A shapeshifting extraterrestrial cop, Zymel, enlists the aid of shrimpy seventh-grader Frank Dunn and his friend Lauren to repair his flying saucer and recapture Fek, an escaped shape-changing prisoner.As they change in rapid succession, Frank and Lauren find themselves mixed up with a ram, a dog, a watermelon, a bottle of aspirin, and a bicycle. In an exciting ending, Frank, Lauren, and Zymel finally nab the evil Fek. "Moves rapidly to a surprising and definitely satisfying conclusion."—SLJ. "Funny scenes abound in this fast-paced, enthralling adventure."—H. "This story should be a hit."—BL.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Derivative and pedestrian, Brittain's SF/fantasy tale borrows the intriguing concept of shape-shifting wholesale from the TV series Deep Space 9 , but runs it into the ground with a static plot. Frank Dunn, the narrator, discovers a marooned alien named Zymel, who looks like a small blob of gray Jell-O but can instantly change into anything or anyone at will. Frank, his friend Lauren Hobischer and Zymel then scramble to find Zek, Zymel's evil rival, who arrives slightly ahead of his alien counterpart and intends to use his form-altering gift to wreak havoc among humans. While Frank and Lauren are reasonably lively and well-drawn, the shape-shifting sequences rarely spark or challenge the imagination, and the "surprise" ending falls flat. Moreover, the recurring, hokey dialogue cliches seem more suited to a Tom Mix adventure yarn than to '90s science fiction. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Life in the new housing development of Rolling Acres Estates is pretty dull for seventh grader Frank Dunn, until the day he finds himself conversing with a red-and-white fire hydrant. The hydrant explains that it/he is really Zymel, a policeman of the Shilad, an alien race of shape-changers, which he proves by assuming the shape of a book, an airplane model, a kitten, a girl, and more, over the course of the story. Having crash-landed on Earth and lost the dangerous prisoner he was escorting to an asteroid exile, Zymel needs Frank's help. Their urgent mission is to recapture Fek, the criminal, and find the spacecraft he has hidden away before he can repair it and go on to do more evil throughout the universe. This is science fiction of the most basic kind-a Saturday-matinee style adventure in just over 100 pages of fairly large print. With no room for serious character development or scientific explanations of the forms of space travel and alien life presented, plot is everything, and it moves rapidly to a mildly surprising and definitely satisfying conclusion. It is reminiscent of Brittain's The Fantastic Freshman (HarperCollins, 1988) in the way that it drops a mysterious alien presence into the lives of some very ordinary kids, and for that reason may appeal to a wider audience than just sci-fi fans. It may also appeal to older reluctant readers.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is one of the best books I have read!,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Shape-Changer (Paperback)
Shape-Changer is about an alien named Zymel and two kids who try to capture an evil alien named Fek. The aliens can change into anything from a gnat to a mountain. I thought that having aliens that can change into anything is a great plot twist for a sci-fi book. It made the book a lot more exciting because of the animals that the aliens turned into. This is an excellent book and kept me hooked through all the pages. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a good read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shape Changer is a suspencful and exciting book!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Shape-Changer (Paperback)
I like this book becuase it has a surprising ending. The entire book is one surprise after another. I would recomend this book for two reasons. One, it was weal riten and two, it is a short read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!,
By
This review is from: Shape-Changer (Paperback)
I love this book!!!!!The monsters and the way they are described sound great!!!!!!!! This is also a very imaginitive and superb. hey, Bill Brittain, if you are reading this........MAKE A MOVIE!!!!!!! talk to a producer or something and make a movie!!!!!!!! that would be awesome!!!!!!!
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