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 EarthWhen 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…
On sale: September 13, 2022
Age: 8-12 years
Grade: Grades 3-7
Page count: 304 Pages
ISBN: 9780593429464
Reading level: Lexile: 690L | Fountas/Pinnell: U
JULIE BUXBAUM is the
New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels
Tell Me Three Things,
What to Say Next,
Hope and Other Punch Lines, and
Admission. She also wrote the critically acclaimed
The Opposite of Love and
After You. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She frequently has UFOs (Unidentified Food Objects) all over her shirt.
LAVANYA NAIDU is a children’s book illustrator and animator, born and raised in Kolkata. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, she has worked on numerous children’s books as well as animation projects. She currently lives in Melbourne and recently completed her role as the head of design on the animated kids series
The Strange Chores (season 2) at 12field Animation. In her spare time, Lavanya enjoys collecting dinosaur models and befriending dogs.
A 2023 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Novel! "A chapter book and graphic novel hybrid, it’s
bursting with fantastical extraterrestrial life-forms."—
The New York Times“
Epically fun! Overflowing with aliens, adventure, mystery, and adorable animal sidekicks!”—Max Brallier, #1
New York Times bestselling author of
The Last Kids on Earth “
The Area 51 Files has everything you could possibly want from a middle grade novel: inventive characters, witty banter, hilarious jokes, charming illustrations, amusing extraterrestrials, action, adventure, mystery—and a snarky hedgehog. It’s
funny, gripping, touching and all-around wonderful."—Stuart Gibbs,
New York Times bestselling author of the Spy School series
“Filled with equal parts mystery and belly-laughs,
The Area 51 Files delivers an alien invasion of out-of-this-world fun.”—Gordon Korman, #1
New York Times bestselling author of
Restart
"Kids are going to love this unputdownable,
extra-fun, extra-hilarious, extra-mysterious, extraterrestrial adventure."—Sarah Mlynowski,
New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series and the Upside-Down Magic series
"Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is
a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose...
Contagiously goofy and fun."—
Kirkus Reviews"Good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure."—
Publishers Weekly
