Here's a compilation of the really nice things people are saying about ALIEN INVASION IN MY BACKYARD: AN EMU CLUB ADVENTURE.
I really appreciate them all, and I'm especially thankful to Lincoln Peirce, Cory Doctorow, Adam Rex and Elliott Kalan, who read the book well before it came out and liked it enough, and were kind enough, to provide these quotes.
"…The type of non-stop action and improbably hilarious fun that only a kid could dream up. … The EMU Club’s adventures perfectly capture the intersection of imagination and wonder – the crossroad that’s so often found in cardboard boxes, pillow forts, and backyards everywhere."
-GeekDad (added 4/15)
"Ruben Bolling’s out-of-this-world sci-fi book — about three kids who start a mystery club in their neighborhood — is a favorite among Jennifer Garner and Gwen Stefani’s broods."
-US Weekly (added 5/20)
"Cool Book … Get your tweens excited about reading with this fun new book"
-New York Family Magazine (added 8/2)
PLUS:
"Ruben Bolling's New Kids' Book Extracts Magic From The Mundane"
-New York Family Magazine (an article about Ruben Bolling and the EMU Club Adventure series, added 8/16).
"Library Pick: Readers will laugh their way through this first 'Emu Club' adventure and perhaps begin their own summer club."
-Statesman Journal (added 8/16)
“Filled with wild twists and funny dialogue, this suburban/intergalactic adventure bodes well for later installments.”
“Spectacular” “Mind-blowing”
-Kirkus Reviews (full review contains major spoilers)
“There's no mystery—the EMU Club is a hit! This is a fun, funny adventure that kids will love to read. ”
-Lincoln Peirce, author of Big Nate
"The EMU Club inhabits exactly the world I always hoped to live in when I was 12, when the answer to questions like 'Where did I put my toy' led inevitably to alien conspiracies and secret underground tunnels. A book for the curious and adventurous!"
-Cory Doctorow, author of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and Little Brother
"An adventure so funny you’ll think it couldn’t be true–but if it isn’t true, then where did all those realistic-looking photographs come from? You’d better read this so you’ll know what to do when the world ends."
-Adam Rex, author of The True Meaning of Smekday
"The funniest book about unbelievable kid mystery exploring I've ever read. The only real mystery is why you aren't reading this book RIGHT NOW!"
-Elliott Kalan, Famous TV Writer
“I think kids who like funny adventure stories would really like this book. I am really excited that it is a series and there will be another book.”
-Ben, age 9, A Boy’s Books (full review contains major spoilers)
“Written as a comic book/case book, this promises to be an absolutely wonderful series of stories for the elementary crowd if this first installment is any indication. I would strongly recommend this for second through fourth graders. Five out of five stars! ”
-Ben Langhinrichs, Big Comfy Chair
"As a teacher, I could easily have used this story to help children explore relationships, to decide on an alternative alien invading force and how to counteract them, to rewrite specific sections from an alternative viewpoint (e.g. that of the aliens or Ferdinand) . . . . etc. Lots of potential activities from a brilliant story that children will enjoy reading independently without any of these activities!"