Jason and the Escape from Bat Planet

Greer, Gery; Ruddick, Bob; Sims, Blanche L.

ISBN 10: 0060212225 ISBN 13: 9780060212223

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1969

Synopsis

Jason Harkness and Cooper Vor return as the Intragalactic Troubleshooting Team as they go on a death-defying voyage to the Bat Planet to rescue Finny Ikkit from Mile High Cliff, where the Demon Bats of Bluggax are holding him prisoner.

About this title

From Booklist:

Gr. 2-4. This third offering in the Intragalactic Troubleshooting Team series (most recently Jason and the Lizard Pirates [1992]) provides nonstop action and plenty of humor in a decidedly offbeat fantasy. Jason Harkness is summoned by his alien neighbor, Cooper Vor, to help rescue inventor Finny Ikkit from the evil clutches of General Batso and the Demon Bats from the planet Bluggax (it seems the general is perturbed because one of Ikkit's inventions turned him pink). Assisted by Coop's talking cat creature, Lootna, the boys rush to Bluggax, enter a cave whose facade resembles a face (through the left nostril, of course), and proceed through a maze of tunnels to accomplish their rescue. They make liberal use of Ikkit's wacky inventions--one allows them to walk through walls, for example--and never seem in any real danger. Short chapters, large typeface, and frequent black-and-white illustrations add to the story's appeal, making this a good choice for readers searching for sophisticated beginning chapter books. Kay Weisman

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-Jason and his alien buddy, Coop, try to provide some excitement for early elementary readers in this 11-chapter adventure, the third in a series. Throw in Lootna, a "beautiful black cat creature...with silky black fur and glowing purple eyes," and you've got a space trio with infinite potential for saving the universe. They are on a mission to rescue a benign, absent-minded inventor, Finny Ikkit, who is being held prisoner by an outraged demon bat leader who was turned pink by one of Finny's backfiring inventions. The bats prove to be stereotypical, beady-eyed adversaries. This story of freewheeling good guys against inept, militaristic villains is inconsequential, but is a harmless stepping stone to headier stuff like Jonathan Etra and Stephanie Spinner's Aliens for Breakfast (Random, 1988) and Jon Scieszka's "Time Warp Trio" (Viking).
John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1969
• ISBN 10: 0060212225
• ISBN 13: 9780060212223
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 92