Eudora Space Kid is back in the second of Horn’s comical interstellar adventure series, this time on a mission to rescue lobsters in danger of becoming dinner at the New Year’s Grand Dinner Buffet. Eudora Jenkins, a third grader who lives on the AstroLiner spaceship Athena, is enthusiastically reckless when it comes to creating fun, and her favorite activities involve anything that will get her to the ship’s bridge–where one day she hopes to have her own seat as the chief engineer. In the meantime, Eudora is focused on pranking the grown-ups on board, until she discovers that they plan to consume her beloved lobsters from her father’s laboratory.

To save the doomed crustaceans—some of whom she has aptly named Red, Bluey, and Mister Claw—Eudora drags along her best friend, Arnold, on a secret expedition. But in classic Eudora style, the two run into a serious snag along the way when enemy Qlaxons threaten to attack the Athena, and Eudora just happens to be in the vicinity when their ominous message comes through. While it might seem far fetched to build an intergalactic spectacle around lobsters, these amusing storylines come together in a satisfying manner, and Horn’s cheeky style pairs nicely with Eudora’s penchant for outlandish action to make this playful space yarn a winner. (The pun of the subtitle captures the book’s spirit.)

Hoover’s black and white illustrations lend extra comedy, especially her depiction of the wide-eyed and shell-shocked lobsters as they watch the drama unfolding around them from the safety of Eudora’s backpack. The feel-good ending will please readers who value tidy conclusions and animal life, and despite the comic mayhem Eudora, as always, exemplifies the message of aiming big and holding true to your beliefs. Younger readers will appreciate the antics and also the space-themed word search at the end.

Takeaway: Eudora returns to save animals aboard her family’s spaceship in this entertaining caper.

Great for fans of: R.L. Ullman’s Epic Zero series, Mike Nawrocki’s Squirreled Away.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-