The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian #1: The Fuzzy Apocalypse

by Jonathan Messinger, Aleksei Bitskoff (Illustrator)

Overview

Explorer Troop 301 tries to save an exploding planet from a fluffy bunny and a devious alien in the first book of this funny, highly illustrated chapter book series based on the award-winning kids’ podcast!

Eight-year-old Finn is the first kid born in space and he spends his days looking for a new planet to call him with his three best friends and his robot, Foggy.

He’s used to wild, galaxy hopping adventures. But when Explorer Troop 301 gets stuck on a planet that’s about to explode, Finn and his friends will have to face giant aliens, a leader with mind control powers, and one evil, fluffy bunny rabbit in order to save the planet . . . and themselves.

Blast off into a brand-new adventure inspired by the popular award-winning kids’ podcast! Like the podcast, the books are sort of like Scooby-Doo meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in space. The story centers on Finn Caspian, an 8-year-old boy aboard The Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. He and his friends Abigail, Elias, and Vale are Explorers Troop 301, taking off from the Marlowe to explore uncharted planets, help the occasional alien, and solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the Marlowe.

The books in this series are for kids ages 7 to 12 looking for a funny, illustrated story to tear through. They contain no violence, a little bit of suspense, and some aliens who are real chuckleheads...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062932150
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/22/2020
Series:	Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian , #1
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	702,387
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.57(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Messinger makes podcasts and books in Chicago, where he lives with his wife and two sons.

Aleksei Bitskoff is an Estonian-born character designer, illustrator, and animator who studied illustration at London College of Communication and then earned a master of arts degree in illustration from Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the podcast:  “So good that your parents won’t want to leave the room once they start.”  — New York Times

Praise for the podcast: “The addictive new science-fiction podcast for kids.”
— Chicago Tribune

"Witty and warm, and the subtle pokes at sci-fi tropes temper some of the more obvious messages about the importance of working together and respecting differences." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

Praise for the podcast: “The addictive new science-fiction podcast for kids.”

Chicago Tribune

Praise for the podcast:  “So good that your parents won’t want to leave the room once they start.” 

New York Times

"Witty and warm, and the subtle pokes at sci-fi tropes temper some of the more obvious messages about the importance of working together and respecting differences."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Witty and warm, and the subtle pokes at sci-fi tropes temper some of the more obvious messages about the importance of working together and respecting differences."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

09/01/2020

Gr 1–3—In this early reader chapter book, a young troop of interstellar space scouts explore both a new planet and the limits of their friendship. Finn and his best friends are the children of astronauts. The four kids and their robot sidekick are tasked with finding a planet that humans can inhabit. On the first prospective planet, they meet Doug, a manipulative alien who convinces them that ne'er-do-well bunnies are set to destroy his planet, and that an explosion is imminent. But the lone remaining bunny tells a different story, and is desperate to escape the despotic Doug, who can plant messages and images in the minds of those around him. Finn and his friends have to decide who to believe and how to help. The tension is high between Finn and his friend Abigail, the scouting group captain, because they both want to be in charge, and their plan of action is complicated further when Doug uses his mind-control powers to split the troop. Reminders of the countdown to explosion set an exciting tone, and colorful descriptions of the planet being explored are both vivid and entertaining. The fast-paced plot dabbles in high stakes problems, but the narrative remains lighthearted and at times downright silly, as do Bitskoff's cheerful illustrations, sprinkled throughout the text. Messinger has written a book for beginning readers that impressively tackles how kids can express their emotions—which also includes a thinly veiled metaphor for climate change and individual and societal responsibility—but manages to keep the tone merry throughout. VERDICT Finn and friends learn that teamwork means not doing everything yourself and that relying on each other's specialty areas and strengths makes them stronger as a troop. Highly recommended for juvenile fiction collections.—Lauren Younger, Univ. of Dallas Lib.

School Library Journal

2020-06-30
When a planet that hosts a nonhuman civilization is doomed, can explorer Finn Caspian save the day?

Finn Caspian, the first child born in space and the Chief Detective for Explorers Troop 301, lives aboard the Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. This first offering in a proposed series drops readers right into the action as Finn and his friends and troopmates Abigail Obaro, Elias Carreras, Vale Gil, and Foggy the robot are tasked with preventing the imminent explosion of a planet inhabited by nonhuman individuals with four eyes apiece, no mouths, and translucent heads. The kids are soon split between two factions on the doomed planet and unsure whom to believe. Will the group manage to resolve their rift and work together again? Inspired by the podcast of the same name, this heavily illustrated, fast-paced, and plot-driven tale is high on action but slim in character development, perhaps gone missing in translation from one medium to another. Finn, who presents White, is the oldest member of the group but not its leader; dark-skinned, decisive Abigail is. Even though she’s the captain, Abigail doesn’t receive much attention from the author, leaving her a one-dimensional vehicle who constantly propels Finn. Elias and Vale also appear to be kids of color. Sequel The Accidental Volcano publishes simultaneously.

A clever concept that falls flat. (Science fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for the podcast: “The addictive new science-fiction podcast for kids.”

Chicago Tribune

"Witty and warm, and the subtle pokes at sci-fi tropes temper some of the more obvious messages about the importance of working together and respecting differences."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books