A. I. NewtonReviews

Independent Reading Level: Grades 2-3
Awards: No Awards

Reading age: 5 - 9 years
First book of 10 in series
Length: 110 Pages

Independent Reading Level: Grades K-3
Awards: None

Independent reading level: 4th grade and up
Awards:N/A

Source: SSYRA Jr. annotated list 2019
Age Range: 5-7
Evaluation of Quality: Through the entertaining metaphor of an outer-space alien child moving to Earth, readers sympathize with the difficulties of integrating into a new school, culture, and social group.
Assessment of potential use: This book would be great for independent reading or a book talk about tolerance.
Assessment of appeal to children: Children will find Zeke's alien antics funny, but yet will sympathize with Zeke's trepidation at facing his first day in a new school.

First in an early chapter series about Zeke, whose parents are studying Earthlings, and Harris, Zeke's next door neighbor and fellow 2nd grader, who's convinced that Zeke is an alien but is the only one who witnesses Zeke's powers. Cute pictures.½

Harris is sure there is something weird about Zeke, the new kid who moved in next door. Roxy thinks he is just being unfriendly. But Harris has clues from the sci-fi movies he likes to watch with his dad. So he is sure Zeke is an alien but how does he prove it?

I enjoyed this tale. I liked the diversity in the story. Harris is fun as he tries to get people to believe him about Zeke but there always seems to be a logical explanation for Zeke's action. The world building is good. I look forward to reading more in the series.

There's a new kid in school and he's having trouble fitting in. Zeke, the new kid, wishes he could go back home to Tragas. He wishes his parents didn't move around all the time. He wishes he wasn't always the new kid. But his next-door neighbor isn't worried about Zeke's feelings; Harris is pretty sure that Zeke is an alien!

The viewpoint alternates between Zeke (yes, he's an alien. Looks kind of like a squid.) and Harris (African-American) with some input from Harris' more level-headed friend, Roxy (possibly Latina). Harris doesn't like new things any more than Zeke does, but in his world Zeke IS the new - and scary - alien thing! In the end, Harris and Zeke decide they can be friends, even though Zeke still misses home and Harris is determined to prove that Zeke is really an alien.

The book is heavily illustrated with black and white art, showing Zeke's confusion trying to deal with unfamiliar earth things and Harris' suspicion. The font is dark, a slightly larger font and would be a good choice for readers ready to try chapters and those who are voracious readers of series.

Verdict: Hand this to fans of Wendy Mass' Space Taxi and readers who enjoy funny school stories. A good addition to fill out your beginning chapter section if you're looking for more titles.

ISBN: 9781499805598; Published March 2018 by little bee; Borrowed from another library in our consortium