Dude, Where's My Spaceship? (Weirdplanet, Book 1)
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that, aside from the heroes stealing a car to rescue their sister, there's little of concern here. It's just a silly, easy transitional chapter book intended to keep young readers' interest long enough to sharpen their skills.
Families who read this book could discuss the underlying message of tolerance. Why do the adults treat the aliens the way they do? Why is Lily different? It can also be a fun game to look at the ordinary objects and actions of our daily lives and guess how an alien might interpret them.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
The most difficult, and barren, part of children's books is transitional literature -- books for kids making the transition from picture to chapter books. At this point in their development, kids' intellectual levels are often well above their reading levels, making it hard to write a book that they can read themselves, and that they'll want to read.
Dan Greenburg, author of the popular Zack Files series, has made something of a career producing high-interest, easy-to-read series combining elements that early readers like: silly humor, aliens, pop culture references, and supernatural (but not scary) elements. This new series, while not quite up to Zack Files standards, fills the bill admirably.
Young readers will enjoy the jokes, starting with the title and chapter titles ("We've Got Seven Pepperoni Pies. Is Our Sister in There?"). Greenburg is good at creating silly ideas with lots of potential, such as language gum, which allows the aliens to speak in Earth languages. But pop in the wrong color, and they're speaking the wrong language, and the language ability starts to fade as the flavor wears out.
This isn't great literature, but it's harmless and fun, and if it keeps kids reading then it's all to the good.
From The Book
"Look, Lek," said Klatu. "A nonhuman life-form. Hello there, nonhuman life-form." The cactus didn't answer. "I said hello," Klatu repeated. He touched the cactus.
"Yowtch!" he shouted. "It bit me!"
"You must have scared it," said Lek.
Plot Summary:
Joyriding aliens Ploo and her brothers, Klatu and Lek, crash their spaceship on Earth (probably Klatu's fault, he's such a varna!). Unfortunately, they crashed in the desert near a certain secret base called Area 51. They hardly get out of the ship and hide it with their hide-a-craft when Ploo is grabbed by soldiers and taken to the base.
There she is put in a cage, unable to communicate verbally because the soldiers confiscated her language gum, thinking it was a weapon. Meanwhile her brothers have morphed into humans and stolen a pizza-delivery car to try to rescue her.
Related Books:
Other Transitional Series by Dan Greenburg
The Zack Files
Secrets of Dripping Fang
Other Transitional Series
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
Time Warp Trio by Jon Sciezka
Captain Underpants by Jon Sciezka
Cam Jansen by David A. Adler
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Something's Queer by Elizabeth Levy
Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Judy Moody by Megan McDonald
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Social BehaviorThe heroes steal a car, but only so they can rescue their sister. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoAn adult smokes. |
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