Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

An alien abduction goes a long way toward curing Avani's new-kid blues. Avani Patel, an endearingly sassy Indian-American girl who loves rodeo, has joined Flower Scouts against her will; her well-intentioned single-parent father thinks it'll help her make friends in their new home. Avani loathes every minute with these boring, brainless girls who endlessly jabber about makeup and boy bands. Then Avani is accidentally teleported to another planet by Mabel, a friendly Zirdonian working on her collections badge for Star Scouts, an intergalactic organization that studies robotics and has jet packs (but watch out for the xenoscatology badge, which is as gross as it sounds). Avani clicks instantly with her new troop, even though they've earned the fewest badges in the galaxy. At Camp Andromeda, they are challenged by a pack of methane-breathing Star Scouts (don't call them toot-breathers!) and must work together to defeat their high-achieving, badge-laden rivals. With her warm, brown skin and lovably stubborn personality, Avani is an original, funny protagonist, and readers will delight as they adventure alongside her. Lawrence's art has a cinematic feel; he keeps the perspective at the characters'-eye level, adding to the immersive feel. With brilliant worldbuilding and humor in spades, Lawrence has conceived a truly exceptional graphic tale that's also a classic underdog story; don't miss this one. All scouts—and readers—must now raise their right hands and solemnly swear to read this. (Graphic science fiction. 7-12)

ALA Booklist (Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Avani hates Flower Scouts: they only talk about makeup and boys, while she's eager to barrel race in the local rodeo. Luckily, she gets a reprieve from pop music and glitter when she's accidentally teleported to space by Mabel, an alien Star Scout eager to fit in with her own troop of Star Scouts. Miraculously, Indian American Avani is fantastic at Star Scouts, which gives her exactly the kind of rough-riding adventure she's after (though it's more intergalactic than she imagined). Soon she leaves Earth behind to join Mabel at the Star Scout jamboree, where conflicts between methane-breathers and oxygen-breathers put Avani's skills to the test. Lawrence's high-flying, action-heavy space adventure has dynamic, full-color artwork to match, and his inventive aliens, blocky spaceships, and glittering spacescapes add lots of playful sci-fi atmosphere. Cartoonish reactions from Avani and her alien friends, as well as a few gloppy slapstick gags, are deployed with fantastic comedic timing. With a diverse cast of human girls and lots of supportive friendships at its heart, this gratifying comic will please fans of Craig Thompson's Space Dumplins (2015).

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

An alien abduction goes a long way toward curing Avani's new-kid blues. Avani Patel, an endearingly sassy Indian-American girl who loves rodeo, has joined Flower Scouts against her will; her well-intentioned single-parent father thinks it'll help her make friends in their new home. Avani loathes every minute with these boring, brainless girls who endlessly jabber about makeup and boy bands. Then Avani is accidentally teleported to another planet by Mabel, a friendly Zirdonian working on her collections badge for Star Scouts, an intergalactic organization that studies robotics and has jet packs (but watch out for the xenoscatology badge, which is as gross as it sounds). Avani clicks instantly with her new troop, even though they've earned the fewest badges in the galaxy. At Camp Andromeda, they are challenged by a pack of methane-breathing Star Scouts (don't call them toot-breathers!) and must work together to defeat their high-achieving, badge-laden rivals. With her warm, brown skin and lovably stubborn personality, Avani is an original, funny protagonist, and readers will delight as they adventure alongside her. Lawrence's art has a cinematic feel; he keeps the perspective at the characters'-eye level, adding to the immersive feel. With brilliant worldbuilding and humor in spades, Lawrence has conceived a truly exceptional graphic tale that's also a classic underdog story; don't miss this one. All scouts—and readers—must now raise their right hands and solemnly swear to read this. (Graphic science fiction. 7-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Avani Patel has a serious case of new-kid blues, and the fact that her father has signed her up for a local Flower Scouts troupe only makes matters worse. But Avani winds up joining another group of scouts altogether after she-s abducted by an enthusiastic blue alien named Mabel, who is working on her Star Scouts