Hoolie and the Hooligans, Book 1: The Alien that Ate My Socks

Hoolie and the Hooligans #1

by Brandon Dorman

Hank, Hector, and Henry Hooligan are fun-loving, go-cart racing, up-for-anything boys. When the school bully, Rock, challenges the Hooligans to a go-cart race down Deadman’s Hill, the last thing anyone expects to see is a huge, blobby, purple alien in the middle of the road.

Luckily Hoolie isn’t a dangerous alien. He’s friendly (if a bit smelly), and he eats clothes (particularly socks). He even has a cool compartment in his belly that can somehow hold all kinds of neat gizmos and gadgets.

But when a team of mysterious strangers dressed in black and who call themselves “Animal Control” arrive, the Hooligan boys know their new friend is in danger.

Can the Hooligan boys stand up to Rock, help Hoolie earn his extraterrestrial space scout merit badges, and protect him until he find his way home? Or will "Animal Control" capture him first?

Genres: Humor, Science Fiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2016

About the author

The illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Wizard, written by Jack Prelutsky, as well as Halloween Night, by Marjorie Dennis Murray, and his own Pirates of the Sea! and Santa's Stowaway. He received a degree in fine arts from Bringham Young University--Idaho.

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dare-turned into adventure-will thrill the entire family; especially any boys! Filled with mischief and lots of trash-talking these boys just want to help-- but who can they trust?
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! the illustrations!
This is definitely one to read!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review

The Alien That Ate My Socks was a really cute book. I loved the quirkiness of the entire thing and it was like chaos but you would expect that if a giant purple alien showed up and eat all your socks and every other article of clothing that wasn’t attached to your body.

Henry, Hank and Hector are the Hooligan brothers. They love hash browns and are not a fan of the bully Rock, who picks on them all the time but don’t worry the Hooligan brothers know how to take care of themselves. During a race with Rock the 3 brothers find a purple monster and chaos breaks loose.

This is such a cute book and I really loved reading it in Henry’s POV. He is 8 and some of the stuff he says is very funny. The entire book has a lot of laugh out loud moments. This is one book I am going to make sure my daughter reads because I think she will love it. The book never stops and stuff just keeps happening. I love that every character has a part in the big purple guy not just the kids.

This is really such a fun book. Lots of action, adventure, humor and a great cast of characters. I really enjoyed this, I totally think you will too!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my review.

Have a great day and Happy Reading!

oxThis review was originally posted on Because reading is better than real life

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Alien That Ate My Socks" is the first book in a new series written and illustrated by Brandon Dorman. It is a fun read, that children will love. The Hooligan boys, Hank, Hector and Henry team up to build a race car to defeat "Rock" the school bully. They are typical brothers who tease and make fun of each other in ways that will make the reader chuckle and laugh out loud. When the race does not turn out the way they planned, the story takes off in a totally different direction. When their car is derailed by a purple creature, which turns out to be an alien who they name Hoolie, the adventure turns hilarious. Who would have thought that a whole neighbourhood would stand together to protect what some think is a monster? I love the parents in this book. They are funny, a little unpredictable, expect their boys to behave politely and treat others the way they want to be treated as well as being pretty laid back. I think everyone who reads this book will wish they were their parents.

This is a wonderful read for late primary, early junior readers who love reading humour and about kids who go up against adults and win. The illustrations were well done in black and white pen/ink and really added to the story. I can see this book in school, public and class libraries. I also think it would be a great read aloud to elementary age children. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next in the life of the "Hooligans".

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hank, Hector, and Henry, the Hooligan boys, are three brothers that like a good time. They also like to do the right thing. When they try to keep a prank from happening at school, they get blamed for it by the principal and the prankster gets upset that they ruined his prank.

They are challenged to a go-cart race by the bully, Rock, but during the race they are forced off the road by a huge purple blob, an alien.

They befriend the alien, Hoolie, and now have to stand up to Rock and help Hoolie with “Animal Control.”

Fun, funny book for middle grade.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

With whimsical language, fun family interactions, and laugh out loud antics, this is an inventive story about working together to save the little —er, big guy. With characters so likeable (Hooligan brothers and pungent, laundry-eating alien alike), ​that ​​​I couldn’t stop cheering for them! It does more than take us on an unforgettable adventure– it’ll race it’s way into the imagination of kids everywhere. Wonderful book-- so glad I got the chance to read!

[Christine H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Hank, Hector, and Henry Hooligan – three brothers who love adventure. The only trouble is … adventure sometimes comes with a side of purple. Purple alien, that is. A great adventure awaits you all, Squinks, in The Alien that Ate My Socks.

1. The action never stops. This book begins with the Hooligan brothers competing in a go-cart race against their perpetual enemy, Rock. Once they encounter the purple guy, it’s just one thing after another. It was really hard for me to quit reading at the end of the night (or at the end of lunch) because each chapter ends with a cliffhanger. Is the purple alien going to eat ALL their clothes? Is it going to start eating the three boys or their friend, Ellie? And what makes it smell so … ick? I imagine green ooze wrapping itself around all that purple.

2. Hank, Hector, and Henry have such a great brotherly relationship. They annoy one another and taunt one another, but they never stop having each other’s backs. When Hector is hugged by the purple blob and goes temporarily noodly, Hank and Henry do what they can to get Hector back to normal. It must be so much fun to live in the Hooligan house!

3. The illustrations are just wonderful. Brandon Dorman is the illustrator of so many middle-grade books, including The Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull, and The Curvy Tree, one of The Land of Stories tales. I loved flipping through the book again to see the pictures, which helped bring me back to various points of the story. You’ll love the images, too! You most definitely need to see the rest of Dorman’s wonderful illustrations online.

4. I really locked onto Henry’s character from the get-go. He’s quite charming and really funny with his retorts to his brothers’ jabs. I love that he’s always wondering about what else can be replaced with superficial materials just as his teeth had to be replaced with fake ones.

5. This is the first book in the Hoolie and the Hooligans series, and I’m glad because one book just isn’t enough to cover the Hooligans’ adventures. This book ends with such a bang … alas, that makes me impatient for the follow-up! Don’t worry: you’ll know when I know when the next book will be published.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Let's make like a bakery truck and haul buns home!!"

Received from BEA Chicago 2016!!

What would you do if you witnessed a giant purple blob sitting in the middle of the road? Probably what we would all do... rip out some hair and run around screaming in the streets like a crazy person. Or what I like to call a typical Saturday night in Illinois.

All summer long the Hooligan kids have been working on their go-cart called the Hooligan Hasher. They need to beat Rock at this race at the end of summer or else they are dead meat. They can't begin the school year as the minions for Rock. Not only will Rock make them pull pranks for him, he will bust their eyes wide open. Who the hell wants that? This race is dire for the safety of everyone.

As the race begins, the Hooligan kids are winning by a nose and then a ginormous, smelly purple monster is in the middle of the road. Swerving to the side to miss hitting the monster, they bust through a fence, crush some flowers and kill an outside door. Finding their way home, their parents hear the story of what happened. The rest of the summer they have to fix what they have broken in the race and repay for the damages to the door. But who won the race and what the hell was that purple thing in the middle of the road? It's time for the Hooligan kids to become detectives and find out.

They sneak out of the house and creep along with their bikes on side streets to not be spotted. That is when the purple monster makes an appearance and takes hold of Hector, immobilizing him. The tricky part now is finding a way home while carrying their brother all while trying no to get caught. Easier said than done.

Making it home, placing Hector in bed. Their parents storm in and start asking them questions about why hector smells so badly and why is he wrapped up like a mummy? Then it hits! The roof caves in and smashes the bed. A purple monster crashes through the roof and starts to chow down on some smelly socks and then a favorite football shirt.

They try communicating with it and have no luck at all. But they do know that he is hungry for laundry. With houses being smashed by the monster, someone calls the cops and further calling Animal Control.... (Or Mulder and Scully) As he saves the day, the tiny community agrees to help save the monster. But will it be enough to stop the "aminal Control" people from making him disappear and testing him?

This book was cute, but not enough for me to read it a second time. There were very inventive words to use instead of cursing and I can see kids coming into the library using these words. Who knows, maybe I'll use them instead of this glorious potty mouth that I have.

I can see kids loving this new fun series. Kids who are tired of Diary of A Wimpy Kid or the Middle School series by Patterson. It just didn't do it for me as a wacky comedy with bickering siblings.

I'm not sure what Toot tickling his brain means and I'm not sure I want to find out!!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun story!! I can hardly wait to read the next one!! I loved this book, and the illustrations! I read this book with my sister and my 7 year old son, and we laughed through every chapter! At the end of every chapter we would want to read the next chapter. The only reason it took us so long to get through this book is because we had family things, and other problems come up. If those things hadn’t happened we would have read it within the week we started it, because we loved it so much!

This book is written as if written by the youngest brother, which I found fun, and kind of refreshing from the usual type of books I read. The adventure, and mission the three brothers take on in this book is full of twists, where the boys have to show problem solving. I love how the oldest brother is such a good big brother Hank, while still being realistic. I also love the banter, and sibling jabs back-and-forth between the two youngest Hector and Henry, not only were they full of humor, those two boys reminded me so much of my middle two kiddos!

If you are looking for a fun, silly book for your kids to read, or a book to read as a family, or just something funny for yourself, I highly recommend this book! I already want to read it again. The only problem with this book is that it ends in a cliffhanger, and now I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next.

[Heidi Eastman Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited for this book and would love to read a different book that started the same way but didn't have aliens. I think the development of the relationship between the kids and their enemy and the race would have been really fun to see

[Tommy · Rating 1 out of 5]

does not have a good hook

[LizthePrude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into it.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids loved this book. We read it aloud on our road trip. Definitely would recommend it!

[Alexandra Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was invited to participate in the blog tour for Hoolie and the Hooligans: The Alien That Ate My Socks. I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The last time I read a middle grade novel, I was in middle grade. To pick one up now was both an interesting experience and a return to my roots as a reader.

Hoolie and the Hooligans follows the three Hooligan brothers Henry, Hank and Hector. During the last week of the summer the brothers encounter with a large purple alien with a penchant for eating clothing. After the alien saves a neighbourhood girl from a fire, the Hooligan brothers and their parents warm up to the creature and decide to protect him from being taken away by “Animal Control”.

Hooligans is Brandon Dorman’s first middle grade novel and at times it does show. The novel begins with a bang and keeps up it’s fast pace for the first half. The three brothers participate in a go cart race with the neighbourhood bully but are interrupted by a giant purple monster (the previously mentioned alien). When the brothers return to the hill to find the creature that caused them to lose the race it only gets more fun.

It’s after this high energy sequence with the fire and rescue that the novel does and abrupt turn and starts to go off on random tangents. It felt like Dorman had multiple ideas where he wanted to take the story and instead of choosing one he tried to do all of them. Even though the second half of the novel didn’t hit as well as the first, it does leave a lot open for Dorman to work into the rest of the series. In the last hundred pages Hooligans throws secret organizations, mad scientists, family secrets and town legends at the reader. Then he ends the story on a cliffhanger.

I appreciated that Dorman didn’t rely on some of the more well worn tropes. Our three heroes’ parents are made aware of Hoolie the alien pretty quickly. Instead of siding with the Animal Control and the other adults, they listen to their kids. Not only do they decide to help protect the monster, they get the rest of the community involved.

It was nice to see a family that worked as a team and clearly valued and cared for one another. The relationships between the three brothers felt very realistic and reminded me of the dynamic I had with my two younger brothers growing up. At the same time I couldn’t help but feel bad for the middle brother Hector. He didn’t seem to share the same close bond as Henry and Hank did. I don’t know if this was on purpose (a joke about the invisible middle child) or just an accident.

That being said at some points the novel does feel like it’s hitting the happy family topic pretty hard. Multiple times throughout the book Henry’s narration informs the reader just how awesome his parents are. After the third time it starts to feel unnatural. Henry shouldn’t have to justify his parent’s actions to the reader, especially since they never do anything that needs to be justified.

Dorman is best known for his work as an illustrator, with over twenty-two picture books under his belt. His work has also been featured in series such as Fablehaven and Goosebumps. He’s proved himself to be a talented artist. The illustrations in Hooligans were one of my favourite parts of the book. The art was cute and very simple. It added to the tone of the book without distracting from the story. I realized just how much I’ve missed illustrations in novels.

Overall, for my return to middle grade fiction Hoolie and the Hooligans did not disappoint. It was a cute, wacky weird little story that both kids and parents will enjoy. I will definitely be passing Hooligans on to my nephew when I see him next. I have a feeling he’ll really enjoy it. So if you like books about aliens, crazy scientists and secret organizations than give this book a read.

Thanks again to Shadow Mountain Publishing.

Check out Brandon Dorman’s webpage here

This review was originally published on Death of the Author Reviews.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review copy provided by NetGalley

As a fan of Brandon Dorman's illustration work, I was excited to see that he had written a book. He's been a part of many great fantasy series over the past few years. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I was hopeful. This is the beginning of a series, so it fits the mold of much of the other work that he's done.

Mr. Dorman's authorial debut follows trouble-making brothers who happen upon a highly destructive alien while racing a bully one day. The alien is not malicious in its destructiveness, but the brothers have to deal with the effects of his unintended rampage all the same as he searches for clothes to eat. Meanwhile, they decide to make an effort to conceal him from the authorities that might do the alien harm, which only makes their time more complicated.

All in all, this is a light fantasy romp that would appeal most to lower middle grade readers. It's a bit too long to fit within the early reader category, but it will be heavily illustrated so readers will probably have a less difficult time with the length of the text. Still, the plot is a bit silly. I'm not saying that with the intent to be insulting, because the silliness seems intentional. I think the story works in the same way that a series like Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge, Patrick Carman's Elliot Park, or Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's Nate the Great does. It will have a lot of fans in the early elementary grades. It's very nicely done.

[Will Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Definitely a story for younger readers, but one that hit's a home run with that age group. Full of fun and some wackiness, but not too wacky. This story has a wonderful hometown feel and I love how the adventure is shared by the whole family. I highly recommend this as something parents can read to their children, as I did with my 1st and 2nd graders. No doubt there is another book on the way with an ending like this. :)

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Alien That Ate My Socks" is as clever, comedic, and fun to read as it sounds. The Hooligan brothers are very close siblings who team up against all the odds- their chores, the bully at school, and every other obstacle that comes their way. Although they give each other a hard time, they are clearly close and the best of brothers/friends. In a car race against the bully they've been pranking back and forth, their car is derailed by a purple blob, which turns out to be an alien which they name Hoolie. It's every bit as delightful as it sounds.

This is a wonderful read for young elementary and middle grade readers who love to laugh and go up against the odds. The pictures were well done and really added to the story and imagery. I think this book is a definite winner, and I imagine the planned series will be just as great (so much potential)!

Please note that I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Sophie Koontz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little read! This was a fun book. Brandon Dorman's art is always wonderful. Though you can tell this his his first shot at authorship, it's a great start. I loved the three hooligan brothers and especially the reference to smoky the bear. I would recommend this to others, especially with children in the 1st to 5th grade. :)

[Jenn]

I received this from a contest awhile back. X and I have been looking for something different and new to read at night. At first he wasn't sokd because it didn't have enough pictures. But after one chapter, he was hooked.

[The Book Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previously posted on The Young Girl Who Loved Books

I have to say that this was the cutest book about an alien that I have read. This book is filled with things any kid would love like whimsy, puns, and pretty lame jokes. There are some laugh out moments and the brothers have quite interesting antics.

The book shares a glimpse into the life of the Hooligan brothers. The boys Henry, Hector, and Hank. The Hooligan boys are quite mischievous and often get themselves into quite a bit of trouble. The book starts out during their last week of summer. The brothers have encountered an interesting, albeit quite large purple alien. This alien loves to devour clothing. Which is something I have never read about in a middle-grade novel, I believe kids will love this quirky detail.

The boys learn that perhaps this Alien really isn't that bad after he saves a neighbor girl from a fire. They protect him from the authorities that are trying to capture him. I really thought their efforts to save him was cute. This part is really fast-paced and action-packed.

I loved this book but I did notice that there were several storylines that seem to never develop and kind of become tangents. I think there was just the possibility for so many different ideas the author got sort of wrapped up in them.

One thing that I did like that unlike most middle-grade novels don't do was that he involved the parents from the very beginning. I also liked that the parents were wholesome and not at all bad or villain like. I feel like this is becoming a rarity in middle-grade novels. I enjoyed the fact the boys felt loved, and like they had a happy family.

Overall this is a great children's books. I would recommend this to parents and teachers with kids in the 2nd to 6th grades. I believe this would be a fun book for boys and girls alike.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.