I received this for review from Netgalley and the publisher Random House Children (Delecorte Press).
When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she didn't imagine she'd end up here: Area 51. A top-secret military base with a bajillion rules and so classified not even the president knows its secrets.
Also, it turns out the place is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. But they prefer to be called Break Throughs, thank you very much.
As Sky sets out to explore her extraordinary new home with her pizza-obsessed pet hedgehog Spike, she meets her otherworldly next-door neighbor Elvis and his fluffy pup, Pickles. But something mysterious is afoot in Area 51. Some of the Break Throughs have gone missing... at the exact same time Sky arrived.
Where could they be? How can Sky and her uncle convince everyone they had nothing to do with the disappearance? And why does the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle have eyeballs in it? New best friends Sky, Elvis, Spike, and Pickles try to crack the case, but the clock is ticking...
I just love middle grade books and this one was a lot of fun! It's a little bit sci-fi mixed with a mystery and set in Area 51, and just look at that cover! I knew I needed this one.
Sky's grandmother is getting older and has decided to move to a retirement home but they don't allow children. It had been set up a long time ago that she would go and live with her Uncle that she doesn't really know. There are reasons why she don't know about him and that is because he lives in Area 51 and once you are there, you don't get to go anywhere or talk to anyone outside of 51.
On the day Sky arrives to the community of 51 she is thrown into what feels a bit like a different world. She is seeing her Uncle for the first time and learning that there are aliens aka break throughs. Also she finds out that on the day she arrives that some aliens called Zdstrammars or Z's for short are missing. These's Zs are little aliens that look like bubbles with eyes! They are very fragile and use a lot of bubble wrap around sharp objects...lol.
Anyway because Sky came the same day this happened, some of those from the FBAI (Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations) thought it was suspicious that it happened when she came and thought her Uncle or her might have something to do with it. There are some there who don't like her Uncle and want the job he is about to get.
Sky and her new alien friend Elvis decide to investigate and find out what might have happened to the Z's as this is her new home and she can't have anything happening to her or her Uncle.
This was a lot of fun with some really great illustrations! I really liked Sky, Elvis and eventually Zane. Her Uncle is different but then a lot of the humans that have lived in 51 for a long time are a bit odd and I guess if I was never allowed to go anywhere I would be a bit odd too!
It had a fun mystery and I think if your young readers are great with mysteries they can probably figure it out. It was just really fun seeing all the strange aliens in the illustrations.
I thought it was weird to call the aliens Break Throughs as if it's bad to say alien and that would be my only complaint. Overall it was a lot of fun!
That cover is really cute😁
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