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Gabe Fuentes is reading under the covers one summer night when he is interrupted by a creature who looks like a purple sock puppet. The sock puppet introduces himself as the Envoy and asks if Gabe wants to be Earth's ambassador to the galaxy. What sane eleven-year-old could refuse?
Some ingenious tinkering with the washing machine sends Gabe's "entangled" self out to the center of the galaxy. There he finds that Earth is in the path of a destructive alien force—and Gabe himself is the target of an assassination plot. Exactly who wants him out of the way? And why?
Back home, Gabe discovers that his undocumented immigrant parents are in danger of being deported. Can Gabe survive long enough to solve two sets of "alien" problems? He runs for his life, through Minneapolis and outer space, in this fast-paced adventure from a National Book Award–winning author.
"Physics lovers will enjoy this clever series opener—but so will those who enjoy comedy, politics, diplomacy or strange-looking aliens" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 23, 2014 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781442381698
- File size: 133435 KB
- Duration: 04:37:59
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 690
- Text Difficulty: 3
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Reviews
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July 14, 2014
The Envoy doesn’t exactly rank as charismatic megafauna. It’s an amorphous purple blob who’s been stuck on the moon for a few decades and is now on Earth and stalking Gabe Fuentes. Why? Earth needs an ambassador to “everyone else,” and the Envoy believes Gabe is the perfect 11-year-old for the job, despite some reservations about his age: “The previous ambassador was younger.” Gabe accepts the job with little ado, and the Envoy “entangles” him in a form of interstellar transport that manifests in Gabe’s dreams. The alien-adventure part of National Book Award–winner Alexander’s (Goblin Secrets) first SF story is played for gentle humor: Gabe is a good observer and a willing scapegoat for friends and family alike when trouble brews, and diplomacy and ridiculousness are effective tests of those traits. Less lighthearted is the plight of Gabe’s parents, who are undocumented immigrants—aliens of an altogether different variety. The topical real-world plot sits uneasily with the galactic Dr. Who shenanigans in a story that feels too short to adequately address either. A sequel is planned. Ages 8–12. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.
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