Alien Envoy by Pamela Service, illustrated by Mike Gorman

At last, Alien Agent Zack Gaither is going into outer space! One of the things I really enjoy about this series (asides from the humor, fun characters, excellent plotting, cool illustrations…er, where were we?) is how it changes and grows as the reader progresses. So while we start with a hilarious and action-packed couple of chapter books, by the time we get to #4, Alien Encounter, we’re dealing with more mature emotions as Zack struggles to accept who he is and relate to his dad. Now, in book #6, Alien Envoy, Zack moves out of his “comfort zone” and for the first time explores the alien planets that are his rightful heritage.

Everything is on schedule for Earth’s invitation to join the Galactic Union. Unfortunately, there are some very bad aliens out there who don’t want it to happen. It will take Zack and all the friends and allies he’s made along the way to save Earth from the aliens who want to keep it out of the Union and use it for their own selfish and evil ends. Zack continues to grow up and mature in this story, although there’s still plenty of action, space adventures, and weird aliens. He and some of his friends are still kids, with a child’s outlook on life and reaction to the scary and unexpected events that keep happening to him, but he’s also learning to take responsibility for some big problems.

This is a satisfying continuation of the Alien Agent series and one every kid will be eager to read.

Verdict: If you don’t have the Alien Agent, buy it now! There are only six volumes out right now, so it’s not a huge expense to get the whole series and most of them are available in paperback if you really need to save. This latest adventure of Zack and his friends is a great continuation of the series, including all the elements fans love without repeating too much or getting bogged down in explanations. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780761353645; Published April 2011 by Lerner; ARC received from publisher at ALA Midwinter 2011; Purchased for the library