Spork Out of Orbit (Book 1): Respect

by Nan Walker, Jessica Warrick (Illustrator)

Overview

CRASH! Trixie can't believe her eyes—an alien just landed in the school playground! Spork is small and orange and weird. He eats crayons. He thinks the hamster is a second grader. And respect? Spork's never even heard of the word! But Spork is the best thing to ever happen at school. Trixie has to get him to stay!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781575658193
Publisher:	Kane Press, The
Publication date:	01/01/2016
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nan Walker is the author of many books for Kane Press. She writes under several pen names and lives with her family in Pennsylvania.

Jessica Warrick is a semi-digital illustrator specializing in children's books. She is a self-taught artist who has honed her craft by drawing aliens, sandwiches, and bizarre-looking people. She lives in Florida.

Editorial Reviews

Spork is a small, orange-colored alien in the process of earning his Solo Explorer Badge. This requires that he come to earth and learn all he can about life there. Trixie, a third grader, is somewhat tired of the same old classroom routine and wishes something new or exciting would occur. When a flying saucer lands just outside the classroom, Trixie, her teacher, Mrs. Buckle, and the other students rush outside. At Trixie’s urging, Spork joins the students inside so his education can begin; and they in turn can learn from him about his life on another planet. Trixie is determined that Spork must stay beyond his one- day limit, so she hides the mysterious Gloop that repairs everything in her coat pocket. A strong moral message about respect is part of the plot. It leads Trixie to return the Gloop to Spork. Then, because time is measured differently on his planet, Spork will stay indefinitely. The “How to Be an Earthling” series adventures continue in three more books that stress responsibility, honesty and courage. Black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations nicely reinforce the text. Three varied activities conclude the book. If there is a need for easy reading chapter books, consider the hardback edition for purchase. Reviewer: Sylvia Firth; Ages 6 to 8.

Children's Literature - Sylvia Firth

2016-01-20
What can a Galaxy Scout learn about being an Earthling? Latina third-grader Trixie Lopez likes her African-American teacher, Mrs. Buckle, but thinks class is boring; it's the same every week. Then a flying saucer crash-lands outside their classroom window. A small, orange-skinned extraterrestrial pops out, introducing himself as Spork and explaining that he is visiting the "Earthling training center" to learn as much as he can about Earth customs in order to get his Galaxy Scout Solo Explorer badge. (It will actually be his first badge—he hasn't been the most successful Scout.) He says he's just there for the day, but Trixie doesn't want to go back to the boredom of before, so she hides the Gloop he'll need to fix his spaceship in hopes of keeping Spork around. However, she feels guilty. Will she give it back? Meanwhile, Spork takes everything literally; can he survive one day in an Earth school? Walker kicks off this multiauthor chapter-book series with a breezy, humorous lesson in honesty that never stoops to didacticism. The other three volumes publishing simultaneously address similarly weighty lessons—lying, shyness, bullying, and responsibility—all with a multicultural cast of Everykids. Lori Haskins Houran penned Greetings, Sharkling! and Earth's Got Talent!, while Kimberly Morris wrote Take Me to Your Weeder; all are illustrated by Warrick. A good choice for those new to chapters; concluding logic puzzles and quizzes in the backmatter are a bonus. (Science fiction. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews