Galaxy's Most Wanted

May 15, 2014
STEM camp is nerd heaven-until the aliens descend.Kevin and his friends Ward, Tara and TJ have to find a way to win the Invention Convention at Northwest Horizons science camp if for no other reason than to beat Kevin's nemesis, Alexander. Unfortunately, Alexander and his team, the Vainglorious Math Nerds, have built a working hovercraft. Kevin and his pals decide to build a galactascope, an interstellar communications device based on a comic book written by a man supposedly abducted by aliens...and it works! Responding to their summons, small, purple and furry Mim crashes into the camp lake. Can the friends keep Mim a secret until the Invention Convention? They're pretty crafty, so probably. But when more aliens descend, can they trust that all their new friend has told them is fact? Kloepfer's series kickoff is slow to start. It's only after the aliens arrive that the story shows signs of life and only toward the end that the fun actually lifts this above run-of-the-mill go-to-camp tales. The sequel, set up in the last couple pages, might well be fun from the start, since the preliminaries are now out of the way. Final art not seen.This offers a few smiles and a laugh or two while readers wait for the sequel. (Science fiction/humor. 8-11)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-This is a suspenseful science-fiction adventure that will keep readers glued to the pages. The fast-paced story chronicles how Kevin, Warner, TJ, and Tara create a device to communicate with aliens to win the science-camp-invention convention. Excitement abounds when Mim, a friendly purple alien, crash-lands and becomes fast friends with the group after receiving their message. But when intergalactic bounty hunters begin touching down at science camp and hunting down Mim, things take a turn for the worst. Mim isn't really the last of his kind and is hiding on Earth; he's a world-destroying fugitive. Kevin, Warner, TJ, and Tara grow as a team and as friends throughout the story as they work to stop a terrible end for Earth. The accompanying illustrations add to the quirky nature of the story and reluctant readers will gravitate to its style. Libraries with built-in fans of Kloepfer will want to purchase, but it is also a good addition for collections in need of more science fiction or reluctant reader choices.-Ashley Prior, Lincoln Public Library, RI

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