AstroNuts Mission One: The Plant Planet (AstroNuts Series #1)

by Jon Scieszka, Steven Weinberg (Illustrator)

Overview

"Jon Scieszka, the groundbreaking storyteller and master of wit, brings us a smart and hilarious adventure. AstroNuts doesn't just break new ground-it breaks outer space! Brilliant." — Dav Pilkey, bestselling author of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series

A laugh-out-loud tale packed with science, adventure, and a whole lot of fun: AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we've ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! Will that planet support human life? Or do Plant Planet's inhabitants have a more sinister plan? AstroNuts Mission One is a can't-put-it-down page-turner for reluctant readers and fans ready to blast past Wimpy Kid.

• This is an outer space adventure that allows young readers to learn about our planet and environment while laughing and having fun
• Features full-color illustrations throughout as well as a spectacular gatefold
• How-to-draw pages are included in the back to help further engage readers and inspire creativity

Jon Scieszka is a bestselling author best known for his picture books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. He is also the founder of guysread.com, a champion force behind guyslisten.com, and was the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature.
Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about dinosaurs, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws.

"The end of humankind is upon us, and who do we send to save us?!? Certainly not a human! Wickedly funny, a story about climate change that doesn't come off as preachy. Kids will love this, and adults would be better off reading it too." —LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series

A giant leap for bookmaking and a giant leap for any kid looking for their next go-to series.
• Great family and classroom read-aloud book
• Books for kids ages 9-12
• Elementary school chapter books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452171197
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Series:	AstroNuts Series , #1
Pages:	220
Sales rank:	654,976
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jon Scieszka is best known for his bestselling picture books, including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man. He is also the founder of guysread.com and a champion force behind guyslisten.com, and was the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature. He lives in Brooklyn.

Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about dinosaurs, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws. He lives in the Catskills in New York.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/08/2019

Scieszka (the Frank Einstein series) and Weinberg (Fred & The Lumberjack) begin a new middle grade series with this tale of ecological stewardship and teamwork centered on the search for a Goldilocks planet: neither too hot nor too cold, and able to sustain human life. As Earth narrates, the dapper AstroWolf leads a team to the Plant Planet. The mission’s engineered, untested animal astronauts include four hybrids: AstroWolf, ultra-organized SmartHawk, nurturing (and electromagnetic) LaserShark, and odiferous StinkBug, all members of NNASA (Not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). After taking off from their Mt. Rushmore headquarters in a Thomas Jefferson Nose Rocket and making a crash-landing, the team quickly finds that while the lush, lovely Plant Planet is filled with food and the underpinnings of shelter, it seems to be missing a vital component. Alongside trademark Scieszka humor and vivid digital collage by Weinberg, which features engravings from the collection of Amsterdam’s Rijkmuseum, the vital environmental message and the vibrantly imagined, quirky characters will garner hefty enthusiasm for future installments. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A must-have . . . A winning mix of fun and fact-readers will be eager for the next mission." — Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

"A must-have . . . A winning mix of fun and fact-readers will be eager for the next mission." — Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

"Fun and silly with a heart of science! Give this to your curious readers." —Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish and the Babymouse series

"AstroNuts is the perfect mix of goofy characters, hard science, and farts. An absolute delight!" —Gene Luen Yang, Ambassador for Young People's Literature and winner of the Printz Award for American Born Chinese

"The end of humankind is upon us, and who do we send to save us?!? Certainly not a human! Wickedly funny, a story about climate change that doesn't come off as preachy. Kids will love this, and adults would be better off reading it too." —LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series

"Jon Scieszka, the groundbreaking storyteller and master of wit, brings us a smart and hilarious adventure. AstroNuts doesn't just break new ground-it breaks outer space! Brilliant." —Dav Pilkey, bestselling author of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series

"Fun and silly with a heart of science! Give this to your curious readers." —Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish and the Babymouse series

"AstroNuts is the perfect mix of goofy characters, hard science, and farts. An absolute delight!" —Gene Luen Yang, Ambassador for Young People's Literature and winner of the Printz Award for American Born Chinese

"The end of humankind is upon us, and who do we send to save us?!? Certainly not a human! Wickedly funny, a story about climate change that doesn't come off as preachy. Kids will love this, and adults would be better off reading it too." —LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series

"Jon Scieszka, the groundbreaking storyteller and master of wit, brings us a smart and hilarious adventure. AstroNuts doesn't just break new ground-it breaks outer space! Brilliant." —Dav Pilkey, bestselling author of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series

"This book is packed with absurdity, misadventure, and science . . . with wit and kid appeal guarantees that this will be a popular choice."— Booklist

"This book is packed with absurdity, misadventure, and science . . . with wit and kid appeal guarantees that this will be a popular choice."— Booklist

"This first in a new science fiction series checks key boxes: it is funny, full of nonstop action, and jammed with plenty of science factoids."—School Library Journal

"This first in a new science fiction series checks key boxes: it is funny, full of nonstop action, and jammed with plenty of science factoids."—School Library Journal

"Climate change might seem dire right now, but thankfully (at least in Scieszka's tale), we've got four super animal astronauts who may be able to save us all. [Astronuts is] a high-spirited adventure with humor aplenty."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Climate change might seem dire right now, but thankfully (at least in Scieszka's tale), we've got four super animal astronauts who may be able to save us all. [Astronuts is] a high-spirited adventure with humor aplenty."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

09/01/2019

Gr 2–5—Here is a wacky tale, heavy with glossy pages of vibrant graphics, that will appeal to "Captain Underpants" and "Geronimo Stilton" devotees. Overrun with pollution, Earth's atmosphere reaches uninhabitable levels, forcing NNASA (Not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to deploy four mutated animal astronauts (misspelled in transmission as "AstroNuts"). The animals were superpowered with scientific talents to find an ideal planet for relocating humanity. AlphaWolf is the boss, deployed to find intelligent life; SmartHawk is tasked with inspecting the new planets' climates and ecosystems; LaserShark must search for delicious food; and StinkBug seeks shelter. Readers will cheer for these (mostly) heroic and aptly named nuts as they haphazardly explore a seemingly perfect plant planet. VERDICT This first in a new sci-fi series checks key boxes: it is funny, full of nonstop action, and jammed with plenty of science factoids.—Tara Kehoe, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

School Library Journal

★ 2019-06-25
Science and silliness intersect when four animal friends research a planet.

The Not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (also known as NNASA) has sent its four superpowered AstroNuts—bubblegum-pink fearless leader AlphaWolf, sunny tangerine SmartHawk, cool blue LaserShark, and lively lime-green StinkBug—into outer space to explore faraway planets. In their top-secret ship, which doubles as Thomas Jefferson's nose on Mount Rushmore, they snot-rocket their way 39 light-years to the Plant Planet. Brimming with verdant vegetation, it looks like an ideal place to relocate Earth's population due to climate change. But upon further investigation, they discover that the sentient, vegetal inhabitants have their own nefarious plans for the AstroNuts. Narrated by Earth, the tale treats middle-grade readers to a hearty dose of science facts that blend seamlessly with a hilarious narrative propelled by booger and fart jokes, making this a fun read-alike for fans of Aaron Blabey's Bad Guys series. Climate change is presented accessibly, as is information about plant cell structure and basic chemistry, making this a must-have for those looking to boost STEM-related titles. The graphic-hybrid design is lively, blending varied typefaces and vivid colors alongside collage illustrations that incorporate images from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

A winning mix of fun and fact—readers will be eager for the next mission. (Graphic/science fiction hybrid. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews