Synopses & Reviews
It all happened because of Feeney's Original Astronaut Ice Cream. Those accursed pink bars entranced me with their sugary magic!
Life on Gelo was fine until the fur-headed "humans" arrived. They invaded our asteroid with their loud drill machines and their endless greed, stealing our precious iridium to take back to their weird-looking blue-and-green planet. Then the mothership took off and four little fur-heads were marooned here.
Luckily, the "kids" have cool things like hologram games and rocket bikes. And they know how to pilot starships!
But there's plenty the junior humans don't know, like how to fight a feral thyss-cat or ride an usk-lizard. They're decidedly terrible at dealing with my stink gland (yes, we Xotonians have a stink gland). And they definitely seem powerless against the Vorem, a terrifying breed of rival alien that nightmares are made of.
Thank goodness the Earthlings have me and all five of my eyes to look after them! If only I knew how to help them get back home. . . .
Review
"Branford skillfully counterpoints sentiment with humor, making this a boy-friendly, thoughtful adventure that will leave readers contemplating both the outer and inner workings of the universe." -
BCCB "It's the Saturday-morning-cartoon version of Hitchhiker's Guide. . . ." - Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Jacob Wonderbar is used to detentions, but when a spaceship crashes near his house, he finds himself in a whole new level of trouble. After swapping a corn dog for the ship, he and his two best friends, Sarah Daisy and Dexter, take off on a madcap adventure. They accidentally cause an epic explosion, get kidnapped by a space pirate, and are marooned on planets like Numonia and Paisley, where the air smells like burp breath and revenge-hungry substitute teachers rule. And that's only the beginning . . . It turns out that there's an entire colony of space humans, and Jacob's long-lost father just might be one of them.
The first book in debut author Nathan Bransford's hilarious space adventure series has dynamite friendships, peculiar planets, and nonstop action. You'll never look at the stars the same way
Synopsis
Out-of-this-world antics in this hysterical middle-grade adventure! Sixth-grader Jacob Wonderbar is a master when it comes to disarming and annihilating substitute teachers. But when he and his best friends, Sarah and Dexter, swap a spaceship for a corn dog, they embark on an outer space adventure. And between breaking the universe with an epic explosion, being kidnapped by a space pirate, and surviving a planet that reeks of burp breath, Jacob and his friends are in way over their heads. Action packed with an added dose of heart, Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow is sure to captivate middlegrade readers all over the universe.
About the Author
Tom O'Donnell has written for the New Yorker, McSweeney's, Atari, and the TV show Trip Tank on Comedy Central. His comic strips have been featured in the New York Press, Village Voice, and other papers. He lives with his wife in Brooklyn.