Do you ever wish that aliens would scoop you up and transport you to a better world? So does Iggy, in Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!
After being teased one too many times, Ignatius MacFarland decides to build a getaway rocket. Maybe extraterrestrials are nicer than his classmates! But when his rocket takes an explosive wrong turn, Ignatius ends up in another frequency run by former English teacher turned dictator Mr. Arthur. It’s up to Iggy and Karen, another trapped earthling, to expose Mr. Arthur for the fraud that he is — and hopefully to make it home alive.
Iggy’s home science project lands him in another world, but also proves the adage “be careful what you wish for, lest it come true”, as Iggy finds himself in a situation that nearly makes the bullies back home look like a preferable problem. Boys will love the gross gags, over-the-top fights, weird science, strange monsters, and whimsical illustrations that pack this first young adult novel from Paul Feig, creator of the cult classic TV show Freaks and Geeks. Feig clearly remembers how kids think, and in Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut! he creates a believable antihero that young readers will relate to, especially if they’re as socially awkward as the hapless Iggy.
Part comic adventure, part science fiction, and part fantasy, this debut kids’ novel is wholly entertaining. And as only Paul Feig can do, it makes being a geek, well, kind of cool.
A wide open, Quantum Leap-style ending hints that the author intends for this book to be the start of a series, so readers can likely look forward to many more world-hopping adventures with Iggy and his fellow Frequenaut, Karen.
Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult (9-12) for crude bodily humour and mild violence.
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Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!
Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut! is distributed by Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA.