The Magic Rocket

Felix enjoys playing with his new toy rocket, but when his dog is captured by aliens, he discovers that he can actually fly it as well and sets out on a rescue mission. By the author of The Squirrel's Thanksgiving.

Grade 1-3-- A fantastic adventure with a promising premise: a magical toy rocket grows to life-size just in time for its young owner, Felix, to pursue a space alien who has kidnapped his dog, Atom. Unfortunately, the flat, matter-of-fact tone of the text diminishes the appeal of the eventful story and makes it difficult to become engaged with Kroll's characters. Felix is little more than the willing pawn of the benevolent rocket/computer that directs his every move. Another weakness is the short, choppy sentences, which contrast strongly with the generally sophisticated vocabulary. The variability of the text calls into question the intended audience. Children will be attracted by the humorous pictures and popular subject matter. Indeed, the illustrations are appealing, showing Felix as a skinny, bespectacled space buff; his dog as a lovable, spotted mutt; and the menancing alien as a red, ant-shaped, human-sized creature. While the story never really gets off the ground, the page layouts are good, with borders reminiscent of starry skies and effective placement of the text. Many young readers won't mind the brisk tone or the slight variations in style; they'll just go along for the ride in The Magic Rocket.
-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.