Herbert's Wormhole (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Rohitash Rao (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More text-heavy than the subtitle suggests, this loopy debut opens as Alex's well-meaning parents buy the 10-year-old a jungle gym. They also arrange a playdate ("Playdate? Alex hadn't had a playdate since he was seven") with neighbor Herbert, a compulsive inventor, who tinkers with the body suits that came with his AlienSlayer:3-D! video game. When he and Alex wear the suits on the jungle gym, the tubular slide becomes a wormhole that catapults them 100 years into the future. Their hometown is now inhabited by G'Daliens, aliens that speak with Australian accents and resemble giant squid wearing toupees and fake mustaches, a sight the boys find "fall-down, pee-in-your-pants hilarious." The cartoony line art and wacky futuristic particulars should appeal most to readers whose sense of humor tends toward the absurd. Ages 8-12.
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From School Library Journal

Grade 3–7—Soon-to-be sixth-grader Alex loves video games and longs to own AlienSlayer: 3-D!, which comes with a holographic-projection unit and two motion-sensor suits. But Alex's parents have other ideas: there's a new jungle gym in the yard and his mother has planned a "playdate" with Herbert, an inventor/genius. To his horror, Alex discovers that his nerdy neighbor has "modified" two AlienSlayer: 3-D! suits. However, instead of allowing their wearers to pass through objects as planned, the suits somehow transform Alex's slide into a wormhole that transports the boys 100 years into the future. There, G'Daliens—squidlike aliens who wear toupees—have taken over Earth, with mostly positive results. But one extraterrestrial is bent on proving just how stupid and unnecessary humans are and tries to ruin the fragile peace between the two species. Now, through a series of gaffs and mishaps, it's up to Alex and Herbert to save the world. With its amusing cartoon drawings and zany adventures, this is sure to be a hit with reluctant readers. The numerous illustrations are integral to the story, adding detail and keeping the action moving quickly. The plot is slight, but readers won't care. Give this to kids who have moved beyond "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) but want something just as silly and funny.—Necia Blundy, Marlborough Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061688681
• ISBN-13: 978-0061688683
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,498 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun & Funny - children won't want to put it down, May 6, 2009

By	John Rood - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow, what a find. This is a very creative and engaging story, tapping the best of being a kid. The site says Kids 9-12, but I think it plays much broader than that. The minimalist cartoon style works, as it allows the words - and the reader's imagination - to take the lead. I'm not a big Sci Fi guy, but these adventures really kept me interested. Ready for a sequel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dyslexics even like it!, November 3, 2009

By	A. Fulton "Amcfulton" (East Coast) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My 12 year old daughter passed this book on to her 11 year old brother. My son has never finished any book longer than 100 pages long in his life. I'm not sure what level of reading this is but it caused him to finish the book. The pictures I know helped due to his dyslexia. I will keep my eye on this author and purchase every one of his future books!!! Thanks Peter Nelson!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jungle gyms and wormholes, August 26, 2009

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Sam Hartman (age 10) for Reader Views (8/09)

"Herbert's Wormhole" by Peter Nelson and Rohitash Rao was an interesting science fiction book because it was based on a real science concept called wormholes (or time travel). It is stationed in the years 2009 and 2109 in Merwinsville. The main characters are Herbert and Alex. Now, if there is one thing you must know about Herbert and Alex, it is that they are opposites. Herbert is an inventor and Alex loves video games. One day, they are forced to play together on Alex's new jungle gym and things start to get messy.

Well, Herbert upgraded some video game suits that were supposed to make you walk through walls, but when Alex turned on his suit, a shimmering curtain of blue light appeared at the mouth of the slide. It was a wormhole, which allows you to travel through time at the speed of light, and Alex and Herbert got sucked in. When Alex and Herbert came out of the wormhole, they are in a museum exhibit one hundred years in the future. While there some bad things happen. Will they be able to escape and get back to their own time? Read the book to find out.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone from age 7 to 70. I should mention that everyone in my family read and enjoyed the book, including my 7-year-old brother and my 13-year-old cousin. "Herbert's Wormhole" by Peter Nelson and Rohitash Rao is a great book for reluctant readers because it was funny and had great cartoon pictures.