Boom!

April 26, 2010
Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) has reworked his out-of-print 1992 novel Gridzbi Spudvetch! into a delightful crowd pleaser. Jimbo lives in a small flat with his hardworking mother, unemployed father, and disdainful older sister, Becky, who spends her time with a loser of a biker boyfriend. But Jimbo’s life takes a turn away from the dull when he and his adventurous friend Charlie plant walkie-talkies in the staff lounge at school. They overhear the teachers using an unintelligible language, entangling them in a farfetched and otherworldly mystery (“There was an adventure on its way, a nuclear-powered, one-hundred-ton adventure with reclining seats and a snack trolley”). Charlie is apparently abducted and Jimbo finds an unusually courageous ally in Becky, leading to a cross-country motorbike chase, the cracking of an alien code, intergalactic travel via a “Weff-Beam,” and a trip to Plonk, a planet both familiar and strange. Jimbo and Charlie are excellent foils for each other, and Haddon’s madcap escapade is fast-paced, pitch perfect, and utterly unbelievable—yet not a word will be doubted. Ages 10–up.

May 1, 2010
Gr 5-8-When James, aka Jimbo, and his friend Charlie overhear two of their teachers talking in a strange language, their curiosity is piqued. They investigate the home of one of them, an elderly woman, and discover a note written in the mysterious language and a collection of brass bracelets. Then Charlie goes missing, and Jimbo and his sister embark on a trip to Scotland's Isle of Skye, where they discover that aliens are kidnapping science-fiction fans to repopulate their dying planet. Haddon explains in the foreword that this novel is a revision of his "Gridzbi Spudvetch!" (Walker, 1994, o.p.). Though this book targets a younger audience than the author's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" (Doubleday, 2003), the narrative is much more British, which adds a slight comprehension barrier to an otherwise accessible story. Readers of the "My Teacher Is an Alien" series (S & S) will appreciate Bruce Coville's influences. Adventure and quirky humor keep the pages turning, and readers will connect to Jimbo with little difficulty. If they can overcome some of the cultural differences, they will appreciate the simple and engaging tale."Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2010
Jim and Charlie discover that two of their teachers are evil aliens--then Charlie disappears. What follows is a madcap action romp that includes a motorcycle chase, rock climbing in Scotland, and a change of scene to outer space. Through derring-do, cliffhangers, and wisecracks, the narrative manages to be both a send-up and a celebration of classic sci-fi.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2010
Jim and Charlie, in the midst of a middle-school prank, unwittingly discover that two of their teachers are evil aliens, part of a larger conspiracy. When Charlie disappears, what can Jim do but enlist his sister and set off in pursuit? What follows is a madcap action romp that includes a motorcycle chase, rock climbing in the wilds of Scotland, and finally a change of scene to outer space of the Douglas Adams variety, featuring the planet Plonk and characters like "Britney" the giant spider. "You come from Earth...I hear it is most delicious. Tell me about bagpipes. Tell me about Buckingham Palace and Elvis Presley. Tell me about cross-Channel ferries and ABBA, who are a Swedish pop band that shake my booty." Through derring-do, cliffhangers, and wisecracks, the narrative manages to be both a send-up and a celebration of classic sci-fi with its gadgets, invented language, and innocence. "Flipping heck!" our heroes exclaim, and then attack the bad guys with hairspray.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)