Alien Encounter

Gr 3–6—With an authentic, zany splash of fourth-grade humor, perspective, and imagination, this inaugural series title targets boys and will captivate elementary readers. Nine-year-old Morgan rescues newcomer, Lewis, who is stuck on a high tree branch with a wedgie. The boys become friends after their underpants escapade, and Lewis introduces Morgan to his family, the old motel his parents are renovating, and an unusual clubhouse. On a picnic in the Pacific Northwest woods, the boys encounter an alien who rummages through their food and then runs away. Terrified, they share the news with the local police and newspaper. Next, a letter arrives from Morgan's aloof next-door neighbor Mr. Lee, who reveals to the boys his secret underground movie costume workshop and the alien robot they saw. To help keep Mr. Lee's work secret, the boys recant their alien sighting and generate a new Sasquatch story of their own. Morgan's lively, energetic narrative is sprinkled with amusing cartoon drawings and spontaneous acrostic poems that highlight and explain his observations, insights, and understanding of people and events. Readability is further enhanced by frequent chapter/topic headings that break the text into short segments. Like Grace in Harper's popular "Just Grace" series (Houghton Harcourt), Morgan is a spunky, verbal, resourceful protagonist whose nonstop adventures resonate with self-discovery, family relationships, friendships, and creative problem-solving.—Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC