founded in 2000, represents both large and small clients in a wide variety of industries. She has promoted dozens of authors throughout her career, often supplementing the efforts of the internal PR teams of their publishers. She also works as on-camera talent, appearing in both television commercials and video podcasts.

A Miami University grad, she lives in Cincinnati with her husband Dan, a corporate pilot, (Captain Dan in the book), who as a naval aviator and USNA grad, flew the P-3 Orion on active duty, and who has flown a Gulfstream G100 (Astra) for the past 13 years. With four grown children, they are now empty nesters, and love spending time with their Black Lab Brody, and also enjoy traveling, boating, golfing, and all types of physical fitness.

A fun fact about Julie is that she appeared as an Extra in the movie “Grease” which was shot on location in the summer of 1977 in Los Angeles.