For Grades 3-6
In this sequel to I Was a Sixth Grade Alien (Minstrel, 1999), Pleskit just wants to fit in with his friend Tim and the other kids in Ms. Weintraub's sixth-grade class-not an easy task for a purple-skinned visitor from Planet Hevi-Hevi. First, there's the bewildering Earthling lingo where words like "cool" don't always refer to temperature. Then, there's Ms. Buttsman, the earth-protocol officer who has rigid ideas about proper alien behavior. Worst of all, the class bully makes Pleskit and Tim his prime targets. In self-defense, they "borrow" a Molecule Compactor from the alien's dad, planning to shrink Jordan down to size. Unfortunately, when the machine fires, Tim and Ms. Weintraub are in the way, and are shrunk to matchbox size-just as an interplanetary terrorist takes the rest of the class hostage. In a clever combination of alien geometry and human gymnastics, Pleskit and the tiny pair defeat the terrorist, save the class, and get even with Jordan at the same time. The broad humor is aimed squarely at middle-grade readers-complete with body noises, wordplay, and weird alien foods and customs. This lighthearted science-fiction entry manages to make some telling points about individuality and the value of accepting people for themselves.
