Publication Date: June 2010
Series: 1st in a series
Book Acquisition: received a finished copy from the publicist
Book Summary:
The perfect combination of the age old experience of holding and pouring over a physical book with newest media technology that kids love!
Michael K. just started fifth grade at a new school. As if that wasn't hard enough, the kids he seems to have made friends with apparently aren't kids at all. They are aliens. Real aliens who have invaded our planet in the form of school children and a hamster. They have a mission to complete: to convince 3,140,001 kids to BE SPHDZ.
But with a hamster as their leader, "kids" who talk like walking advertisements, and Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their cover and pull off their assignment? (from publisher's website)
Quick Thoughts:
A really fun book! Perfect for it's age range.
What I didn't like:
Honestly, not much. Only one thing really - the first page of every chapter is reverse contrast (black background with white lettering). It stands out and works as far as helping to space out the book but for me, it was a little hard on the eyes. (ok...maybe I'm just old ;)
What I liked:
The way the story is told. Lots of visuals in the form of illustrations, sketches, lists, and cool funky things that I think middle grade kids will really love. This story was so much fun to read. It has aliens, a talking rodent, strange and weird trivia, and in the middle of it all is Michael K. A normal kid trying to BE normal. It's pretty hard when the first friends you happen to meet at your new school are really aliens. Aliens who won't leave you alone and shout out things like "Reach out and touch someone!" and "I am cuckoo for cocoa puffs!" every couple of seconds.
Reminded Me Of:
Jon Scieszka's picture book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. My favorite picture book! Both are fun stories with lots of layers and really enjoyable characters. Both are books that will stick with kids - books they will remember long after the last page is read.
Who Would Enjoy It:
Young readers, parents and teachers. Boys especially, in the 7-10 age bracket. I can see this book being a fun one to read in class - passing it around to let everyone get a good look at all that's going on. Defiantly a book kids won't be bored with.
Overall Rating:
5 / 5 Stars
Books in the Series:
SPHDZ Book 1! (June 2010)
SPHDZ Book 2! (December 2010)
Linkage Love:
Simon & Schuster
Author's Website
Goodreads
Interesting. Glad you enjoyed it. I'm still fond of the MG genre. I'll go check it out.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about this one. Sounds like it would be perfect for my son! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI loved this one and was sort of sad to read an ARC version of it b/c I didn't get to see all the final art and cool stuff. But I have some copies for my library now and flipped through them. My boys are going to love this one! :)
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