The Area 51 Files
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Aliens, sassy hedgehogs, and unexplained disappearances . . . Oh, my! Discover the secrets of the universe in this hilarious, highly illustrated middle-grade series from New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum.
“Epically fun!”—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth
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…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When her grandmother, with whom she's lived almost all her life, moves into a retirement home, 12-year-old Sky Patel-Baum, who reads as of South Asian descent, is sent to stay with her only other living relative. Uncle Anish is second-in-command of Area 51, a secret haven for "Break Throughs," or extraterrestrials on Earth. A place of intense security, numerous regulations, and no contact with the outside world, Area 51 hasn't seen a new resident in five years, but Sky quickly makes friends with Elvis, a shape-shifting alien who appears to Sky as a brown-skinned boy. Sky's arrival coincides with the mysterious disappearance of several Zdstrammar aliens, and her uncle Anish seems the most likely suspect. Now, Sky and Elvis must clear Anish's name and find the missing aliens. Populated with human agents sporting names such as Belcher and Fartz, good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu (Home Is in Between) both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure, a middle grade debut from Buxbaum (Year on Fire). Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author's agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners.
