Fast and funny

What with "Nerds" and "The Sisters Grimm" and various standalones it's clear that Michael Buckley really knows his way around middle grade and young YA tales. Has he mastered the formula? Well, yes. Is there anything wrong with that? Don't see why.

This time out we have space travel, but the book is mostly an alien chase, save the Earth from invasion, sort of book. Finn accidentally comes into possession of an ultimate weapon, (that resides in his sister's unicorn lunchbox), and he has to avoid alien invaders who want to take the weapon away from him, and he has to work with alien good guys who want the weapon and are willing to help save Earth in order to get it. Let the fun begin.

And it is fun. No dreary or tedious digressions or family drama. Finn has a mysteriously missing Dad, but otherwise the complications and conflict are kept to a minimum. What you get is Finn, who is an earnest, wise-cracking, and relatable hero. You also get a bully who is very funny, (that's a new one), a weirdness obsessed crushworthy girl who is totally into aliens, a semi-oblivious kid sister who is fanatical about unicorns and who has a refreshingly deadpan sense of humor, and a long suffering, glitchy alien robot who is the brains and the brawn of the operation. For a change we also get a tougher than he looks, heroic middle school principal, which I thought was a nice touch. Even Finn's Mom has her act totally together.

The team works well on the page. Everyone gets to shine, and the banter, the throwaway lines, the deadpan bits, and even the weirdness are all upbeat and entertaining. And who doesn't love a warrior unicorn named Deathkick?

So, I got a few chuckles out of this, and appreciated how nicely constructed and written it was. It was breezy, fast paced, engaging, and funny. The book wraps up nicely but leaves an opening and invitation for a followup, and I would be happy to see that.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Kids are bound to love this scifi tale or action and adventure, with robots, unicorns, and giant bugs leading the way.

I almost gave up on this book. The science fiction descriptions were overly complicated which led to me rereading pages more then once. I was also in pure disbelief while reading the dialogue between the children. As soon as I disregarded the ages of the main characters and told myself I was reading a YA novel it became a page turner. The non stop action pauses, sometimes too abruptly, to show character development. Overall, I am glad I didn't throw in the towel and can't wait to catch up with Finn in the next space adventure. I just hope it finds its way into the YA section.

A kooky but entertaining adventure involving good and bad aliens, a secret weapon to defeat the bug bad guys, and a malfunctioning robot. A secret weapon to defeat the bug bad guys gets stuck in a lunch box and partially attached to Finn. The robot wants to bring it back to the Resistance but he’ll have to take Finn with the him. Wormholes, betrayal, and a fight to save the Earth will appeal to adventurous kids who love science fiction.

This book weaves many tried and true middle-grade elements - bullies, wise principals, wimpy boys, strong girls, robots, alien grasshoppers, unicorns - into a wonderful, page-turning adventure. When Finn's lunchbox turns into an intergalactic portal, chaos ensues. He must turn to his enemy, his crush, and his sister to figure out how to save the world. Readers who love other books from Michael Buckley like NERDS or The Sisters Grimm will love this new adventure tale.

Join Finn and his companions for an action-packed adventure as they try to save the planet - and maybe the whole universe! This book has everything a science fiction lover is looking for, along with more relatable heart. Finn learns about friendship, family, and what it means to be a hero. The ending leaves readers anxious to find out what experiences await Finn and his friends in the next book! And this reader also hopes to learn a bit more about the characters as well.
CW: This title is not a good fit for more sensitive readers. Descriptions of violence and harm may be upsetting.

Science Fiction readers will love this book! Wormholes, blue aliens, intelligent robots, and giant invading locusts combine for an action packed adventure. Not to be forgotten, are the traditional family and bullying issues that provide the stitching that weaves this tale into an almost-believable "it could really" happen story.

Such a great crew of characters and fun story! We really enjoyed it and the adventure Finn and his supercool lunchbox took us on. Finn and his team fight the Plague, a gang of rowdy bugs, in order to save the universe.

As soon as we finished reading this book, my boys went and made a Robot friend like Highbeam! I love stories that entertain but also that inspire kids to use their imaginations and that’s exactly what this book did.

Great Book! A fun set of characters. I love the adventure in the book and the journey. I felt like the everything was fleshed out perfectly and I would definitely recommend the book.