A middle-grade sci-fi book about Archer and Zowie: Two best friends who, after some inventing in the kitchen using a permanent marker and a little anti-matter, are surprised to find that the microwave oven can now:Mash up and chew on the whole universe in less than a second.Order sandwiches.Wants to kill them.Archer and Zowie is a science fiction adventure taking two best (but very opposite) … Zowie is a science fiction adventure taking two best (but very opposite) friends on a wild journey through space in their homemade spaceship. They battle dark matter, babysitters, teleporting microwaves, giant penguin aliens, and even the author of this book to come out on the other side…still friends.
The right friends can free us to be ourselves.
“Hans Bluedorn has encapsulated childhood imagination at its fullest.”— DeAnna Squire, Reedsy
The author of The Fallacy Detective has written again. This time, he tackles friendship and self-esteem for kids using his comedy-of-the-absurd humor.
Children and preteens will learn:
- Astronomy, geography, physics, and other bits of science.
- Vocabulary to feed the imagination.
- Friendship. Being friends with somebody who sees the world differently is hard, but rewarding.
- Self-esteem and identity. Learning to see yourself and like who you are.
Archer and Zowie has the character of Beverly Cleary’s Romona Quimby, with the wild imagination of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Other inspirations were Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, Madeleine L’ Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.
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This book was quirky, fun! I was pleasantly surprised. It was an easy read and full of lively imagination; if one likes Calvin and Hobbes, they would really like Archie and Zowie!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The author has a lot of imagination for sure! This book is a fun read for those under age 12. Older children may lose interest part way through the book, like mine did. That said, Archer and Zowie sure know how to keep from being bored. If your child likes imaginative adventure of the impossible kind get this book for a remarkable reading adventure.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love this author’s sense of humor as it shines through in this book. I had so much fun reading this that I could not stop reading. The book is well-written and, of course, the characters are the best!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story of Archer and Zowie shows how friendship is not always easy, but it is worth it in the end. I also really appreciate the example they show for using their imaginations and getting outside and playing, something that doesn’t happen a lot in this digital age. I would totally put this book in my school library.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I wish I could write a review where you could hear the giggles of my 5, 7 and 10 year old as they asked me to reread Zoey’s silly questions and misinterpretations of Archer’s articulate extrapolations about the meaning of life, space travel, and the proper use of microwaves – excuse me, “teleportees.” Truly ingenious work – funny and silly for my young children while smuggling in astrophysics 101, philosophy 101, anything else worth learning 101. In addition, I wish Hans Bluedorn could have been a fly on the wall to see how my children delighted in his book. The most common word they uttered when I read was “again!” — whether scenes or entire chapters. Here are some other things they requested: At the breakfast table: “Hey dad, Archer and Zowie?” At the dinner table, “Hey dad, Archer and Zowie?” At the very least, they requested we read Archer and Zowie before bed, always pleading for “just one more chapter! Please?!? Come on, dad!” This book also created inside jokes for my kids and myself. Throughout the day my kids would ask me, “Dad remember when Zowie said…” or “Dad, remember when Zowie did…” This book is so worth the purchase and your time. I would HIGHLY recommend (so much so I yelled “highly”) reading it out loud to your children. On a side note, I am a philosophy professor and I am thinking of using a few scenes in class — it is really that good. This book is comical, but then it makes you think about questions like: “What does it mean to be human?” “Why am I here?” And, “What can we order from the teleportee that will get us back home?” You really can’t ask much more from a book.
Except, of course, a sequel!
Mr. Bludedorn, we are waiting. : )
Thank you for the experience your book brought to our family.
Sincerely,
Clint Rothell, along with Isaac, Jonathan, and Lily
Fantastically imaginative and silly, in a good way. I read this to my 8-year-old granddaughter and she giggled all the way through. There is also a ton of great facts, which made her curious to find out more about space. One of the wonderful things about it was the friendship between the two main characters. They are have very different personalities, but enjoy each other and get along well, anyway. I loved the book, and so did she.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was an exciting book to read! It was really unpredictable what was going to happen next which I personally enjoy…
The only thing I didn’t like is that it is sometimes hard to tell whether Archer and Zowie are actually playing in the back yard or if they are actually traveling to outer space. I don’t usually read science fiction, so maybe that’s why. I am ten years old.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book is about Archer and Zowie, two friends who share imaginative adventures together. They travel to space, battle alien penguins and a Teleportee. As they adventure together, they learn about the world around them, gain a better understanding of their differences, and how to accept those differences. Archer and Zowie grow in their friendship and also learn about themselves and self-acceptance. “It’s a good thing to get a real glimpse of who you are from the outside. To see things about yourself that you could never see with a mirror. It’s good to like who that is.”
This seems to be written for an 8-10 year old audience. I didn’t much care for the potty talk, but I am sure that my boys would think it hilarious. This is a quirky, but fun story to read and I am sure that many children will enjoy it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.