AstroNuts Mission Two: The Water Planet

AstroNuts #2

by Jon Scieszka, Steven Weinberg (Illustrator)

AstroNuts Mission Two: The Water Planet is the second book in the laugh-out-loud series by children's literature legend Jon Scieszka.

The book follows a new mission, where AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug must find a planet fit for human life after we've finally made Earth unlivable.

After they splash-land on the Water Planet, they find power-hungry clams, a rebellious underwater force, and a world full of too-good-to-be-true. Can this aquatic world really be humans' new home? And why are these clams so eager to swap planets?

• A can't-put-it-down page-turner for reluctant readers
• Complete with how-to-draw pages in the back

AstroNuts Mission Two is full of laugh-out loud humor with a thoughtful commentary on the reality of climate change at the core of the story.

Eager and reluctant readers alike ages 8 to 12 years old will be over the moon about this visually groundbreaking read.

• Creatively illustrated, full-color action-packed space saga
• Perfect for fans of Dog Man, Big Nate, Wimpy Kid, and Captain Underpants
• Great for parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and educators who are looking to introduce STEM and environmental topics to children
• You'll love this book if you love books like The Bad Guys in Superbad by Aaron Blabey, The 104-Story Treehouse: Dental Dramas & Jokes Galore! by Andy Griffiths, and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Humor, Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction, Animals

228 pages, Hardcover

Published August 25, 2020

About the author

Jon Scieszka is an American children's writer, best known for picture books created with the illustrator Lane Smith. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of Guys Read – a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers."

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Chronicle Books through NetGalley.
So much to enjoy with the second book in this series. The four AstroNuts are still looking for a Goldilocks planet to save earth's inhabitants. Their new mission is to explore a water planet and see if it's viable. The clam population certainly wants to trade planets. Alphawolf falls for the hype but the other three want to do further investigation. Good thing they did. This planet is dying faster than earth.
Scieszka seamlessly slips in science and environmental messages along with the humor. Mid elementary level readers will love the graphic illustrations and the humorous interchanges among characters. More advanced readers will enjoy the puns as well.

[Gabriel (Gabriels_universe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and funny read! I enjoyed all the environmental facts and overall message this book has. Cant wait to read more from Jon Scieszka and this series!

[H.S. Contino · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! The characters were outrageous (a stink bug super hero?), and there were numerous laugh out loud moments. I liked how the author and illustrator incorporated real science information and classical artwork into the book.

I especially liked the section at the end that discussed the original artwork and how they incorporated it into the graphic novel.

My only critique would be that the underlying message of the book— and the parallels between the clam management of the water planet and the human management of Earth— was a bit heavy handed. Although, I do appreciate the message (and agree with it).

The copy I read was an advanced reader edition so most of the pages were in black and white. Unfortunately, the grayscale “washed out” some of the artwork. There were a few colored pages in the center of the book, and the illustrations looked much, much better in color!

I look forward to reading more about the Astronuts in the future!

[sparkypink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm wavering between a 3 and a 4 for this book. I did enjoy the concept of it. Four "animals" with superpowers are sent on a mission to find a new planet since humans are destroying Earth. There are a lot of environmental and scientific facts tossed in throughout the book. The illustrations are very colorful, and very busy. As a grownup, I found it to be too distracting, but I can see how the younger crowd would love it. I don't think you need to read the first book before reading this one, but I would have to say I enjoyed the first book more than this one.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to the Chronicle Books and NetGalley.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @chroniclekidsbooks for sharing AstroNuts with me! This second installment, coming in August, does not disappoint! I am excited to see it all in color.
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Back for round 2, the AstroNuts are looking for a planet for humans to relocate to since they are destroying Earth. Readers will enjoy the mix of paragraphs from Mother Earth and speech bubbles from the AstroNuts.
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As this book went on, I was getting political feelings and then I hit it. Oh my gosh! 🤣🤣🤣 I really was laughing out loud to myself!
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Thanks @jon_scieszka and @steven_draws for this creation! I will be purchasing it for my elementary! Perfect for grades 2-3!

[Brian Maduri · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are not book critics by any means. Just a family that reads LOTS of books with our kids. This book is smart, engaging, funny and has energized the imagination of our daughter! I highly recommend this book to anyone with kids or is a kid at heart and wants to have some fun. It’s like seeing earth through the lenses of some crazy cartoon characters and they are surprisingly accurate in their interpretation of our planet and it’s inhabitants! Go for it...you will not be disappointed.

[Pam Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild and wacky ride! Crazy characters take us through a myriad of page styles to find a new planet for humans. Readers find something new on every page with the writing format changing to fit the content. There are speech bubbles, bulleted lists, mission reports, transcripts of mission conversations, and more! The illustrations are bright, vibrant and offers plenty to view as the story unfolds. Never a dull moment with this 2nd book in the series.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astrowolf, Lasershark, Smarthawk, and Stinkbug AKA Astro-Nuts are deployed once again to try and find a Goldilocks planet to sustain life for Earthlings. The team lands on the Water Planet, and are welcomed by the President P.T. Clam, who is quite anxious to swap planets. But something is not quite right about this planet, but Astrowolf is so selfishly willing to close the deal, that he's overlooking the real issues of the Water Planet.

[Deana Metzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this was the second book in the series, its the first one that I've read and I really enjoyed it. It sprinkles real facts about climate change and the damage it will cause with a humorous story of the newest animal recruits of the NNASA...longer review coming soon to MG Book Review.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute book, kids will love it. I liked the inclusion of the scientific method and the use of “Goldilocks” in the search of a “just right” planet.

Thanks to Chronicle Books for my print advance readers copy.

[Tanya Prax · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the first one:

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Love this series! What a great & fun way for kids to learn about climate change, ways to help their planet & basic science! Cute graphic novel!

[Lori Caskey-sigety · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was hilarious!
I recommend it!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Chronicle Books and the author for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

[Key West Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Join the Astronuts on their journey to find a new planet. Fun and engaging! Watch out, though, you just might learn something!

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite character was Susan B. Clamthony. It was a great book, you should read it!

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are totally kid books, but my youngest loves them and I enjoy listening with her. If you enjoyed the first one, this is very similar and as an adult, you definitely see what agenda they have.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Astro-Nuts are a secret explorer group sponsored by NNASA (Not the National Aeronautic and Space Agency). Four animals have been made into super explorers designed to find the next planet that humanity can live on. There’s Alphawolf (the leader), SuperHawk (the planner), LaserShark (nurse, security, chef), and Stinkbug (pilot, engineer). Their rocket lives in Thomas Jefferson’s nose on Mount Rushmore, and the catalyst for their mission is that we have exceeded 400 PPM of CO2 in the atmosphere. On The Water Planet, we travel to a mostly aquatic planet, where tests are derailed by politicians telling us that everything is fine and great, appealing to Alphawolf’s ego, but secretly a revolution is brewing from the underclass.

Each book is packed with environmental facts. The Planet Earth narrates sections, and she lets you know how humanity has screwed up the environment and continues to do so. You’ll also see the scientific method in action, and see how we test things over and over again to come to facts. One of my favorite parts are the gorgeous collage illustrations. Weinberg uses art from the Rijksmuseum (Dutch National Museum) that you can find online and then colored it. He explains the process in the back of the book. There is also a bit of potty humor in these books too, as Stinkbug just can’t help himself sometimes.

These books are perfect for fans of Sciezka’s other books (like Time Warp Trio), Captain Underpants, and other zany tales. Book one (Plant Planet) in the series is already out, and The Water Planet comes out in August.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall message of this book is truly timely and powerful - that greedy lords are ruling the universe. The newest AstroNuts mission sends the explorers on an adventure seeking out other "Goldilocks" planets - not to hot, not too cold, but just right.

As I first started reading it I was looking through my adult eyes and the text bubbles all over the page were a bit hectic for my own reading progression.. But I made myself look at it from the point-of-view of a young reader, and I could see the value in it, and know my young patrons can appreciate the graphic nature of this. The overall message is serious - that if we do not work together and if we continue to allow greedy business owners to make all the rules in our society we are doomed, just like the hero's in this story. Jon Sciezka and Steven Weinber's collaboration in this story are timely and profound. As an adult I understand the message on my own level. I think my impressionable young readers will capture the essence of this story in their own unique way.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review disclosure: ARC from publisher won on a giveaway. ARC was in greyscale for the most part.

Pros:
My kid(6yo) enjoyed flipping through the ARC and looking at the images, but it's for an audience that's probably a bit older. And that's okay! I think kids 8-12 and fans of zany, madcap science adventures would love this series. It discusses lots of science themes in a humorous and engaging way that I think upper elementary and early middle graders would love.

Cons:
I had a hard time visually following the text, images, and plot which made it hard for me to get all the concepts and since I didn't read the first book, I had no idea who was who (even with that fun intro). It may be due to my own issues with visually scanning text, but I had a hard time especially without color cues (the ARC was mostly B/W) or enough contrast between textures and characters to help me figure out what order to read things and figure out what was happening.

This book could be challenging for readers with color blindness.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew! Reading this one made my head spin with the goofy characters, crazy mission to find a new “Goldilocks” planet that is just right for humans, super busy artwork and haphazard speech balloons. But there is a significant population on my 4th and 5th grade campuses who will love this series. Book 1 had LaserShark, AlphaWolf, StinkBug and SmartHawk investigating a Plant Planet to determine if it is not too hot and not too cold for people to inhabit and as a result of the failed first mission, this second installment sends our hyperactive Astronuts to check out a Water Planet. Lovers of graphic novels will be drawn to the illustrations that nearly fill every page, but with a nice chunk of more traditional text embedded in the art, many who look on graphic novels with disdain may also enjoy the far-fetched, humorous science fiction aspect. No content issues.

Thanks for the print ARC Chronicle Books/Hachette Group.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is silly and fun but also has a super important, depressing message. I think it’s important for kids to know that science is real and humans are doing damage to the Earth but I wonder about the delivery of the message in this book. I volunteer at the zoo and we are told that we shouldn’t emphasis how bad climate change is (talk about it but be hopeful) because then they just give up and don’t want to try to make changes at all. I worry that this book is too much and will cause anxiety with young readers.
A lot of jokes in here for adults (I definitely laughed out loud at Clam McConnell). I just watched the second presidential debate this week and trump was talking about how we can’t do things that will help the environment because it will hurt businesses and I thought “some things are more important than money.” This book does what will happen if we continue to worry more about business than our planet’s health (spoiler: it’s going to suck).

[Karen Maurer · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I read a black and white ARC. Several colored pages are inserted in the ARC to let the reviewer know what the book will look like. Yep. Color will improve it.

Kids who like characters who are gullible, arrogant and easy to trick will smirk at how easy it is for P.T. Clam to hoodwink AstroWolf. The rest of the Astronuts insist on proof of P. T. Clam's wild claims about his planet - SCIENTIFIC proof, not just unsupported graphs and reports.

Since the Astronuts mission is to find the Goldilocks planet for earth lifeforms to move to (Not too hot, not too cold, etc.), there is a lot of stuff about climate and ecology in this book as well.

The illustrations are sure to be stunning. I felt the "lesson" part was a bit heavy. The book is goofy enough for 3rd to 5th grade readers to enjoy.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an out of this world book! If you are ready for a funny book for your kids with a good environmental and social skills themes, this book more than delivers. The plot is engaging, the animal characters diverse in personality and experience, and the art is dynamic and fun. The collage style creates hilarious cultural references too! Great discussion opportunities for politics, teamwork, and environmental issues. Even better than the original!

[Dontreadlikethem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that makes kids laugh AND teaches them about the global climate crisis? I am all for it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to read this in color so some of the illustrations were tough to decipher. Children ages 8 and up.

[Brenda Kahn]

Non-stop action and humor make the science more fun. A tip of the hat to Mr. S. for the slyly subversive, yet timely political commentary.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educators' Guide: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2...

[Andréa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Tam I · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read an ARC.

Great explanation of climate change. No real options to help earth. Excellent example of the scientific method.