Bongo Fishing by Thacher Hurd-ADVISABLE

Hurd, Thacher, Bongo Fishing. Henry Holt and Company, 2011. Pgs. 233.  Language: G, Violence: PG, Sexual Content: G

Middle-schooler, Jason Jameson lives a pretty normal life. Friends, school, living with his mom, and doing homework day to day. Things get interesting, however, when a flying 1960 Dodge Dart spaceship crash-lands in a vacant lot and reveals an alien named Sam who’s from Pleiades star cluster who’s a big fan of human culture and media. After Jason helps him fix his ship, the two bond over space fishing, American pastimes, and more. Sam even brings his wife on a second Earth visit to bask in Elvis and Jason.  On their way back to Pleiades, they run out of gas and end up having to make a mess in Jason’s kitchen in order to make more fuel.  Unfortunately,  Jason’s behavior doesn’t go unnoticed by his mom and she drags him off to a shady shrink who seems to have an ulterior motive.  Can Jason figure out the truth about himself  and the shrink before it’s too late? Are his aliens real or a figment of his imagination?

Although it lacks in excitement, the characters are fun and likable. The plot does a good job of holding the reader’s interest with its quirkiness and humor. Readers who like aliens, space, science fiction, and friendship fiction will enjoy reading this book. EL (4-6), MS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High.