I Know What UFO Did Last Summer, as you might guess from the tongue in cheek title, is a fun and at times silly adventure that I think will appeal to kids of all ages. Marvin is obsessed with UFOs and believes an alien invasion is going to happen any day now. In fact at first he suspects his new neighbors may be the tip of a spear for the invasion. When Marvin (code name Gold Leader…Marvin gives everyone code names) and his best friend Jace go camping for the evening, intent on watching the night sky for signs of the invasion, they run in to Nora, the daughter of Marvin’s new neighbor who pretty much invites herself into the adventure. But then some kind of craft crashes in the woods. Could this be the start of an actual alien invasion? Marvin as the narrator of the story is wonderful. His over the top imagination and his humor just kept a smile on my face the entire time. While I am by no means a child, I freely admit to being a child at heart, and I enjoyed this one from start to finish. It has a Goosebumps-ish kind of vibe and I have no doubt it will appeal to readers of that series as well as fans of the recent Disney+ show Star Wars Skeleton Crew. Thanks so much to Temor Press for the ARC.

What a well crafted story! I wish more kids out there would put down their phones and pick up a good adventure book like this one. There are so many fantastic stories out there that really lets the imagination run wild, and this story is one of them! The author has done a great job writing for the intended age group. It is fast paced, exciting, and has memorable characters. It is a very unique plot, with a little bit of sci-fi, bad guys, monsters, and plenty of alien references.

The story is told by Marvin, who is obsessed with UFOs. He always drags his friend Jace into his preparation for an impending alien invasion, and now he has a new next door neighbor to involve too. Her name is Nora, and although she really isn't into Marvin's whole UFO and alien obsession, she doesn't have any new friends yet and decides to follow along. But the three spot a flashing light in the woods, and suddenly, there really is something going on. It's not a UFO, but it's still something that may involve outer space. Throw some actual bad guys into the mix, and three discover they are in for more than they bargained for.

The narrator, Marvin, is hilarious. He tells the entire story as if there really is an alien invasion. The author lets you know through other characters' dialogue that it is not an actual UFO, Marvin sticks to his alien theories. He likes to use code names, referring to himself as "Gold Leader"; Jace loves basketball so he is "Baller One", and Nora is "Space Cadet." Because he is determined that aliens are among us, he is a bit of an unreliable narrator, but that's what makes it so funny.

Not to spoil anything, but there are monsters in the story that could potentially scare younger readers. The monsters make it quite interesting and I was flying through that part to find out what would happen next! Some monsters do "chomp" people, but I don't think it was too scary. I could actually see this being made into the next family action adventure film! It also ends on a cliffhanger, and judging by the title, we should be getting a sequel or an entire series from this story. I think it will be a big hit with kids! Especially those who are "reluctant readers". It's a quirky, exciting story. I definitely recommend that librarians and teachers purchase this one and add it to their collection! If there are any kids signed up for summer reading programs, and they can choose which titles they want, I recommend you give them this one!