Blast Off!

December 16, 2013
Ball, host of PBS's Design Squad Nation, proves that his know-how extends beyond science and engineering in this playful first book in the Alien in My Pocket series. After a spaceship crashes in Zack's bedroom, Amp, a tiny blue alien, emerges and announces that his planet plans to invade Earth. Amp is horrified at how large earthlings are ("This is an intergalactic snafu of epic proportions!"), and he asks Zack to help fix his spaceship so he can return home to call off the attack. Stowing away in Zack's backpack, the alien creates a stir at school as he demonstrates his power to alter people's behavior and upends the science lab while searching for materials to fix his ship. Ball slyly slips science into the plot, which culminates in the kids building a bottle rocket to launch Amp's spacecraft (bottle rocket instructions are included). With its screwball comedy and lively dialogue, the novel gives readers the opportunity to laugh as they learn. The Science Unfair pubs simultaneously. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 6â10. Author's agent: Linda Loewenthal, David Black Agency.

November 1, 2013
Fourth-grader Zack McGee's plans for his new school year change drastically when a 4-inch-tall blue alien crashes into his bedroom and asks for help to return to his home world. First in a series combining scientific facts, projects and alien-invasion stories, this is an agreeable introduction. Zack's desperate efforts to conceal his new friend and to build a replacement launching system for his space ship provide both suspense and humor. He can't hide Amp from neighbor and best friend Olivia, but that's a good thing. She helps him construct a bottle rocket that soars satisfyingly high though not far enough to send Amp back into space. Unlike the rest of his scientific family, Zack has been a less-than-stellar performer in school, more interested in baseball. This provides plenty of opportunity for both Olivia and Amp to explain things to him and to readers along the way. Step-by-step instructions for constructing a rocket using a 2-liter soda bottle, a rubber stopper, duct tape and a bicycle pump are appended. Short chapters and black-and-white comics-style illustrations add reader appeal. A sequel, The Science Unfair (978-0-06-231494-9), will be published simultaneously, and a third, Radio Active, is scheduled for May 2014. A pleasing combination of fact and fancy, the Alien in My Pocket series will be welcomed by science-minded middle-grade readers. (Science fiction. 7-11)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 2-5-Another normal school year is about to start for fourth grader Zack McGee until a small blue alien crash lands in his bedroom. In Blast Off!, Amp the alien stows away in Zack's backpack and joins him at school while Zack tries to figure out a way to repair Amp's ship. This proves most difficult for Zack who, unlike his overachieving scientist family, would rather spend time on the baseball diamond. His neighbor and best friend, Olivia, helps explain the science behind the story. The chapters are short and delightful pencil drawings accompany the text. Ball integrates real science in a refreshing way. In the second installment, The Science UnFair, Zack faces failing science if he does not get an A on his science project. He must also prevent Amp's identity from being exposed. When the day of the science fair comes, Zack's experiment works almost a little too well and all but destroys the science fair finals. The first book includes step-by-step instructions for creating a bottle rocket, while the second book offer instructions for constructing electromagnets. The science is aligned to the Common Core standards as well. Both titles will likely have appeal to even the most reluctant reader.-Wayne R. Cherry, Jr., First Baptist Academy Library, Houston, TX

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