diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj b/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj
index 7374e837..aa7533a7 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 (ns babashka.impl.clojure.core
   {:no-doc true}
-  (:refer-clojure :exclude [future])
+  (:refer-clojure :exclude [future read read-string])
   (:require [borkdude.graal.locking :as locking]
-            [sci.impl.namespaces :refer [copy-core-var]]))
+            [clojure.tools.reader.reader-types :as r]
+            [sci.impl.namespaces :refer [copy-core-var]]
+            [sci.impl.parser :as parser]))
 
 (defn locking* [form bindings v f & args]
   (apply @#'locking/locking form bindings v f args))
@@ -16,6 +18,12 @@
      (prn (str "Elapsed time: " (/ (double (- (. System (nanoTime)) start#)) 1000000.0) " msecs"))
      ret#))
 
+(defn read-string
+  ([sci-ctx s]
+   (let [reader (r/indexing-push-back-reader (r/push-back-reader s))]
+     (parser/parse-next sci-ctx reader)))
+  #_([opts s] (clojure.lang.RT/readString s opts)))
+
 (def core-extras
   {'file-seq (copy-core-var file-seq)
    'agent agent
@@ -27,6 +35,7 @@
    'locking (with-meta locking* {:sci/macro true})
    'shutdown-agents shutdown-agents
    'slurp (copy-core-var slurp)
+   'read-string (with-meta read-string {:sci.impl/op :needs-ctx})
    'spit (copy-core-var spit)
    'time (with-meta time* {:sci/macro true})
    'Throwable->map Throwable->map
diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj b/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj
index 12fb91a6..a2c2f302 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@
    [clojure.java.io :as io]
    [clojure.string :as str]
    [clojure.tools.reader.reader-types :as r]
-   [sci.impl.interpreter :refer [eval-form]]
-   [sci.impl.parser :as parser]
-   [sci.impl.vars :as vars]
    [sci.core :as sci]
-   [sci.impl.io :as sio]))
+   [sci.impl.interpreter :refer [eval-form]]
+   [sci.impl.io :as sio]
+   [sci.impl.parser :as parser]
+   [sci.impl.vars :as vars]))
 
 (defn repl-caught
   "Default :caught hook for repl"
diff --git a/src/babashka/main.clj b/src/babashka/main.clj
index bff79c9c..c801e9e6 100644
--- a/src/babashka/main.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/main.clj
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
    [clojure.string :as str]
    [sci.addons :as addons]
    [sci.core :as sci]
-   [sci.impl.interpreter :refer [eval-string*]]
+   [sci.impl.interpreter :refer [eval-string* eval-form]]
    [sci.impl.opts :as sci-opts]
    [sci.impl.unrestrict :refer [*unrestricted*]]
    [sci.impl.vars :as vars])
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ Everything after that is bound to *command-line-args*."))
       (eval-string* sci-ctx s))))
 
 (defn eval* [sci-ctx form]
-  (eval-string* sci-ctx (pr-str form)))
+  (eval-form sci-ctx form))
 
 (defn start-socket-repl! [address ctx]
   (socket-repl/start-repl! address ctx)
diff --git a/test/babashka/main_test.clj b/test/babashka/main_test.clj
index 0ae37c5e..503db371 100644
--- a/test/babashka/main_test.clj
+++ b/test/babashka/main_test.clj
@@ -346,6 +346,11 @@
   (testing "writer"
     (is (string? (bb nil "(let [sw (java.io.StringWriter.)] (clojure.pprint/pprint (range 10) sw) (str sw))")))))
 
+(deftest read-string-test
+  (testing "namespaced keyword via alias"
+    (is (= :clojure.string/foo
+           (bb nil "(ns foo (:require [clojure.string :as str])) (read-string \"::str/foo\")")))))
+
 ;;;; Scratch
 
 (comment