The Alien That Ate My Socks

July 18, 2016
This madcap series opener from Dorman (the Fablehaven series) begins with third-grader Henry Hooligan and his two older brothers racing go-carts with their archenemy, Rock Rubinstein, down Deadman’s Hill. When a huge purple creature appears in the road, it sends the brothers’ cart careening into a neighbor’s home, and when the boys sneak back up the hill to investigate, the creature hugs middle brother Hector, leaving him as smelly as the creature itself and temporarily unable to speak. Eventually, the brothers learn that the creature is a friendly alien named Hoolie with a voracious appetite for clothing. Their parents and neighbors are unsure about how to handle the situation, but when Hoolie proves his heroism during a house fire, they decide to protect him from a mysterious group trying to capture him. The near-constant wisecracking and trash-talking among the Hooligan brothers starts to wear thin pretty quickly, and while a steady stream of action and jokes push the story forward briskly, it’s best for those with a high tolerance for goofy inanity and gross-out gags. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–12.

June 15, 2016
The Hooligan brothers' go-cart race takes an unexpected turn when a sock-eating, foul-smelling, giant purple alien enlists their help completing his extraterrestrial merit badges.Henry, Hank, and Hector Hooligan spend the summer building a go-cart to race school bully Rock Rubenstein down Deadman's Hill. If they win, Rock agrees to stop his constant pranking for a year. If they lose, the Hooligan brothers agree to prank for him. But the sudden appearance of an alien on the course sends the Hooligan brothers off the road and into a world of trouble. The boys decide to investigate the creature and end up leading it back home. The alien rescues a girl from a burning house, prompting all of the neighbors to agree to hide him. But when interstellar animal control shows up, it is up to the brothers to save their new friend. Corny jokes, constant banter, and high jinks abound. While the humor is squeaky-clean and the Hooligan brothers have good hearts, the repetitive jokes, flat story, and too-familiar premise quickly grow stale. Other than the giant purple alien, the entire main cast appears to be white. Line drawings adorn most pages. Proof that there is such a thing as too silly. (Science fiction. 8 -11)

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