What do you think?
Rate this book
Sci-Fi Junior High #2
Crash Landing
Middle school in space! An alien dog! A mad scientist! Hundreds of illustrations! Sci-Fi Junior High is galactically good! James Patterson presents a hilarious space adventure featuring an average human kid getting into a universe of trouble.
Kelvin is the new kid at Sci-Fi Junior High--a floating space station filled with alien kids form across the universe. And he arrived just in time for the annual school dance: The Galactic Get Down!
Kelvin is desperate to take luminous Luna (her species literally glows), but now that his secret about not being a Mega Supergenius is out, Kelvin doesn't have a shot. He has to think of a way to become super cool so everyone forgets he lied about his average intelligence...
Cue mad scientist Erik Failenheimer's escape from his asteroid prison, an army of Pinions (any similarities to the MinionsTM is purely coincidental), and a battle to save Sci-Fi Junior High from imminent doom. Let's dance!
"Saving the universe has never been so much fun!" -- Gordon Korman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 39 Clues and Masterminds on Sci-Fi Junior High.
Kelvin is the new kid at Sci-Fi Junior High--a floating space station filled with alien kids form across the universe. And he arrived just in time for the annual school dance: The Galactic Get Down!
Kelvin is desperate to take luminous Luna (her species literally glows), but now that his secret about not being a Mega Supergenius is out, Kelvin doesn't have a shot. He has to think of a way to become super cool so everyone forgets he lied about his average intelligence...
Cue mad scientist Erik Failenheimer's escape from his asteroid prison, an army of Pinions (any similarities to the MinionsTM is purely coincidental), and a battle to save Sci-Fi Junior High from imminent doom. Let's dance!
"Saving the universe has never been so much fun!" -- Gordon Korman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 39 Clues and Masterminds on Sci-Fi Junior High.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2018
8 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
John Martin
4 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John Martin is an illustrator, graphic artist, and website designer. He is the illustrator for the Vordak the Incomprehensible series. He lives in Farmington Hills, MI, with his wife, Mary, and their three children.
John Martin is an illustrator, graphic artist, and website designer. He is the illustrator for the Vordak the Incomprehensible series. He lives in Farmington Hills, MI, with his wife, Mary, and their three children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 31, 2018
Cute story for young teens that would have earned top rating if older brother wasn't jealous of his younger genius sister. 7 of 10 stars
March 22, 2018
The second book in the Junior High series, and so much better than the first book.
This was mostly due to the fact I just knew there was going to be an annoying villain, so when his parts popped up I just tuned out. The words being read but not being processed. :| I had way more fun trying to see what the natives were saying than what the annoying piece of poop bunny was raving about. :P
This time Kelvin is determined to make a new name for himself. Genius didn't work out, so he wants to be known for something different. Throughout the book we see him, hilariously, try all sorts of things only to have them backfire quite spectacularly. Still I have to applaud that he is still trying and that is also trying out various new things. Like that silent chamber thing, I would love to try it out, though I probably won't last much longer than Kelvin did.
I loved seeing several of the lessons and the field trip from Kelvin's school. Boy, I would love to go to Kelvin's school. Oh hold on, maybe not given the food. Eww. Then again maybe even space is a no-no if all the synthesised food tasted like eraser gums. Ewwwww.
There is tons of action, well at the end at least when our big evil annoying to hell bunny makes his appearance at the school dance. Sure, there is some action in the beginning/middle parts, but it is mostly tame and mostly considers of Kelvin and his friends trying to get rid of the Zorb. A thing that is very dangerous but it seems that adults in this book still don't get that it is dangerous and should be removed.
Lightyear played another big role in this one, and I was happy to see the little guy again. I wouldn't mind a dog who can duplicate stuff... though wait.. maybe I would prefer it to do it in an another way than puking/pooping it out. *shivers*
I had such a laugh when Bula turned out to be that. Wow, what a change from the previous book. Where she could barely string together words, was hyper as hell, and also a bit annoying. Now she was annoying in a different way. :P But I did like that the author went for this route. Now the question is will Kelvin ever get through that or will he forever be an average guy?
There was one part where Kelvin said something like: 'How would you know, Zot? You're not even in the class.' Yet when we flip back to the pages from that class, who is there and present? Zot. She is sitting behind Dorn who made the remark about Kelvin being a Genius (aka not).
Pluspoints to how the story is told. Through conversations (with little drawn heads to indicate who is talking), comics, illustrations, and more.
So yeah, I am hoping that we will have more books in this series. Though again, less of the annoying villain, or maybe just a new better villain if there is such a big need for a villain.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This was mostly due to the fact I just knew there was going to be an annoying villain, so when his parts popped up I just tuned out. The words being read but not being processed. :| I had way more fun trying to see what the natives were saying than what the annoying piece of poop bunny was raving about. :P
This time Kelvin is determined to make a new name for himself. Genius didn't work out, so he wants to be known for something different. Throughout the book we see him, hilariously, try all sorts of things only to have them backfire quite spectacularly. Still I have to applaud that he is still trying and that is also trying out various new things. Like that silent chamber thing, I would love to try it out, though I probably won't last much longer than Kelvin did.
I loved seeing several of the lessons and the field trip from Kelvin's school. Boy, I would love to go to Kelvin's school. Oh hold on, maybe not given the food. Eww. Then again maybe even space is a no-no if all the synthesised food tasted like eraser gums. Ewwwww.
There is tons of action, well at the end at least when our big evil annoying to hell bunny makes his appearance at the school dance. Sure, there is some action in the beginning/middle parts, but it is mostly tame and mostly considers of Kelvin and his friends trying to get rid of the Zorb. A thing that is very dangerous but it seems that adults in this book still don't get that it is dangerous and should be removed.
Lightyear played another big role in this one, and I was happy to see the little guy again. I wouldn't mind a dog who can duplicate stuff... though wait.. maybe I would prefer it to do it in an another way than puking/pooping it out. *shivers*
I had such a laugh when Bula turned out to be that. Wow, what a change from the previous book. Where she could barely string together words, was hyper as hell, and also a bit annoying. Now she was annoying in a different way. :P But I did like that the author went for this route. Now the question is will Kelvin ever get through that or will he forever be an average guy?
There was one part where Kelvin said something like: 'How would you know, Zot? You're not even in the class.' Yet when we flip back to the pages from that class, who is there and present? Zot. She is sitting behind Dorn who made the remark about Kelvin being a Genius (aka not).
Pluspoints to how the story is told. Through conversations (with little drawn heads to indicate who is talking), comics, illustrations, and more.
So yeah, I am hoping that we will have more books in this series. Though again, less of the annoying villain, or maybe just a new better villain if there is such a big need for a villain.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
March 30, 2018
My name is Kelvin, and my eighth grade year is not starting off well. My klutziness is giving me more embarrassing nicknames than I can handle, and I'll have another chance to make a fool of myself at a mandatory dance. Plus, my four-year-old little sister is a genius and will be coming to my school next week. I'm a little distracted right now, since I can't believe my dad is keeping Zorb in his lab. He's a genius scientist with a terrible sense of humor, but the Zorb's energy is way too dangerous to keep around here. He won't destroy the object, so I guess it's up to my group of friends to do it. We can't figure out a way to get past the robot guards, and my genius friend Brian's brain goes to pickles under stress. Maybe this can be my great thing that will make everyone forget about my horrible reputation.
I feel like I have a high tolerance for goofy stories, but this book really put me to the test. Alternate chapters shared the story of the antagonist's plans to steal the Zorb, and the character happened to be an evil bunny. He had a scheme to kidnap Kelvin but didn't join the other characters until the plot reached its climax. These characters were a blend of creatures from various planets. One of Kelvin's friends had six eyes, and Brian's brain was visible in his head. Drawings were used creatively, as the cartoons shared events and characters' thoughts. These pictures also identified the speakers of dialogue. I guess this book is the second one in a series, although I didn't read the first one. If silly science fiction brings you joy, you'll love these books.
I feel like I have a high tolerance for goofy stories, but this book really put me to the test. Alternate chapters shared the story of the antagonist's plans to steal the Zorb, and the character happened to be an evil bunny. He had a scheme to kidnap Kelvin but didn't join the other characters until the plot reached its climax. These characters were a blend of creatures from various planets. One of Kelvin's friends had six eyes, and Brian's brain was visible in his head. Drawings were used creatively, as the cartoons shared events and characters' thoughts. These pictures also identified the speakers of dialogue. I guess this book is the second one in a series, although I didn't read the first one. If silly science fiction brings you joy, you'll love these books.
March 27, 2025
The kid liked it. He liked that they saved the planet again and didn’t get any credit. He didn’t like thy Zot got mad at Kelvin. He didn’t know who his favorite character was but hisbkearnfavorite was Eric failenheimer.
Sadly we are getting to the point where the kid does not want to read as much together. So I will enjoy these silly books while I can. I enjoyed this duology. It seemed like a pretty accurate interpretation of junior high for
Most people. You find your people. I enjoyed the exploits of Eric failenheimer. I did not like that all the pinion language was not translated. It was easy enough to translate but just took extra time and effort.
Sadly we are getting to the point where the kid does not want to read as much together. So I will enjoy these silly books while I can. I enjoyed this duology. It seemed like a pretty accurate interpretation of junior high for
Most people. You find your people. I enjoyed the exploits of Eric failenheimer. I did not like that all the pinion language was not translated. It was easy enough to translate but just took extra time and effort.
November 9, 2024
A brilliant mix of suspense, emotion, and creativity. The characters were vivid and the plot was wonderfully intricate. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. The ending was both satisfying and surprising. It’s a masterclass in storytelling and well worth the read.
August 16, 2018
the bunny got boiled in a pot.....
kelvin went to an intergalatic school. and he had a bully
kelvin went to an intergalatic school. and he had a bully
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2019
Checked this out for a road trip with the family. Not a good one to do so, some sections wer very confusing.
November 8, 2020
Nebolo to zle, ale Erik Nemoholson nam liezol veeeelmi na nervy :D
Este sme skonstatovali, ze to bolo zbytocne roztahane, inac celkom zabava :)
Este sme skonstatovali, ze to bolo zbytocne roztahane, inac celkom zabava :)
September 26, 2021
Interesting, but the way the cover looked, i thought he was going on a field trip but then took a wrong turn into a black hole and got stranded on a deserted planet.
Read
June 11, 2022Pls let me read this book
March 3, 2018
Standard Middle School student stuff but in space - the usual needing to fit in, crushing on the girl/boy, joking, nicknames, etc. set in a space station with a variety of species. Plus, saving the world(s)... again.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
December 6, 2021
Samenvatting:
Kelvin, het enige non-genie in een familie van genieën, gaat nog steeds naar school op de Melkwegschool. Sinds het eerste boek is hij er eindelijk in geslaagd om daar vrienden te maken, ook al wordt hij nog steeds gepest met het feit dat hij geen genie is. Hij heeft een fantastische tijd op school met zijn vrienden en de vakken zijn, zoals gewoonlijk, erg saai, maar ze hebben het jaarlijkse schoolfeest om naar uit te kijken!
Na het huiswerk raken de leerlingen verveeld en komen ze erachter dat Kelvin’s vader, de wetenschapper, een gevaarlijke, chemische steen met superkrachten niet heeft verwoest, dus besluiten ze dat zij deze kapot willen maken. Ondertussen is de kwade, gestoorde wetenschapper Erik Failenheimer ook op zoek naar deze steen. Krijgen ze het voor elkaar om hem op tijd te vernietigen of zal het in de verkeerde handen terechtkomen?
Schrijfstijl & vorm:
Ik vond het erg leuk om een boek te lezen wat een combinatie is tussen een gewoon boek en een graphic novel. Het promoot niet alleen dat kinderen meer gaan lezen, omdat het tekst en plaatjes heeft, wat de grens om een boek op te pakken erg verlaagt, maar het maakt het verhaal ook meer visueel, wat het veel leuker maakt om te lezen en er is minder beschrijvende tekst (wat soms als saai kan worden gezien).
Ik vond het ook heel leuk hoe Erik’s taal in het boek was verwerkt, omdat dat het boek meer interactief maakte en kinderen vinden het dan vaak veel leuker om te lezen en ze zijn dan meer betrokken in het verhaal.
Ook denk ik dat het taalgebruik niet te moeilijk was, wat ook de grens verlaagt om een boek te gaan lezen, voor beide het kind en de ouders. Lezen moet leuk en ontspannend zijn en ik denk dat Scott daarin een geweldige bijdrage heeft geleverd, aangezien hij een situatie heeft gecreëerd waarin die twee zijn behaald.
Plot:
Wat ik erg leuk vond aan het plot was de diversiteit in de onderwerpen, zonder dat het plot een chaos werd. Er was avontuur, family time, vriendschap, een schoolfeest en spannende situaties met Erik en de steen. Ik denk dat er een goede balans was tussen die onderwerpen. Bovendien denk ik dat de onderwerpen relevant en herkenbaar zijn voor kinderen, waardoor ze automatisch meer in het verhaal worden betrokken. Bijvoorbeeld het ‘vindt ie me leuk of vindt ie me niet leuk’ gedeelte is vaak erg belangrijk voor kinderen and Scott heeft het goed voor elkaar weten te krijgen om dat op de juiste manier te verwerken in het verhaal.
Conclusie:
Ik denk dat dit een superleuke serie is voor kinderen! Het taalgebruik is niet te ingewikkeld en er is een goede balans tussen plaatjes en tekst, wat jonge lezers kan helpen alleen aan een boek te beginnen, zonder een ouder. De onderwerpen zijn relevant, spannend en grappig, wat ervoor zorgt dat het boek heel toegankelijk wordt voor kinderen en het alfabet maakt het boek ook nog eens interactief, wat de fun-factor zeker verhoogt!
Kelvin, het enige non-genie in een familie van genieën, gaat nog steeds naar school op de Melkwegschool. Sinds het eerste boek is hij er eindelijk in geslaagd om daar vrienden te maken, ook al wordt hij nog steeds gepest met het feit dat hij geen genie is. Hij heeft een fantastische tijd op school met zijn vrienden en de vakken zijn, zoals gewoonlijk, erg saai, maar ze hebben het jaarlijkse schoolfeest om naar uit te kijken!
Na het huiswerk raken de leerlingen verveeld en komen ze erachter dat Kelvin’s vader, de wetenschapper, een gevaarlijke, chemische steen met superkrachten niet heeft verwoest, dus besluiten ze dat zij deze kapot willen maken. Ondertussen is de kwade, gestoorde wetenschapper Erik Failenheimer ook op zoek naar deze steen. Krijgen ze het voor elkaar om hem op tijd te vernietigen of zal het in de verkeerde handen terechtkomen?
Schrijfstijl & vorm:
Ik vond het erg leuk om een boek te lezen wat een combinatie is tussen een gewoon boek en een graphic novel. Het promoot niet alleen dat kinderen meer gaan lezen, omdat het tekst en plaatjes heeft, wat de grens om een boek op te pakken erg verlaagt, maar het maakt het verhaal ook meer visueel, wat het veel leuker maakt om te lezen en er is minder beschrijvende tekst (wat soms als saai kan worden gezien).
Ik vond het ook heel leuk hoe Erik’s taal in het boek was verwerkt, omdat dat het boek meer interactief maakte en kinderen vinden het dan vaak veel leuker om te lezen en ze zijn dan meer betrokken in het verhaal.
Ook denk ik dat het taalgebruik niet te moeilijk was, wat ook de grens verlaagt om een boek te gaan lezen, voor beide het kind en de ouders. Lezen moet leuk en ontspannend zijn en ik denk dat Scott daarin een geweldige bijdrage heeft geleverd, aangezien hij een situatie heeft gecreëerd waarin die twee zijn behaald.
Plot:
Wat ik erg leuk vond aan het plot was de diversiteit in de onderwerpen, zonder dat het plot een chaos werd. Er was avontuur, family time, vriendschap, een schoolfeest en spannende situaties met Erik en de steen. Ik denk dat er een goede balans was tussen die onderwerpen. Bovendien denk ik dat de onderwerpen relevant en herkenbaar zijn voor kinderen, waardoor ze automatisch meer in het verhaal worden betrokken. Bijvoorbeeld het ‘vindt ie me leuk of vindt ie me niet leuk’ gedeelte is vaak erg belangrijk voor kinderen and Scott heeft het goed voor elkaar weten te krijgen om dat op de juiste manier te verwerken in het verhaal.
Conclusie:
Ik denk dat dit een superleuke serie is voor kinderen! Het taalgebruik is niet te ingewikkeld en er is een goede balans tussen plaatjes en tekst, wat jonge lezers kan helpen alleen aan een boek te beginnen, zonder een ouder. De onderwerpen zijn relevant, spannend en grappig, wat ervoor zorgt dat het boek heel toegankelijk wordt voor kinderen en het alfabet maakt het boek ook nog eens interactief, wat de fun-factor zeker verhoogt!
August 3, 2018
Perfect story for my boys. I understand why they like it so much.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews