Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw on the release of Rugged RAX

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

My son, Josh, while a junior at the University of Michigan, introduced me to CubeSats, when he joined the Michigan eXploration Laboratory (MXL) in 2013. CubeSats are miniature satellites built from 10xm x 10cm x 10cm cubic units and are extendable to larger sizes. They are much cheaper to build and deploy than larger satellites and provide an immense amount of information about space in a tiny package.

During Josh’s two years at MXL his team designed, built and tested three CubeSats. I was enthralled with every step of the process. Once I began my writing journey, I contacted MXL’s director, Professor James Cutler, and through discussion I decided to write a book about MXL’s first CubeSat—Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX).

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

a. Failure is difficult but it is an essential part of the scientific process and life.
b. You don’t have to be big to do extraordinary things.

What was the most difficult part of writing this book?

Making sure the science was accurate was particularly daunting due to the complexity and technical aspects of space, space weather, and spacecraft. I also wanted to assure the illustrations portrayed the science correctly. Rugged RAX’s illustrator, Mesa Schumacher, went beyond the massive amounts of photos, charts, diagrams, etc. I sent her via my publisher, by doing her own research and willingly tweaking even minor details.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

I am doing an early marketing push but mostly plan on working on an evergreen campaign since this book has a high appeal for the education market as well as STEM and space-oriented kids.

What's next for you?

The launch of Decoding the Moon—my first venture into fiction and my first venture into middle-grade—on February 25, 2026! This one is literally and figuratively a dream come true!

Here’s the blurb: Avid rock climber Levi Manes thinks his newfound fear of heights is enough to shake up his twelve-year-old life. What he didn’t realize is, three months later, the tragic death of his mother would fracture his entire world. To make matters worse, Levi’s dad, unable to face his grief, moves their family from their home in the Detroit suburbs to a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Can the combination of some secret codes, rock climbing, and the Supermoon pull Levi’s family together and bring them the closure they each desperately need?

More about the book . . .

Imagine you are part of an engineering team tasked with designing and building a mini but mighty satellite—a CubeSat named RAX. Your CubeSat’s mission? Gather space weather data to help scientists prevent massive blackouts caused by solar storms. But this team failed during its first attempt; will it succeed this time? Rugged RAX is the true story of CubeSat RAX and is packed with a payload of space science and engineering for STEM enthusiasts.

Published by: Fifth Avenue Press

More about the author . . .

Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw is an award-winning children’s book author and former elementary special education teacher passionate about growing young minds, engaging readers, and empowering student leaders. In addition to Rugged RAX, her writing credentials include I Campaigned for Ice Cream: A Boy’s Quest for Ice Cream Trucks, Mighty Mahi, and The Super Volcano: The Hidden Hero Below Yellowstone National Park. The proud momma of two grown boys, Suzanne lives in Waterford, Michigan with her husband and furry writing companion Ziggy. When she’s not dreaming up new writing projects, you can find her reading, kayaking, hiking, or practicing yoga.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.lipshaw/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/suzannelipshaw.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzannejacobslipshaw/