SPHDZ 4 Life!

By Jon Scieszka and Shane Prigmore

Don’t miss the stunning, riveting, hilarious, and 100% fresh conclusion to the interactive Spaceheadz saga!

The SPHDZ accomplished their goal of recruiting 3.14 million and one SPHDZ. But the brainwave has been stolen by the chief of the Anti Alien Agency, and it’s up to Michael K., the SPHDZ, and their allies to get it back.

With three potential Chief sightings, the team is spread around the world, leaving Michael K., Venus, TJ, and the SPHDZ to hold down the fort and finish fifth grade. But with a mysterious new principal and graduation fast approaching, will they be able to find the missing brainwave before the Chief uses it to destroy a planet?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Release date: Oct 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781442412972

Jon Scieszka

Jon Scieszka is the National Ambassador for Children's Literature emeritus and the bestselling author of more than twenty-five books for kids, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Math Curse, Robot Zot!, and the Time Warp Trio series. Jon founded Guys Read to encourage a passion for reading among young boys, with the philosophy that boys love to read most when they are reading things they love. A former elementary school teacher, Jon lives in Brooklyn with his family. For more great books, more great facts, and more about your favorite authors, head over to www.guysread.com. You'll be glad you did.

Book preview

section

Spring bloomed beautiful in Brooklyn.

Flowers unfolded.

Bees buzzed.

A flock of pigeons circled high in the bright blue sky.

But none of that mattered.

Because

1. the chief of the AAA had turned out to be a bad Spaceheadz in disguise!

2. the chief had stolen the Spaceheadz Brainwave!

3. the chief was going to bllrrp the planet Gonf!

4. the chief was sure to turn off Earth!

And now the only group that could stop him was down to its last plan.

Michael K./his friends Venus and TJ/Spaceheadz Bob, Jennifer, and Major Fluffy/DarkWave X agents Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot/Mom K., Dad K., and Baby K./AAA agents Hot Magenta and Umber sat around the table inside Spaceheadz HQ.

The flickering light of the Spaceheadz TVs lit their very serious faces.

We’ve tried everything, said DarkWave X agent Delta.

We are beat, said Dad K.

"So not LEMON FRESH," said Bob.

Eeeek eeee eeee, said Major Fluffy.

Gooo goo gah, agreed Baby K.

Michael K. stood up at the head of the table. We have to take back our Brainwave and save the world. We are not beat yet.

Everyone around the table grumbled.

"We have ALL NATURAL failed our SPHDZ assignment," said Jennifer.

"We are FAT FREE SPHDZ disgrace," said Bob.

The Spaceheadz HQ TV screens flashed a checkerboard of commercials showing steaming tacos, value-menu cheeseburgers, extra-cheesy cheese puffs, hot chunky salsa, and red-hot potato chips.

We’ve tried everything, said TJ. What else can we do?

Week eeek eee eeek eee, Major Fluffy suggested. Squee eeek eek eeee eek eek eee eee.

section

Great idea," said Venus.

What’s a great idea? asked Delta.

Week eeek eee eeek eee, Major Fluffy repeated.

I don’t speak Hamster, said Delta.

Woof woof bark bark slobber sniff?

Or Dog.

Goo gar goo goo?

Or Baby.

Venus typed Major Fluffy’s ideas into the translator on fluffysblog.com. Major Fluffy says he has made a PowerPoint of all of the plans we’ve tried so far, Venus said, reading her screen. And he thinks we should watch it and see if we can think of anything we haven’t tried.

That is a great idea, said Michael K.

Major Fluffy—you handle the laptop, said Venus. I’ll do the talking.

Eeeee, said Major Fluffy. He hopped on Venus’s computer.

A bright white square flashed on the Spaceheadz HQ wall.

Fluffy clicked on the first PowerPoint slide.

section

Plan A seemed like a good one, said Venus. Team DarkWave X blasted AAA HQ and the chief with their IWANT Pulsar."

Michael K. nodded. "It should have made the chief want Purple Nertz, a tastier taste snack, and want to give us back the Brainwave.

Too bad the chief bounced the wave back at them, and doubled its power.

I really do want some Purple Nertz, said Delta.

Me too, said Echo.

Me too, said Foxtrot.

Fluffy clicked a new slide. Venus continued.

But the worst part was—the chief used the double-strength WantWaves to make DarkWave X want to give the Pulsar to the chief. So they did. And now the chief has the IWANT Pulsar, too.

Agent Delta shook his head.

Sorry. We couldn’t help ourselves. We just wanted to so bad.

section

Then Mom K. and Dad K. launched Plan B," said Venus.

"ATOMIC SMACKDOWN!" cheered Jennifer.

Well . . . sort of, said Venus. "At least, that was the idea. Mom K. wrote five hundred and thirty-seven top secret reports to the president, the vice president, the one hundred senators in all fifty states, and the four hundred thirty-five state representatives in Congress.

Dad K. cranked out ads and billboards warning that the chief was evil.

STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER! said Bob.

Yeah, said Venus. "But too bad the chief had already sent out his own reports that Mom K. was not a real American.

And too bad the chief changed all the billboards.

section

And then Agent Hot Magenta had a brilliant Plan C for a digital attack.

Which got instantly hacked.

section

Which was followed by Agent Umber’s . . . uh . . . interesting Plan D."

Maybe not your best AAA disguise, said Agent Hot Magenta.

Reviews for SPHDZ 4 Life!

[christopher.kyle1706 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked going into the world with Michael, Bob & Jennifer. Some of the plots were mixed up with other plots, and some plots were messed around with . Except for the plot mix-up and mess up I really enjoyed it. It had some mature & non-mature parts in the story. My favorite part was when Michael K. meet the SPHDZ, and they wanted him to become one! Cannot wait to read the next book!
Definitely a Good Read!

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

May be good for a reluctant reader. The references to the commercial slogans are funny.

[hatease · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Michael K. is a 5th grader who just transferred to a new school and is having a hard time making new friends because they are all aliens! They then have a mission and a hamster as their leader.Coming of age for boys5-6

[thomasakindeko7268 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesomeness! It was so good and fun to read. YOLO!!!

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing. I prefer the Time Warp Trio.

[asomers_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Everything that I didn't like about this story is why it will probably appeal to the most reluctant readers. The short choppy dialgue, the bizare situations, the ideas of aliens arriving in the form of pet hamsters.... all things my male reaers would enjoy.

[mopbroek07 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stars: ThemeAge: IntermediateThis book is a good example of the Science Fiction genre because it involves aliens and advanced technology, such as that used for hunting aliens. However, the author still makes the story feel real by using an average fifth-grader, with understandable emotions and reactions, as the main character.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Michael K. is the new boy in fifth grade. Being new is never fun but it's even worse when the other new kids in the class turn out to be aliens who have no concept of how to act like normal kids. They spout lines from old tv shows since Earth tv was beamed into their planet and is how they understand earthlings. Michael doesn't want to be associated with Bob and Jennifer or their commander, who is apparently the class hamster, but he cannot seem to escape them. For their part, they are innocently convinced that Michael K. is the help they need in order to save the Earth and keep it from being turned off. Silliness and outright goofiness abound here but there's not much explanation of the danger facing Earth that Michael K. so needs to help avert. The bumbling of Agent Umber (all the good color names were taken) is slightly reminiscent of Steve Martin's Inspector Clouseau with the chief difference that he does not, in the end, catch the aliens. Short and quick, this is the first in a projected series and seems almost to exist mainly to introduce the characters as there is little further explanation of the dire crisis facing our planet. There are ecological snippets scattered amongst the chapters, which perhaps give a clue to the ultimate crisis but it seems that further books in the series are needed for it to be stated explicitly.I'm passing this one along to the youngest son to see what his take on it is, given that he's within the target age range for it. I only wish my ARC had finished artwork so he could have the full experience. In any case, I suspect it will be welcome reading as he tries to read for a half hour a day for more than 50 days over the summer to earn an ice cream party when school starts next year.

[ronrose1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fifth grade was never this bad, was it? First day in a new school and the two kids sitting next to Michael K. are either the weirdest kids ever or they are space aliens. (Well they must be from outer space because Dillard Picklebury from my fourth grade class was the weirdest kid ever. But I digress.) Bob and Jennifer let Michael know right away, that they are spaceheadz from another planet. Michael wishes he was on another planet or at least not assigned to sit next to these two loonies. Despite his best efforts, he is repeatedly drawn into their company. He eventually starts to see things from their perspective. He finds himself saving them not only from the dangers of the local crosswalk, but also from the ever vigilant, often incompetent, Agent Umber, of AAA, the Anti Alien Agency. This book is a lot fun. It is full of good humor and many references to current catch phrases and slogans from television that young readers will be familiar with. References throughout the book are given to current websites created for the book, that will enhance the reader's enjoyment. Great fun, with situations that will amuse middle schoolers.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

What the... what? I was so excited about this book, but now I'm just... confused. Michael K, new kid in school, gets stuck sitting with two very weird also-new kids in his fifth grade class. They keep telling him they're aliens (Spaceheadz, actually) and that they have to get 3.14 million people to become SPHDZ or the Earth will be turned off. Their only knowledge of the Earth is from commercials and television, so that's their frame of reference. I can get on board with the wacky. That's not my thing, really, but I know some kids go gaga for it. My problem is that it feels like half a story. And I know that it's the first book in a series, but... nothing really happened. We met the characters. They had some hijinx. And then it ended. There's no real urgency, "turning the Earth off" is never explained. Kids may still read it - it's got a good cover and an interesting premise and maybe they'll laugh at all the toilet paper, pickle phones, and head injuries. But I'm still just saying "What the... what?"**Important to note is that I'm reviewing from an ARC without the final artwork. Maybe the art will help me understand it?**