Bongo Fishing

Gr 4—7—This lighthearted tale begins when a boy named Jason meets Sam, a friendly blue alien who drives a spaceship that resembles a 1960 Dodge Dart. Though he's from the Pleiades star cluster, Sam is clearly familiar with American culture: he wears purple high tops, loves glazed doughnuts, and listens to Count Basie on the interstellar radio system. Jason takes an outer-space trip with Sam and his wife (a huge Elvis fan) that's filled with awesome sights and folksy, sometimes humorous dialogue. The funniest moments come through twists of Earth conventions, as when a phone recording tells Jason that "you must dial four hundred twenty-six ones" when trying to contact another universe. Intriguing gadgets and amusing descriptions of alien technology add to the fun, as do the lively illustrations. Brief interludes revealing that a mysterious villain is keeping tabs on Jason are less successful. When the evil Dr. Zimburger finally appears in the second half of the book, he's too silly and hapless to be much of a threat. This results in a lack of tension that prevents the book from being totally involving, especially since Jason isn't a particularly memorable protagonist. His experiences are action-packed, but his thoughts and responses are generally unremarkable. Sam and his wife are delightfully atypical aliens, though, and the moments of humor are consistently strong throughout, making this an acceptable choice for readers looking for light science fiction.—Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR