Zeke, his parents, and Zeus (their spaceship commander cat) are from Planet Z, but their spaceship has just crashed on Earth. The family moves into an empty house, and Zeus tells Zeke he must go to school and act like a normal earthling child. Meanwhile, the junk man has taken their spaceship, and the family must find a way to buy it back. This is the first book of the Kid from Planet Z series for young readers, and Krulik gives her characters exaggerated outer-space characteristics, despite their efforts to adapt to life on Earth. Children will chuckle their way through this easy chapter book and delight in Thomas' humorous, blue-toned illustrations. It looks like Zeke and his family will be on Earth for a while, so expect more adventures to come.

Zeke, his parents, and their talking cat unexpectedly crash their spaceship and must acclimate to the oddities of life on Earth while hiding their identities as aliens from Planet Z. The new chapter-book series lightly and humorously explores feeling like an outsider. In the monochromatic spot illustrations, Zeke is rendered with darker skin than his classmates.

It's tough to be the new kid in school; when the school is on the strange planet your family's spaceship just crashed on, the challenges only mount.Fortunately for Zeke and his kind but clueless parents from Planet Z, their ship's feline commander, Zeus, a graduate of Intergalactic College, has studied Earth. Establishing them in a vacant house, he sets the family straight on some (though not all) Earth basics: there's only one sun and one moon; if identified as aliens, they could end up in a zoo, Zeus warns, so they must act like earthlings until they can repair the ship. Zeke's dismayed when told he has to go to school. He won't know anyone! "I will be the new zeebop," he protests. Rejecting Zeke's suggestion that he go instead, Zeus smugly points out that Earth cats don't go to school. Luckily, Zeke's classmates prove to be a friendly bunch, sympathetic when he reacts with horror to the cafeteria's hot dogs and impressed when he drinks his milk through a straw inserted in his ear. But before it can be repaired, the space ship's hauled off as junk, and the Zanders must find a way to buy it back. While Zeke's extraterrestrial family can pass (provided they retract their antennae) for dark-skinned humans, Zeus, a tabby, learns the hard way that passing as an Earth cat has a downside. Krulik writes with a soft touch, sparing use of Planet Z vocabulary and the inevitable misapprehensions drawn by the literal-minded Zanders offering plenty of laughs as well as thought-provoking meditations on just how it might feel to be an alien. With its promising high concept and laced with plenty of wry humor, this series opener has broad appeal—a good choice for reluctant readers. (Science fiction. 6-9)

Gr 1-3This is the first in a new series of beginner chapter books about the Zander family from Planet Z. They crash-land on Earth and have to pose as humans while repairing their ship, except for commander Zeus, who blends in better as a cat. Meanwhile, Zeke Zander hides his antennae under a hat and starts school; high jinks ensue. This is light and amusing fare, with some mild commentary on the tension between fitting in and being oneself. The short chapters and gentle, humorous adventures will engage early readers and reward their efforts. Most spreads have at least a spot illustration to break up the text. The monochrome line drawings are casual and cartoony, complementing the text. Zeke is brown-skinned, though his racial and ethnic background is not mentioned in the textonly his status as an alien from Planet Z. VERDICT A pleasant addition for collections seeking to expand their easy chapter book sections.Heidi Rabinowitz, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL