The Area 51 Files (The Area 51 Files #1)

by Julie Buxbaum (Author) Lavanya Naidu (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Aliens, sassy hedgehogs, and unexplained disappearances . . . Oh, my! Discover the secrets of the universe in this hilarious, highly illustrated middle-grade series from New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum.

When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she didn't imagine she'd end up here: Area 51. A top-secret military base with a bajillion rules and so classified not even the president knows its secrets. Also, it turns out the place is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. But they prefer to be called Break Throughs, thank you very much. As Sky sets out to explore her extraordinary new home with her pizza-obsessed pet hedgehog Spike, she meets her otherworldly next-door neighbor Elvis and his fluffy pup, Pickles. But something mysterious is afoot in Area 51. Some of the Break Throughs have gone missing... at the exact same time Sky arrived. Where could they be? How can Sky and her uncle convince everyone they had nothing to do with the disappearance? And why does the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle have eyeballs in it?

New best friends Sky, Elvis, Spike, and Pickles try to crack the case, but the clock is ticking...

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Kirkus

Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs. Contagiously goofy and fun.

Publishers Weekly

When her grandmother, with whom she's lived almost all her life, moves into a retirement home, 12-year-old Sky Patel-Baum, who reads as of South Asian descent, is sent to stay with her only other living relative. Uncle Anish is second-in-command of Area 51, a secret haven for "Break Throughs," or extraterrestrials on Earth. A place of intense security, numerous regulations, and no contact with the outside world, Area 51 hasn't seen a new resident in five years, but Sky quickly makes friends with Elvis, a shape-shifting alien who appears to Sky as a brown-skinned boy. Sky's arrival coincides with the mysterious disappearance of several Zdstrammar aliens, and her uncle Anish seems the most likely suspect. Now, Sky and Elvis must clear Anish's name and find the missing aliens. Populated with human agents sporting names such as Belcher and Fartz, good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu (Home Is in Between) both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure, a middle grade debut from Buxbaum (Year on Fire). Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Sept.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

A lighthearted mystery (with delightful illustrations) about accepting everyone just as they are. Priya "Sky" Patel-Baum is an orphan, and when her grandmother has to go to an assisted living facility, the 12-year-old ends up being sent to live with an uncle she has never met. It turns out he lives in Area 51, a top secret military base that is so classified not even the president knows its true purpose. (Rule #1: What happens in Area 51 stays in Area 51). Not only does she discover that there are aliens in Area 51, but they start to disappear when she arrives. Is it a coincidence? Sky, who is Indian and white, meets unimaginably strange beings, such as the Audiotooters, who fart out of their ears and release a delightful whiff of roses. Drones that deliver pizza and secret hatches that lead to tunnels in the living room floor are just a few of the things Sky discovers as she and her friends try to solve the mystery of the disappearing aliens. The school bully turns out to be one of her partners in crime as she and Elvis the alien work to uncover the mystery and clear her uncle's reputation. Readers who like their science fiction with a touch of humor, such as Frank Cottrell Boyce's Sputnik's Guide to Life On Earth, will enjoy these sci-fic high jinks. VERDICT A solid purchase for libraries building their collection of middle grade science fiction.—Deanna McDaniel

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

A 2023 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Novel!

"A chapter book and graphic novel hybrid, it's bursting with fantastical extraterrestrial life-forms."—The New York Times

"Epically fun! Overflowing with aliens, adventure, mystery, and adorable animal sidekicks!"—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

"The Area 51 Files has everything you could possibly want from a middle grade novel: inventive characters, witty banter, hilarious jokes, charming illustrations, amusing extraterrestrials, action, adventure, mystery—and a snarky hedgehog. It's funny, gripping, touching and all-around wonderful."—Stuart Gibbs, New York Times bestselling author of the Spy School series

"Filled with equal parts mystery and belly-laughs, The Area 51 Files delivers an alien invasion of out-of-this-world fun."—Gordon Korman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Restart

"Kids are going to love this unputdownable, extra-fun, extra-hilarious, extra-mysterious, extraterrestrial adventure."—Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series and the Upside-Down Magic series

"Buxbaum's middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu's black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose... Contagiously goofy and fun."—Kirkus Reviews

"Good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure."—Publishers Weekly
Julie Buxbaum
JULIE BUXBAUM is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels Tell Me Three Things, What to Say Next, Hope and Other Punch Lines, and Admission. She also wrote the critically acclaimed The Opposite of Love and After You. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She frequently has UFOs (Unidentified Food Objects) all over her shirt.

LAVANYA NAIDU is a children's book illustrator and animator, born and raised in Kolkata. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, she has worked on numerous children's books as well as animation projects. She currently lives in Melbourne and recently completed her role as the head of design on the animated kids series The Strange Chores (season 2) at 12field Animation. In her spare time, Lavanya enjoys collecting dinosaur models and befriending dogs.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593429495
Lexile Measure
690
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Delacorte Press
Publication date
April 16, 2024
Series
The Area 51 Files
BISAC categories
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV053010 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction | Alien Contact
Library of Congress categories
Extraterrestrial beings
Schools
Mystery and detective stories
Science fiction
Missing persons
Area 51 (Nev.)
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Nominee 2023 - 2023

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