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Aliens, talking cats, invisibility—it's all possible in this hilarious early chapter book series!

When Zeke Zander's spaceship crashes on Earth, he and his family must pretend to be humans until they can fix the ship and return home to Planet Z. But with antennae on their heads and a talking cat named Zeus, fitting in is easier said than done!

From the author of the George Brown and Katie Kazoo books, The Kid from Planet Z is easy-to-read, highly-illustrated, and printed in black and blue. Follow along as this adorable alien struggles through life on planet Earth in this hilarious story, perfect for a first chapter book!

92 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2017

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About the author

Nancy E. Krulik

416 books241 followers
Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times bestsellers. She is best known, however, for being the author and creator of the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo book series, which has brought her to the attention of second, third, and fourth graders nationwide.

Nancy has also written extensively for teens and is well known as a biographer of Hollywood's hottest young stars. Her knowledge of the details of celebrities lives has made her a desired guest on several entertainment shows on the E! network as well as on Extra and Access Hollywood. She can be seen there talking about the secret lives of such celebs as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Frankie Muniz. Nancy has also been a guest on radio broadcasts nationwide discussing the superstars she has researched over the years.

As the author of several teen and preteen advice books, including Grosset and Dunlap's Prom!: The Complete Guide to a Truly Spectacular Night, Nancy has been interviewed by several prominent magazines including Cosmo Girl, Teen, Teen People, Seventeen, and Teen Celebrity. She has also been the celebrity guest for three Teen People chat presentations. Nancy has recently begun to delve into the teen novel market, writing four romances for young adults, all of which will be published between 2004 and 2005.

Nancy currently lives in Manhattan with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, their two children, Amanda and Ian, and a crazed cockerspaniel named Pepper .

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5 stars
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4 stars
33 (34%)
3 stars
29 (30%)
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8 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
10 reviews
October 20, 2017
Summary:
Zeke is an alien from planet Z whose ship crashes into a strange place called earth! While on this planet earth he wants to act like a normal earthling. He has to refrain from talking about his talking cat, his antennae, and his ability to make himself invisible. Zeke and his family have to stay on the planet until they can get their ship fixed, so this means learning all the ropes of being an earthling. Can they keep their secret hidden and fix their ship?
5 Higher level thinking questions:
Why do you think Zekes families spaceship crashed?
Do you think they teach similar things in school on planet Z as they do on earth?
How would you find a way to fix their ship other than finding a job?
What would you do if you landed on a whole new planet?
What do you think planet Z looks like?
Citation:
Krulik, N. E., & Thomas, L. (2017). The kid from Planet Z: Crash! New York: Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Profile Image for Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*.
6,111 reviews218 followers
September 6, 2017
Krulik, Nancy The Kid from Planet Z: Crash!, 90 pgs. Illustrated by Louis Thomas CHAPTER BOOK Grosset and Dunlap, 2017. $9.00 Content: G.

Zeke, his parents and their talking cat have just crashed landed on earth. Zeke has to learn how to act like a normal kid at school while his parents try to find a job. Zeke makes some friends and his cat gets an acting job to solve their problems.

This is a cute series with likable characters and an entertaining story line. The illustrations are simple and make this a quick read even for newer readers. All of the illustrations are in black and blue ink. I liked this book and I think it is a fun new series.

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Profile Image for Great Books.
3,034 reviews60 followers
May 29, 2017
A fabulous and funny read for young science fiction fans. Zeke Zander and his family have crash landed their space ship from Planet Z. Zeke must go to school and act like an Earth kid to help keep their cover while their ship is repaired. The captain of their ship is a cranky cat named Zeus, who fortunately, studied about Earth in Intergalatic College. Earth kids will love reading about Zeke's zany attempts to fit in. Reviewer #3
Profile Image for Sara Lawson.
655 reviews58 followers
April 14, 2019
This was a very fun book. Fun for kids. Fun for adults. Fun for cats. (No seriously, we all know that cats are in charge no matter what planet they're on.) It's probably a bit too old for my 4-year-old nephew, but I had fun reading it to him and I think in a year or two it'll be perfect for him. It kind of reminded me of Commander Keen and Forbidden Island. Fix the spaceship and leave the planet. Oh, but first learn to blend in with earth kids. And earth cats.
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,557 reviews13 followers
February 14, 2020
Zeke, the alien, crash lands on earth with his family and their leader, Zeus, a cat. Zeke has to attend school and fit in. The typical mishaps ensue. All the jokes about cats really being in charge on earth are very funny. I liked how Zeke solves their first dilemma too.
Would definitely recommend. One of my faves of the many crash-landing aliens stories.
Profile Image for Denise.
384 reviews3 followers
June 12, 2017
When a spaceship from Planet Z crashes on Earth, the struggle to repair the ship is real for Zeke Zander, his mom and dad and the captain of their ship, Zeus. The laughs begin as they interact with humans.
Thanks to Nancy Krulik and Grosset & Dunlap for the bound galley. Children will love it!
660 reviews6 followers
August 22, 2017
What a fun read - Amelia Bedelia fans will love Zeke's way of taking everything literally, the scrapes he gets in and out of, and the unexpected ending that will have them wondering. A good romp for kids who love sci-fi and even those who think they don't!
Profile Image for Jaymie.
2,315 reviews21 followers
August 21, 2018
I prefer the author's Magic Bone series to this one for new chapter book readers (It's funnier) or the Galaxy Zach series for a space story for this age group. But this was a solid start for a new series in this genre for the age group.
1 review
September 27, 2018
I teach 2nd grade and this book was perfect for a read aloud! All my kids loved it and we finished it in about a week. The day after we finished it, multiple asked if they could take it for their silent reading book. We are reading number 2 now and they have asked for another alien book to follow!
Profile Image for Sarah Niebuhr Rubin.
331 reviews23 followers
July 17, 2017
Fun. The book skips large moments and leaves a lot to the imagination -- sometimes more than we (read this out loud with my family) were prepared for, prompting questions.
Profile Image for Mandy Robek.
667 reviews11 followers
June 18, 2018
So fun to read as an alien tries to live on earth.
Profile Image for Andréa.
12.1k reviews113 followers
March 21, 2022
Cute and funny.

Note: I received a physical ARC of this book from the publisher at an ALA conference.
40 reviews
November 23, 2019
When Zeke and his family crash land on Earth, they must rely on Zeus, their cat, to navigate the strange planet for them. Zeke has to learn to be an Earthling and go to school. He tires to drink milk, but kids from Planet Z drink milk through their ears, so how could he make that look normal? What's worse, on the way home from school, Zeke realizes that his family's ship has been stolen! How will they ever make it home now? This is a great book for any space travel lovers!
Profile Image for Leslie Stone.
443 reviews
November 11, 2018
Zeke is an alien kid who accidentally winds up on Earth. He has to keep it a secret from the other kids. Zeke’s cat Zeus is actually a genius and can talk but must pretend to be a house cat. Lots of wackiness ensues as they try to repair their spaceship.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews