The Area 51 Files - by Julie Buxbaum

About the Book

"When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she never imagines she'll end up in Area 51, a top-secret military base with a bajillion rules. Sky feels like she's landed in a whole new world, even though she hasn't left the planet. Because guess what? Area 51 is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. But somthing even stranger is happeing in Area 51: aliens are going missing. Where could they be? How come everyone thinks Sky and her uncle are involved in their disappearance? And why are there eyeballs in the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle School?"--

Book Synopsis

Aliens, sassy hedgehogs, and unexplained disappearances . . . Oh, my! Discover the secrets of the universe in this hilarious, highly illustrated middle-grade series from New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum.

"Epically fun!"--Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she didn't imagine she'd end up here: Area 51. A top-secret military base with a bajillion rules and so classified not even the president knows its secrets.

Also, it turns out the place is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. But they prefer to be called Break Throughs, thank you very much.

As Sky sets out to explore her extraordinary new home with her pizza-obsessed pet hedgehog Spike, she meets her otherworldly next-door neighbor Elvis and his fluffy pup, Pickles. But something mysterious is afoot in Area 51. Some of the Break Throughs have gone missing... at the exact same time Sky arrived.

Where could they be? How can Sky and her uncle convince everyone they had nothing to do with the disappearance? And why does the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle have eyeballs in it? New best friends Sky, Elvis, Spike, and Pickles try to crack the case, but the clock is ticking...

Review Quotes

A 2023 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Novel!

"A chapter book and graphic novel hybrid, it's bursting with fantastical extraterrestrial life-forms."--The New York Times

"Epically fun! Overflowing with aliens, adventure, mystery, and adorable animal sidekicks!"--Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

"The Area 51 Files has everything you could possibly want from a middle grade novel: inventive characters, witty banter, hilarious jokes, charming illustrations, amusing extraterrestrials, action, adventure, mystery--and a snarky hedgehog. It's funny, gripping, touching and all-around wonderful."--Stuart Gibbs, New York Times bestselling author of the Spy School series

"Filled with equal parts mystery and belly-laughs, The Area 51 Files delivers an alien invasion of out-of-this-world fun."--Gordon Korman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Restart

"Kids are going to love this unputdownable, extra-fun, extra-hilarious, extra-mysterious, extraterrestrial adventure."--Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series and the Upside-Down Magic series

"Buxbaum's middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu's black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose... Contagiously goofy and fun."--Kirkus Reviews

"Good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

JULIE BUXBAUM is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels Tell Me Three Things, What to Say Next, Hope and Other Punch Lines, and Admission. She also wrote the critically acclaimed The Opposite of Love and After You. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She frequently has UFOs (Unidentified Food Objects) all over her shirt.

LAVANYA NAIDU is a children's book illustrator and animator, born and raised in Kolkata. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, she has worked on numerous children's books as well as animation projects. She currently lives in Melbourne and recently completed her role as the head of design on the animated kids series The Strange Chores (season 2) at 12field Animation. In her spare time, Lavanya enjoys collecting dinosaur models and befriending dogs.