Alien Superstar

September 1, 2019
An extraterrestrial teen refugee becomes a Hollywood star. Citizen Short Nose, a 13-year-old, blue-skinned, six-eyed, bipedal ET, has left his home world in an effort to escape the authoritarian forces that reign there. The teen runaway lands his spacecraft in the middle of Universal Studios and easily blends in among the tourists and actors in movie costumes. Citizen Short Nose quickly changes his name to Buddy C. Burger and befriends Luis Rivera, an 18-year-old Latinx actor who moonlights as Frankenstein on the Universal lot. Inspired to be an actor by his grandmother Wrinkle's love of Earth culture, Buddy lands a gig on Oddball Academy, playing (of course) an alien from another world. On set, Buddy befriends Cassidy Cambridge, the brown-skinned teen star of the show. Buddy balances keeping his true identity secret (everyone just assumes he's wearing an alien costume) with becoming an overnight sensation. The book is efficiently written, moving the story forward so quickly that readers won't have time to think too hard about the bizarre circumstances necessary for the whole thing to work. This series opener's big problem is the ending: The story just stops. Characters are established and plot mechanics are put together, but the book basically trusts readers to show up for the next installment. Those enamored with Hollywood gags and sci-fi plot boiling will probably be engaged enough to do so. A decent start to a silly sci-fi series. (Science fiction. 8-10)

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August 12, 2019
The creators of the Hank Zipzer books take full comedic advantage of an outlandish premise in this series debut introducing a young alien who flees from the nefarious rulers of his home planet. His crafty grandmother programs his spaceship to land at Universal Studios in North Hollywood, a locale they know from watching vintage movies together. With six eyes and feet covered in suction cups, the alien—who adopts the name of Buddy C. Burger based on things he hears and sees on the studio lot—is mistaken for a costumed actor and cast as a teenage alien on television. Buddy’s ignorance of earthlings’ habits and idioms ignites much of the humor; when a wannabe actor expresses amazement that Buddy skyrockets to fame without spending years waiting tables, the alien earnestly asks, “What are they waiting for the tables to do?” Winkler and Oliver keep the gags rolling as Buddy copes with staying in character as well as a rogue bodily appendage that springs to life, triggering mayhem. Nicolle’s spry cartoons enhance the narrative’s good-natured inanity. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.

October 1, 2019

Gr 5-8-Sci-fi lovers will find Winkler's new book completely out of this world. On Buddy's home planet, when aliens reach the age of 13, the sensory enhancer that allows them to experience the world around them is removed. To stop this from happening, Buddy's grandmother plans an escape route for him to Universal Studios on the planet Earth. After he lands, Buddy fits in with the movie studio and theme park crowds by pretending he is in costume. He loves the movies, and with the help of a friend, he lands a job on a popular television sitcom. Buddy must learn to navigate Earth and make friends along the way, all the while trying to keep his alien identity a secret. Upper elementary and middle school sci-fi readers will find Buddy's alien life engaging. The interesting things that Buddy can do, as well as the technology that he brings from his planet, will charm. The setting of Universal Studios will have many readers making connections to parks they may have visited themselves or movies they have seen with this location. VERDICT A new sci-fi series that will circulate well in elementary and middle school libraries. A funny interstellar adventure that will have readers watching the cosmos for the second book to arrive.-Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East High School, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 The writing duo behind the Hank Zipzer and Ghost Buddy books launches a new series that is out of this world?well, sort of. Conspiring with his grandmother, 13-year-old Short Nose escapes his home planet and its hostile government to find safety on the planet of his dreams (and favorite old movies!): Earth. As luck would have it, the spaceship touches down in California's Universal Studios, where Buddy C. Burger (Short Nose's human alias) lands a part playing an alien on a popular TV show. Cue the hilarious misunderstandings and costume malfunctions! Winkler and Oliver bring their sharply honed sense of comedy and extensive experience in the television industry to Buddy's antics on the set. The stranger-in-a-strange-land trope is employed with humor and sensitivity as Buddy tries to find his feet (sometimes literally), understand humans' language and culture, make friends, and keep his acting job. This results in an endearingly strange protagonist that will resonate with any kid who has felt like an outsider. A sense of humor and empathy are required for this zany adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)