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
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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
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