The Black Hole Debacle

Gr 1-3--A space-themed picture book about a clever girl and a pesky black hole. From the line, "Jordie's future as an astronomer was written in the stars," young readers will be glued to the page as they follow this astronomy enthusiast trying to control a troublesome black hole. Finding it hidden in her desk at school, Jordie struggles to stop the black hole from gobbling up everything around it! A resourceful, thoughtful, clever girl, she manages to keep things contained until it swallows her trusty dog, Neptune. She plunges into the black hole after her pup and saves the day. Full-color pencil sketches and painted backgrounds create engaging scenes. The illustrator enhances the action and adventure in the story; when objects are sucked into the black hole they become "noodled." Long stretched-out objects and extra long wiener dogs will make kids laugh and keep them turning the pages. Standout sections include the illustrations of space, especially the cover. Melmon uses rich colors and beautiful galactic details such as constellations, planets, asteroids, and more. VERDICT Pair this fun and engaging space time hoot with read-alikes such as Jon Klassen's The Rock from Space and Adam Rex's Pluto Gets the Call.--Meaghan Nichols