JASON AND THE LIZARD PIRATES

In their second adventure, Cooper Vor, Intragalactic Troubleshooter, has taken on a bigger job than 12-year-old assistant Jason and rabbit-eared housecat Lootna really want: pirates have taken over the fabulous planet Lumaloon, with its diamond moons and diamond palace. But Coop has a plan: he's bought one of inventor Finny Ikkit's party kits that's supposed to create a mock volcano, guaranteed to scare the pirates off Lumaloon. It works, too, thanks to quick thinking and fast talking by Coop and Jason, even though Lootna is captured by the pirates—and even though the party kit is mislabeled and really creates butterflies, birds, and balloons. Genuinely sweet, zany, and funny: a fine change-of-pace readaloud. (Fiction. 8-10)