Description:
Earthling (or Earthian, as residents of Planet Quilk would have it) Akiko has just entered fifth grade, is the head of the school safety patrol, and is settling into life on her home planet after the past year's wild space adventures (Akiko and the Great Wall of Trudd, Akiko in the Castle of Alia Rellapor, etc.). Of course, she should know by now there's no rest for the weary interplanetary heroine. When her old pals Spuckler, Poog, Gax, and Mr. Beeba show up in a spaceship behind the school Dumpster, offering her another adventure--this one's just a vacation, they promise--what's a girl to do? Soon they're off to see the amazing creatures in Planet Quilk's Intergalactic Zoo. Unfortunately, their giant, seemingly gracious zookeeper host has a dirty trick up his sleeve, and Akiko may soon become the zoo's prized display. Fans of Mark Crilley's Japanese anime-inspired series will be thoroughly satisfied with the triumphs and near misses in Akiko's latest escapade; her once-shaky self-confidence is growing by leaps and bounds, too! (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
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