Dear Flyary

January 15, 2012
It may have a loose tarsnaggle, a sticky megalad and a hole in the flyjacker, but Frazzle's Model 7 spaceship is positively flixsome. A little alien--with his one great dewy eye, he's a dear, cyclopean ant-head--gets a flyary (diary) for his dropday (birthday), which he duly fills with the joys and travails of his first spaceship. Same as it ever was: The spaceship works like a dream for a few months, then starts to give Frazzle the vapors when it starts make strange noises. Good old Wurpitz Hoolo, the whiz mechanic, assures him that Model 7s are known for their harmless, if odd boinks, piffles and ticks. Young lards the text with enough otherworldly words--noteymaker to exboom to peepered--to keep readers on their toes and to beef up what is essentially a story about remaining true to your old and trusty friends, in this case a spaceship that gradually turns from sleek sky-streaker to old jalopy ("But I still bigheart my little 'rugger' Model 7," says Frazzle), despite the flash and dazzle of the new. Adding to the endearment factor are Martz's illustrations, as shiny and color-shot as ribbon candy, from Hoolo's classic mechanic's shop to the traffic jam on the flyway. There is much fun to be had sounding out words and guessing at their meaning and roots, as planet Harbat's jabberwocky attests. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-Frazzle is a one-eyed, four-eared inhabitant of a distant planet, though his predicament will be familiar to Earthlings. When he receives his very first spaceship, he also receives a "flyary," in which he shares concerns about the Model 7's strange noises, exhibits relief when the vehicle does not "exboom," and demonstrates a fond attachment to the machine, even though a somewhat jazzier Model 8 has come on the market. Frazzle is as unflinchingly loyal to his prize possession as many children are to a beloved toy. At the end, the spaceship does require an entirely new engine, but Frazzle still grins "from ear to ear." Zany cartoon drawings add sparkle, and the diary format could be a useful model for student writing. However, the abundance of made up words such as "wervous," "blustrating," "snilkum," "gladdier," and "woppasopp" will make this story inaccessible to many students attempting to read it independently. The language might also limit its use as a read-aloud. An additional purchase.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
In his flyary (diary), Frazzle records all the quirks and noises of his new spaceship, which also signal the inevitable: breakdown on the flyway (highway). Rather than trade it in for another model, Frazzle just replaces the engine. A clever invented alien vocabulary and superfluous diary format pad what is otherwise a thin plot about loyalty. Alien-filled retro illustrations are engaging.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)