The Princess of Neptune [Hardcover]

Quentin Dodd (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

By the winner of the first Eleanor Cameron/Golden Duck Award

Theora Theremin needs a subject for her science project and at the last minute decides to practice the scientific method to determine whether the storied local lake monster, Big Phil, is real or not. While studying the water's surface in the company of her pesky younger brother, Verb, she finds herself witnessing the emergence, not of a prehistoric creature, but of the submarine of the world-famous scientist Dr. Übermind. It is merely the first of many unusual meetings that ensue, as Theora and Verb find themselves whisked away to Burger Buckeroo, where the manager, a giant cockroach from the moon who's also an aspiring journalist, enlists Theora to enter the Cavalcade of Loveliness, an intergalactic beauty pageant being held on Neptune. When they reach this far planet, things grow ever stranger as Theora is enlisted to hunt down the Beast of the Mall and then to help stop her very own science teacher from his diabolical plan to rule the universe's pop music charts.

The laughs keep coming in this science fiction comedy, which sends up everything from fast food franchises to Jonny Quest.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–When Theora Theramin watches the local lake for a science project, she certainly doesn't expect a submarine belonging to the noted scientist and explorer Dr. Übermind to emerge. This is only the beginning of a wacky journey for the middle schooler and her tag-along brother, Verb, that includes capture by Moon Cockroaches, participation in an intergalactic beauty contest on Neptune, the discovery of the Beast of the Mall, and the defeat of a nefarious plot by her science teacher (who's really an alien). One absurd event after another propels this adventure, which pokes fun at schools, teen bands, popular science, fast-food restaurants, pop culture, and pulp science fiction. There is nothing believable about the characters, the setting, or the plot, but the sheer ridiculousness will appeal to readers who like their humor over the top. Imagine a Battle of the Bands that pits an oversized singing cockroach against a science teacher armed with attack cactuses and you've got the picture. An additional purchase for readers who have outgrown Dav Pilkey's books.–Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. As in Dodd's Beatnik Rutabagas from Outer Space (2003), the plot of his second screwball sf comedy is pretty much beside the point. Suffice it to say that the story involves an intergalactic beauty pageant on Neptune; that a junior-high girl named Theora Theramin is recruited to compete for Earth; and that Theora's skills as a punk-rock drummer foil a mass-hypnosis plot masterminded by her science teacher. The contemporary frame of reference keeps this B-movie send-up from seeming overly nostalgic. In addition to the girl-band theme, there's a running joke about cockroaches and fast-food restaurants, and Theora's task in the talent competition is to kill the "Beast of the (Shopping) Mall." Though epic frivolity is the main attraction here, female genre fans will also appreciate Dodd's decision to feature a girl protagonist--especially one like Theora, whose unflappable aura and deadpan wit have gender-neutral appeal. Hand this to those slightly geeky, goofy kids (you know who they are) whose tastes and reading level fall somewhere between Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series and Douglas Adams' adult sf. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374361193
• ISBN-13: 978-0374361198
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,807,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sillier than science would allow, March 2, 2006

By 

Miss Jennifer (OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Princess of Neptune (Hardcover)

Imagine being kidnapped by a giant cockroach from the Moon, who runs the local Burger Buckaroo in disguise, to take part in the Cavalcade of Loveliness Beauty Pageant on the planet Neptune. Imagine that the talent portion requires you to capture the Beast of the Mall, which turns out to be a giant plant named Claude. Then imagine that your science teacher from school, who had the students take care of his cacti, turns out to be a misguided alien seeking revenge by brainwashing everyone attending the pageant while he impersonates the most famous Moon Cockroach Pop-Star, Hortense Benway. This is what happens to our hero Theora, a teenage punk-rock drummer who was out by the lake one day working on a science project, when she and her pesky little brother witness a submarine rising out the lake owned by the Ubermind Institute and operated by the famous scientists who publish bestselling books about their adventures. The Cavalcade of Loveliness Battle of the Bands, between the real Hortense Benway and her back-up punk-rock Band with No Name and the imposter Mr. Pinweed with his Big Band of Cactuses, is the grand finale to this fast-paced story that is chock-full of adventures and plot twists. This would be a good follow up for fans of Captain Underpants and other humorous books. It is fun and kids will get a laugh from this science fiction that is sillier than science would allow.