Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Area 51 gets its first new resident in 5 yearsand a new mystery. When her grandma moves into a kid-free retirement home, 12-year-old orphan Priya Sky Patel-Baum and Spike, her pet hedgehog, relocate to Area 51 to live with Skys eccentric Uncle Anish. At 51, humans and Break Throughs (government-speak for aliens) live together off-grid in harmony. Unfortunately, several Zdstrammars (one of many Break Through species) mysteriously disappear, disrupting the bases harmony and contributing to feelings of suspicion. Despite being deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations, Uncle Anish becomes a prime suspect. Can Sky and Elvis, her alien classmate, prove Uncle Anishs innocence and find the missing Zdstrammars before its too late? YA author Buxbaums middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidus black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose. The cast of Break Through specieslike Audiotooters, Galzorian, and Sanitizoriahave hilariously creative on-the-nose names with illustrations to match. Sky is coded biracial, with a White dad and Indian mom. Aliens appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors; Elvis shape-shifts but looks like a brown-skinned boy to Sky. Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs.Contagiously goofy and fun. (Mystery. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

When her grandmother, with whom she’s lived almost all her life, moves into a retirement home, 12-year-old Sky Patel-Baum, who reads as of South Asian descent, is sent to stay with her only other living relative. Uncle Anish is second-in-command of Area 51, a secret haven for “Break Throughs,” or extraterrestrials on Earth. A place of intense security, numerous regulations, and no contact with the outside world, Area 51 hasn’t seen a new resident in five years, but Sky quickly makes friends with Elvis, a shape-shifting alien who appears to Sky as a brown-skinned boy. Sky’s arrival coincides with the mysterious disappearance of several Zdstrammar aliens, and her uncle Anish seems the most likely suspect. Now, Sky and Elvis must clear Anish’s name and find the missing aliens. Populated with human agents sporting names such as Belcher and Fartz, good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu (Home Is in Between) both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure, a middle grade debut from Buxbaum (Year on Fire). Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Sept.)

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 5 Up—A lighthearted mystery (with delightful illustrations) about accepting everyone just as they are. Priya "Sky" Patel-Baum is an orphan, and when her grandmother has to go to an assisted living facility, the 12-year-old ends up being sent to live with an uncle she has never met. It turns out he lives in Area 51, a top secret military base that is so classified not even the president knows its true purpose. (Rule #1: What happens in Area 51 stays in Area 51). Not only does she discover that there are aliens in Area 51, but they start to disappear when she arrives. Is it a coincidence? Sky, who is Indian and white, meets unimaginably strange beings, such as the Audiotooters, who fart out of their ears and release a delightful whiff of roses. Drones that deliver pizza and secret hatches that lead to tunnels in the living room floor are just a few of the things Sky discovers as she and her friends try to solve the mystery of the disappearing aliens. The school bully turns out to be one of her partners in crime as she and Elvis the alien work to uncover the mystery and clear her uncle's reputation. Readers who like their science fiction with a touch of humor, such as Frank Cottrell Boyce's Sputnik's Guide to Life On Earth, will enjoy these sci-fic high jinks. VERDICT A solid purchase for libraries building their collection of middle grade science fiction.—Deanna McDaniel

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Area 51 gets its first new resident in 5 years—and a new mystery. When her grandma moves into a kid-free retirement home, 12-year-old orphan Priya “Sky” Patel-Baum and Spike, her pet hedgehog, relocate to Area 51 to live with Sky’s eccentric Uncle Anish. At 51, humans and Break Throughs (government-speak for aliens) live together off-grid in harmony. Unfortunately, several Zdstrammars (one of many Break Through species) mysteriously disappear, disrupting the base’s harmony and contributing to feelings of suspicion. Despite being deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations, Uncle Anish becomes a prime suspect. Can Sky and Elvis, her alien classmate, prove Uncle Anish’s innocence and find the missing Zdstrammars before it’s too late? YA author Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose. The cast of Break Through species—like Audiotooters, Galzorian, and Sanitizoria—have hilariously creative on-the-nose names with illustrations to match. Sky is coded biracial, with a White dad and Indian mom. Aliens appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors; Elvis shape-shifts but looks like a brown-skinned boy to Sky. Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs. Contagiously goofy and fun. (Mystery. 8-12) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.