Into the Dorkness: Galaxy's Most Wanted, Book 2

Parents need to know that Galaxy’s Most Wanted 2: Into the Dorkness is the fun and action-packed second book in a series about tweens at an Oregon summer science camp who inadvertently create an invention that attracts evil aliens to their remote wilderness. Whereas the first book dealt heavily with how the four protagonists competed and interacted with their fellow campers, all the while trying to hide the discovery of an alien spacecraft (and its inhabitants) from the other kids and counselors, this one's entirely about how the ingenious tweens band together to defeat the space creatures and their reptile-like army, who are bent on enslaving the entire human race. There's cartoon violence involving zapping rays and large, mosquito-like robots who inject a serum into people to turn them into zombie-like slaves, but nothing graphic or scary. There also are literal cartoons: The book is lavishly illustrated throughout with Nick Edwards' comics-style depictions of all the action, an added bonus for reluctant readers (and a treat for everyone else). Author John Kloepfer is the man behind the blockbuster Zombie Chasers series, too, so he obviously knows the tween audience well. He also knows how to leave readers wanting more -- to be delivered in Galaxy’s Most Wanted 3.