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Space travel is all fun and games until someone breaks the universe.
Jacob Wonderbar has been the bane of every substitute teacher at Magellan Middle School ever since his dad moved away from home. He never would have survived without his best friend Dexter, even if he is a little timid, and his cute-but-tough friend Sarah Daisy, who is chronically overscheduled.
But when the trio meets a mysterious man in silver they trade a corn dog for his sassy spaceship and blast off into the great unknown. That is, until they break the universe in a giant space kapow and a nefarious space buccaneer named Mick Cracken maroons Jacob and Dexter on a tiny planet that smells like burp breath. The friends have to work together to make it back to their little street where the houses look the same, even as Earth seems farther and farther away.
JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW is a middle grade science fiction novel, and will be published in 2011 by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Group USA.
Cover illustration by: Christopher S. Jennings
Cover design: Greg Stadnyk
Book Trailer: Brent Peterson
For more about how I came to write and publish JACOB WONDERBAR, please check out this post.
Add JACOB WONDERBAR to your favorite books on Facebook by clicking this Like button, or visit the JACOB WONDERBAR Facebook page.
Hope you enjoy WONDERBAR!
Hi Nathan,
It's great to see your book posted!
It looks/sounds like it's filled with such creative fun and adventure. I can't wait to read it. And I'm looking forward to reading it to my grandson, who, by the way, is also named Nathan.
Congratulations! You must be very excited.
Where do space monkeys figure in? I mean, nefarious space buccaneers are fantastic, but a MG SF book without space monkeys? Otherwise, it sounds like a fun read and a great start to your trilogy.
That's a great cover! Why don't you represent mg though you can write it?
This is GREAT! As a B&N employee (after I teach science all day), I can see exactly where this will end up in our store — and know exactly will be promoting it!
…that last sentence after the dash? That was supposed to read: "…and know exactly who will be promoting it!"
…ahem…
Congratulations again! It looks hilarious and rollicking and amazing and pretty much everything we've come to love and expect from the mighty Nathan Bransford. 🙂
Am I correct that some people in publishing refer to the explanation of a book (usually printed on the inside cover) as a 'puff'?
Was this also the query letter you sent to agents?
Congratulations Nathan! I love the idea of space pirates!:)
Looks like a great book. Do you know the reading level? I know it is MG interest level but reading levels can vary. I like to help promote books that are suitable for struggling readers.
Thanks
~ Jenna
JAScribbles-
Thank you! Reading level is 8-12
Thanks Nathan – I'll watch for the Lexile score to be determined also. 8 – 12 is kind of a wide range and sounds like the interest level.
Scholastic gives reading levels in terms of grade such as 4.2 or 3.5. It's hard to determine reading level based on age. Interest level – yes. (Ok, I'm trying to inform Nathan Barnsford of a publishing tool. I'm freaking nuts.)
The only reason why I am bringing this up is I wish more middle grade authors would include the *reading* level in their descriptions. I have a son with dyslexia and it would make finding a book so much faster. He's 12 – but cannot always read a book in that interest level range.
Feel free to delete these comments. Again – I'm nuts.
I'm looking forward to it! good luck with sales. 🙂
~ Jenna
Not available on Kindle? After all these weeks of talking about e-books. Perhaps, Amazon will post it at a date closer to the release? I will buy the book for my nephews, but I wanted to read it on Kindle first.
Mary Beth Baron
Mary Beth-
Yeah, it will be available on the Kindle! One more month.
My son listens to audio books, due to his language processing disorder. Will you have an audio version available? This is right in his age group, and sounds like a fun adventure. Thanks!
Hi Nathan,
Sounds perfect for my 8 and 10yr-olds.
I think you should launch film canister rockets at your book "launch" party.
https://tinyurl.com/423q3mm
Congrats, Nathan. How exciting! It looks awesome.
Well isn't that just like a middle-schooler to trade a corndog fot a spaceship, then go out and break the Universe! ~ I like it ~ The best part about being an author, is doing ANYTHING YOU WANT in a story. I like the cover, it catches the eye. [good marketing]
But most of all, CONGRATULATIONS! Just accomplishing a child's book, a novel, anything, is fun. To have it accepted and then published. Fantastic.
I wish the book well!!! ♥
As a former student of children's writing I must say that I find your books fantastic, as well is this blog itself!
I plan on releasing a book or two soon, via my agent, and I hope to keep in contact with this blog and your books.
Best of luck!