The Area 51 Files by Julie Buxbaum
I started this book the day before a day off from school, so I admit I was already thinking about my day off. I also glimpsed someone’s review that said it was PG-15. What? 15?
Sky had been living with her grandmother, but when her grandmother had to move into a retirement home, Sky was sent to live with her uncle. Her uncle happens to live in Area 51! Right away, she learns about Break Throughs or what most people would think of as aliens! It honestly sounded so sweet. A bunch of aliens from different planets are all living harmoniously together on this base. But one of the first things Sky learns is the most important rule in Area 51: “What happens in Area 51, stays in Area 51”. That means no one can leave Area 51. So, does that mean Sky can never leave? That doesn’t sound too good. Yeah, she gets to meet a ton of aliens, but she will never travel. She can’t go away for college. She can’t go on vacation. I feel bad that she was sent here without knowing she can never leave.
Sky starts to meet new people and new Break Throughs, and she learns that a few of the Break Throughs have gone missing. Did they run away? Were they kidnapped? And how is it that the day she arrived is the same day they went missing? Coincidence?
A lot of people in Area 51 think her uncle Anish is involved in the disappearance. A lot of people are also upset that Sky is even at Area 51. It is really difficult to get permission to live at Area 51, and a lot of people are mad that Anish was able to get Sky here while they have been trying for years to get approval for their loved one to live here with them.
Sky and her new alien friend, Elvis, team up to solve the case! They do a lot of sneaking around that I really thought would have been taken a lot more seriously on a government base, but it is a middle-grade book meant to be silly.
I am not sure why the one review I saw made it seem like this book was meant for teens only. Yeah, there are a lot of fart jokes, but I felt like that made it more of a middle-grade book! Having worked in a middle school for so long, I can appreciate a good fart joke!
I saw that this book is part of a series, and it did end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I will be looking out for the next installment!
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Literary Coffee 