Buttheads from Outer Space

Gr 3–6—Forget the Voyager space probe and its Golden Record: alien interest in Earth is piqued by the "please visit our planet" blog written by Josh and Lloyd, sixth grade self-described underachievers. Answering the boys' invitation are aliens Doodoofartmama and IAmAWeenieBurger, whose butts are on their heads, speak in farts, and have a talent for defecating. Mahoney (My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Cinderella) cheerfully aims low and single-mindedly hits his scatological mark at the expense of character development and setting. It's surprising that a "fun" novel's pace drags for the first 100 pages until Josh and Lloyd realize the aliens' visit may not be friendly after all. A gratuitous mention of boobs makes for an awkward moment in otherwise PG-rated content. The crude humor makes a noticeable shift in the novel's appendix, written as Josh and Lloyd's blog posts. Their suddenly witty riffs on topics from why to avoid sea salt to how the country of Chad got its name read more like Mahoney's adult ruminations than those of sixth graders.