Happy Book Birthday, Space Dweeb by Rod Gonzalez!

Ready for some science fiction? Scifi never seems to get quite as much love as others genres, but lately, I've been seeing a little more dribble in and am excited to add one more to my reading pile. Today's read is a picture book and, I believe, takes a look at an alien kid in an alien school. I'm not sure how quirky this one will get, but I'm ready to find out.

Settle down in those chairs because it's time to blast off to space and beyond!

SPACE DWEEB

The New Kid in Class

by Rod Gonzalez

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

Artie Kozmos finds himself in a new school. Unfortunately for Artie, he’s always at a new school. This is Artie’s sixth school, and he’s only nine years old! Artie’s schools are not only new to him, but are also scattered across the cosmos.

Artie is simply trying to fit in and not draw the attention of the bullies. He fails in his quest to blend in, and now must find some way to keep the “Pinhead Posse” from making his life miserable. Can Artie escape the bullies and find a friend who loves to play Whizziball as much as he does?

GOODREADS   /   AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

With a fun, alien twist, this tale dives into the problem of switching schools and learning to settle in each time.

Thanks to his family's constant moving around in space, Artie seems to be switching schools constantly. And it isn't easy. Not only does he have to resettle into each new classroom and teacher, but blending in with the rest of the class can be difficult. The latest school is proving to be a challenge as his attempts to meld in fail miserably, and he finds himself facing bullies, instead. He has no idea how he's going to handle things this time.

While this read does take on the popular topic of bullying, it does so from the perspective of a child, who has never had the chance to really settle into any group thanks to frequent moves. Plus, it adds in a fun twist of aliens and space. Artie is a very normal kid, who is accustom to the constant change, although it still bothers him to a certain extent. Still, he does his best to blend into the new classroom. He's easy to like and no problem to sympathize with, since he doesn't do anything to draw attention...outside of being the new kid. The bullies are harsh, although it's mostly words. This keeps it very age appropriate. Even the ending isn't quite what one might expect and takes a slightly different approach as to how the problem is solved. It takes a more passive solution, while feeding in the warmth of new friendships.

The illustrations are bright and bold, and let the science fiction aspects mix nicely with familiar ones from every day life. They bring the situations across clearly and allow the tension as well as the other emotions to come to life on each page. The text is slightly more on the heavier side for a usual picture book, although it still makes a nice read aloud. Beginner readers, who are gaining surety in their words, will be able to tackle this one on their own.