This new space-age chapter-book series finds eight-year-old Zack Nelson and his family first moving from Earth to Nebulon for his dad's job and later visiting the crystal planet Juno for a school field trip. The year is 2120, and both books provide a good balance of Jetsons-type gadgetry with typical elementary-school concerns. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations add to the lighthearted humor.

Moving is always hard, especially if you are 8 years old and your new home is a new planet. The year is 2120, and Zack Nelson and his twin sisters, Cathy and Charlotte, are moving to Nebulon. Zack will especially miss his dog Luna and friend Bert. Zack's vivid fear of the future is explored in a dream sequence in which he imagines his new classmates to be monsters who eat bug-covered pizzas. The reality is quite different, and Zack ends up making a new friend on the first day. Worldbuilding is critical at the beginning of a series, and this world is close enough to Earth for new readers to identify with but alien enough to keep their attention. The cars are actually like tiny spaceships, and the houses are shiny white with rounded edges. Best of all is Ira, short for Indoor Robotic Assistant. Ira makes meals, provides wake-up music, adjusts the shower temperature and makes living on Nebulon pleasant for nervous Zack. More Jetsons than Star Trek, this light tale for new readers is illustrated in a cartoon style that allows readers to feel Zack's pain but happily anticipate the strange new world ahead of him. Zack feels like a new best friend, even if he lives light years away. (Science fiction. 5-9)

O'RYAN, Ray . Journey to Juno . Bk. 2. ISBN 978-1-4424-5391-3 ; ISBN 978-1-4424-5390-6 ; ISBN 978-1-4424-5392-0 . LC 2012005691. ea vol: illus. by Colin Jack. 128p. (Galaxy Zack Series). S &; S / Little Simon . 2013. Tr $15.99; pap. $4.99; ebook $4.99. K-Gr 2 Students will blast into the future with these exciting books. Moving is hard enough for an eight-year-old boy, but moving to another planet is a cosmic challenge. Zack Nelson's father has accepted a great new job, but it is on the planet Nebulon. Sure, Zack has visited Mars and Venus lots of times, but this is different. His imagination gets the better of him as he dreams of slimy alien classmates that he won't relate to and food that is simply gross. Yet his biggest worry is that he will never be able to communicate with his friends on Earth again. He faces his fears and bravely embraces his new lifestyle. In Juno , Zack is paired with the class bully during a field trip and learns something about himself and Seth. Students will gravitate toward Zack and relate to his concerns and experiences, especially those who have faced a move. The intergalactic setting and futuristic gadgets will keep youngsters enthralled as they delve into reading chapter books on their own. Parents will also enjoy them as read-alouds because the stories are reminiscent of all of the technological advances of the future that they dreamed of and were introduced to by the Jetsons, Star Trek , and other 20th-century hits. On every page, large, gray-scale illustrations add humor and interest to the crisp, clear texts. These fantastically fun titles will add diversity to any collection and will appeal to boys and girls alike. Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE