Hello, Nebulon! by Ray O'Ryan (review)

When his family decides to move from Earth to planet Nebulon in 2120, eight-year-old Zack Nelson isn't happy; he has to leave his Earthling friends behind, and he is terrified that the kids on Nebulon will be insect-pizza-eating monsters. His new house, however, is engagingly equipped with Ira, an Indoor Robotic Assistant who's there to cater to his every whim. Add to that a classmate named Drake, a native Nebulite, who shares Zack's favorite class (planetology) and is happy to also share his high-tech space bike, and Zack might be able to adjust to life on Nebulon just fine. A standard tale of the culture shock of moving somewhere new, this beginning reader tones down the trauma with smile-inducing customs Zack must learn ("'Yippee wah-wah' is what Nebulite kids say when they are happy," Drake helpfuly explains), and there's humor in Zack's sharing some of his own culture (Drake has never seen a dog before). Brief chapters with gently oversized print are enticingly readable. Cartoony Jetsons-inspired black and white illustrations take up space on most pages (the illustrator also designs characters for DreamWorks Animation), with Zack's overactive imagination and the standard fare of a futuristic world, complete with space cars and hologram projectors, taking center stage. Particularly endearing are the Nebulites, humanoids with huge eyes, egg-shaped heads, three-piece suits, and expertly coiffed black hair. The start of a series of early readers, this is a solid choice to hand to kids yearning for a more extra-galactic adventure than The Magic Treehouse and its ilk.