Michael K. has just entered fifth grade at his new school and he's trying so hard to convince himself that the day can't get any weirder. First he's stuck with a couple of serious oddballs, and then they try to convince him that they are aliens. It becomes even weirder, however, when he realizes they are serious, and that he might be the only person who can now save the world. Come on, it's Jon Scieszka. You know it's going to be crazy. You know it's going to be ridiculous. And you know that it's going to be well written, hilarious, and impossible to put down. Perfect for reluctant readers who are beyond the Time Warp Trio, but still looking for Scieszka's style. On his first day of school at PS 858, in Brooklyn, Michael is seated next to Bob and Jennifer. There is something different about Bob and Jennifer. It's not that they are foreign (Bulgarian), weird or specialized ed students like the rest of his class seems to think, it is, in fact, that they are aliens. You can find about every major label jingle in their vocabulary as they learned English from TV. What ensues in Michael's struggle to either rid himself of the aliens via Agent Umber, who desperately wants a better color name and a new phone, or become one of their converts, as they are looking for others to join them-3.14 million SPHDZ, to be exact. The plot is sprinkled with interactive websites, all created to give a bit of information, send the kids running to the Internet and then draw them back into the story. It's a fun summer read. Nothing too deep here but with Scieszka humor reluctant readers will laugh, read, and reach for the next installment. Recommended for grades 3+ because the print is not standard type, but rather font text and some of the humor is mid-range advanced. The kids in the book are fifth graders, but there are lots of illustrations and humor that make it manageable for younger kids as well.
What do You think about SPHDZ Book #1! (2011)?
Cute, cute, cute! Tons of great visuals, and the companion website looks pretty fun for kids.
—mikeeyah
I hope kids understand it better than I did!
—fatiie
