Galaxy Zack Hello, Nebulon!
Written by Ray ORyan
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Reviewed by Jonah D. (age 8)
Galaxy Zack Hello, Nebulon! is about a boy named Zack Nelson who is moving from Earth to a planet called Nebulon. Zack feels sad that he’s leaving his best friend, Bert, and his dog Luna. When Zack and his family are on their way to Nebulon, Zack falls asleep and has a bad dream. In his dream, he’s at school and the kids are monsters and the teacher is a two-headed snake. As they’re landing at Nebulon, they see flying cars. Then, Fred Stevens, Zack’s dad’s boss, greets them and shows them shelves full of boxes. He tells them to pick a box. Zack picks the green box and it automatically changed into a car. Zack and his family get in the car and fly to their new house. They park the car in their garage and get into a flying elevator. The elevator flies through tubes and stops at the kitchen. They hear a voice and then Mr. Nelson, Zack’s dad, explains that it is an Indoor Robotic Assistant, Ira for short. Ira is a computer companion that can help people do things, like if you ask for a cup of tea, Ira will give you one. Next, Mr. Nelson tells Zack and his twin sisters to go explore their bedrooms. Mrs. Nelson calls everyone down for dinner. Zack tells his mom that living on Nebulon might not be so bad. After dinner, Mrs. Nelson tells Zack that they registered him at Sprockets Academy and that he is starting school the next day. Zack remembers his bad dream and worries that he won’t like what he sees at school. Zack goes to bed and thinks that nobody at Sprockets Academy will like him and he wishes that his friend, Bert was with him on Nebulon. The next day, Zack goes to school and meets his teacher, Mrs. Rudolph. He finds out that she is from Earth. Will Zack find friends on Nebulon? You will have to read the book to find out!
I like Galaxy Zack Hello, Nebulon because it has advanced tech. For example, Ira is computer that is wired throughout Zack’s house and is like a butler. Hello, Nebulon reminds me of when I moved to my new house. At first, I did not feel comfortable at the house because it was too big and I thought I was going to get lost. I like the illustration of Zack when he is looking out the window into outer space because it reminds me of the poem, “Weather” by Eve Merriam.
I recommend this book to kids in elementary school who like tech and outer space. If you have ever moved and you didn’t want to go, this book will inspire you to think that the new place is not so bad and help you learn that you can make friends and be happy.