What do you get when you mix a girl who has always lived with her grandmother, her pet hedgehog Spike, an uncle she has never met, and a new home in Area 51? Yes, that Area 51 - home of all things UFO and alien. Well, in the case of Sky, you get a girl who makes friends with Elvis, the alien boy living next door, his dog Pickles makes friends with Spike, and they all decide to help her uncle solve the mystery of some missing aliens.

This book combines the bumpiness of trying to integrate two strangers into a family, the nervous jitters of starting a new school, and a police investigation. Where did the missing aliens go? Did someone take them? Have they left behind spouses and children to return to their home planet? As part of security, Sky's uncle is particularly concerned with finding the missing group, even more so once he is accused of being part of their disappearance.

The illustrations make it even more laugh-out-loud funny. There are images of Spike and Pickles (aww), the various aliens that live in Area 51 - including some that look like bunches of bubbles, and scenes of go carts racing through the base and secret bunkers under the homes. For kids who enjoy humor, mystery, and action mixed together, this is a great story. Think "Men in Black" for the elementary crowd.

I really enjoyed reading, The Area 51 Files. A little longer than I would expect but there's plenty of action to keep the reader engaged! Plus having illustrations in each chapter will help the reluctant and struggling reader along the way. A must for all libraries!

What a fantastically funny sci-fi tale! What else is a 12-year-old forced to live in Area 51 do but make friends with the aliens? As a mystery unfolds, it is up to them to solve it--and try to stay out of trouble. A sure hit with fans of Captain Underpants, sci-fi, Spacekid iLK, and We're Not From Here.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Thank you so much Netgalley, @tbrbeyondtours & @juliebuxbaum for the ARC!😍

I loved the inspiration behind the book! I was already excited to see how the writer utilized the plot but the story of how it came into existence absolutely melted my heart❤️ The story itself was super adorable, whimsical, light hearted and one that took my mind off serious stuffs for a while. It is fast paced and both the narration and the characters are engaging and humourous. Recommended ✨

It was a lovely book. I quite enjoyed myself reading and marvelling at the art and I liked the mixture of science fiction with the mystery that Sky and her friends have to solve. While I felt the book’s humor declined with time, I’m sure that young readers will enjoy the book very much.

This is a super cute science fiction adventure for lower middle grade readers. Sky and her friends learn some important lessons about looking beneath the surface and giving people a chance, all while solving a mystery and eating a ton of pizza.

The story is full of silly jokes and emotional moments, never taking itself too seriously, but giving kids the chance to see some diversity in action.  There’s a beautiful found family feel to the relationships on the base and it was nice to see a hedgehog as a pet!

Thank you to Netgalley, TBR and Beyond Tours and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

The Area 51 Files is a funny and fast moving middle grades novel with many illustrations throughout the book. This book would be great for kids in grades 2-5 (or about ages 8-11).

Sky, her pet hedgehog Spike, her new (alien) friend Elvis, and his dog (real) Pickles make quick friends and try to find the lost Break Throughs. Sky knows her uncle is being framed, but can she and Elvis find out what happened to the missing aliens?

There are lots of silly character names and jokes younger readers will love. The Area 51 Files would be great for readers who love space, aliens, mysteries or fun books.

The Area 51 Files was a no for me. Too many inconsistencies in the storyline. For instance, upon arriving Sky wasn't allowed to leave the house but leaves and makes a friend and this is not addressed. Also they say no to bullying but are kind of bullies. There is also ridiculous names for things and people. I'm sure this will have its audience of young people who love constant jokes about farts.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was very cute! As a kid who moved around a lot, I appreciated that Sky turns the changes in her life into an adventure. The hedgehog is really cute and allows Sky to be less alone.

I loved these characters and from the start, I was pulled in. It is clear some of the humor didn’t land with me. As I understand a lot of kids in the age range are testing boundaries but “potty humor” is not my thing. There are many, many fart jokes.

Overall, this was something different and I liked the aliens plot and discussion of being an outsider. 3.5

Area 51 is the military facility located in southern Nevada and managed by the U.S. Air Force. Conspiracy theories have piled up over the years that extraterrestrial life is a part of this iconic place. The humans there may not appreciate the extra attention the first title in this new series will bring, but middle grade kids won’t care and should thoroughly enjoy a fun mystery.

For starters you meet Sky, the 12-year-old narrator, as she describes her first moments at Area 51. Grandma can’t take care of her anymore after moving to a retirement community and now it’s up to Uncle Anish to take over. He lives inside Area 51 and once there you can never leave.

It’s not long before Sky realizes there are aliens everywhere (or as they are called inside Area 51: Break Throughs). They include her new friend Elvis, who looks like a normal boy about her age but appears different to each human interacting with him. Together they try and discover who helped a group of Break Throughs escape. All signs point to Sky’s Uncle but she feels certain it has to be someone else.

Full of puns and jokes, the tale moves along at a nice pace. Text is enhanced with creative illustrations like the one on the cover. Images inside the pages of THE AREA 51 FILES will for sure make you smile. The mystery is wrapped up nicely by the end, but more alien/human fun will be forthcoming in a book 2.

Lighthearted and perfect for those needing a break from the more serious novels.

(For the full review at ALWAYS in the MIDDLE visit the link below)

The Area 51 Files, by Julie Buxbaum, was a quick, easy read. It is full of juvenile humor that is notorious among many middle schoolers. There are also aliens, for those who enjoy that. As an adult, it gave me a giggle because it reminded me so much of things my students would find hilarious.

Sky never knew her Uncle Anish Patel and never expected to go live with him in Area 51 with aliens. Leaving everything she knew to move to the secluded and secretive place in the desert was not high on her list and becoming best friends with an alien, Elvish, wasn't either. When aliens go missing and her uncle is accused of the kidnapping, Sky, Elvis, and Zane, a presumed bully, join forces to uncover the mystery. Humor laces through the seriousness of the kidnappings and the family concerns helping lighten the material. The black and white illustrations that add to the prose keep the humor and the mystery going through every page. This is a hilarious page-turner keeping readers glued to find out what happens next.

Sky Patel-Baum is moving to Area 51 to live with the uncle she's never met. When she gets there, there is a whole community of Break Throughs (aka aliens) including her new best friend, Elvis. Not everything is going smoothly when Sky discovers that a group of break throughs disappeared the moment she arrived and her uncle is the prime suspect. Together with Elvis and their pets, Sky sets out to solve the mystery and clear her uncle's name.

This one is a harder one for me to review because I didn't love it, but I could easily share it with a crowd of Big Nate and Wimpy Kid fans. The book is chalk full of fart humor. The character names or utterly ridiculous, and the baddies generally appear to be baddies from the first page. I give it 4 stars because it was a silly romp with very little substance but still appeals to the primary audience.

The book has a good premise and plot. felt the book had to much potty humor. The book had great illustrations and other than toliet humor book was well written

This was an easy read and held the readers attention. The story of what really happens in Area 51 is a great read for those into science fictions stories. The plot and story line were amazing and creative. I highly suggested it to the ELA teachers at my school,. There are so many different discussions that could take place during the reading of this book. Great Job!!!

Sky is a 12 year old girl who has to move in with her uncle. Unbeknownst to her, her uncle lives in Area 51! When some aliens go missing her and her knew friends set out to find them, before something disastrous happens!

Quirky characters and silly shenanigans make this book one of my favorites for this age group. Fast paced and fun, this middle grade book is well written and will capture anyone's imagination, regardless of age.

This was the perfect book for engaging middle grade readers. It's filled with action, aliens, fart jokes and funny illustrations. I love the characters names. What kid won't laugh at Agent Belcher and Agent Fartz? The story itself is very entertaining, but the drawings really enhanced the book. In most of the illustrations, Spike, the hedgehog, holds up signs with his own commentary (usually asking for pizza).

I received this book from TBR and Beyond Tours/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

OMG THIS was fun! I loved it! It was hard to read as it was a PDF so I had to read it on my phone, but definitely worth the many headaches. XD I laughed so hard. Aliens. Area-51. Mystery. Friendship (though I wasn't always agreeing with the whole Zane stuff it just felt a bit too much like we need to forgive those poor bullies stuff I have been seeing too much in books lately). Fun illustrations. A hedgehog. A dog. Pizza. Waffle Fries. Family. Read the book girl!

Look forward to a 15 reactions to the book coming to my blog on September 12th!

A new series complete with fun illustrations and fart jokes will ensure readers will be looking for the next book. Sky Patel-Baum along with her pet hedgehog is sent to Area 51 in the Nevada desert to live with her uncle, a top officer at this top-secret military base. A base where humans and Break Throughs (aka aliens) have been living together for decades. Sky and her boy alien neighbor, Elvis, find themselves trying to clear her uncles name when some Break Throughs go missing the same day she arrives.
Fun for the reader, but would also be a fun read-a-loud with lots of giggling to be sure. Book #2, expected in Summer ’23.

Life has suddenly changed for twelve-year-old Sky Patel-Baum. Since she was orphaned at three months old, she has been living with her grandmother in California. But now, her grandmother has moved to a retirement home, which leaves Sky destined for Nevada to reside with her Uncle Anish in Area 51. Not only does Sky not know her uncle, but she knows nothing about Area 51 or what she will find once she gets there. She is inserted into a community of aliens—known as Break Throughs—and must do her best to resume some semblance of a normal life. But some Break Throughs have gone missing, and it is up to Sky and her new friends to clear her uncle’s name before it is too late.

This fast-paced and entertaining story is a strong fit for newer young adult readers thanks to its energy, excellent pacing, and overall design. The text is highly accessible, and it reads in a very conversational tone with Sky at its center. Funny phrasing and puns appear throughout the narrative, and readers will especially appreciate the comic and relevant names of the adults in the story. Fantastic illustrations accompany the text and appear on nearly every page, allowing readers both a visual respite and a complement to the events taking place in the story. These images often include asides made by pets Pickles and Spike which serve to greatly enhance the narrative. Individually, the text and illustrations tell compelling stories; together, though, they feed off of one another to construct an even more magnetic plot that will keep the pages turning.

While this story takes place in a speculative version of the enigmatic Area 51, the characters are nonetheless appealing and accessible. From very recognizable emotions to similar experiences in middle school and with bullies, middle grade readers will feel drawn to the characters and their plight despite the obvious differences from reality. The pacing of this story is superb, especially thanks to the brief chapters and frequent inclusion of illustrations. While it is a shorter middle grade novel for this reason, it lacks nothing in the way of storytelling prowess; on the contrary, it does a noteworthy job of getting to the heart of the tale without too much fanfare. Heartfelt and humorous, this is an entertaining story that is sure to delight newer middle grade readers along with anyone who has ever wondered what really happens in Area 51. It is a great addition to library collections for middle grade readers.