Earthling Ambassador

April 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-Nicola is just trying to get through another miserable school day when a tall, gangly extraterrestrial dashes into the classroom looking for "The Earthling Ambassador." Georgio represents the planet Globagaskar where spoiled Princess Petronella has decided to turn Earth into an intergalactic garbage can. Since many Globagaskarians regard our planet as a pleasant, if somewhat primitive, vacation spot, Georgio and his allies hope that an envoy Petronella's age can change her mind. He declares that Nicola meets his qualifications and whisks her off to his planet. Unfortunately, Nicola's first meeting with the petulant princess doesn't go at all well. Petronella not only refuses to relent, but also threatens to have her guest locked up. With only one day left before the scheduled disaster, Nicola comes up with a desperate plan. The protagonist is a resourceful character, but most of the adultshuman and alien alikeare portrayed as either malicious or feckless. Georgio, for example, doesn't have a clue about how Nicola can succeed, and his Earthling Ambassador criteria turn out to have no relationship to the task at hand. Also, the science-fiction elements are not always convincing. There is a need for girl-oriented science fiction, but this book lacks the consistent internal logic of quality titles like Diane Duane's "Young Wizards" series (Harcourt)."Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL"

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