Invasion of the UFONUTS. (The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut.)

Keller, Laurie.   Invasion of the UFONUTS. (The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut.)  Macmillan/Henry Holt  2014  125p  $12.99      ISBN 978-0-8050-9075-8  elem  Science fiction  VG

Elementary students who enjoy humor will appreciate this new title Invasion of the UFONUTS, the second installment in the Arnie the Doughnut series.  Written in an easy-to-read style, the book features Arnie the doughnut dog and his best friend Peezo.  When Arnie hears his neighbor Loretta Schmoretta telling reporters that she was the victim of an alien abduction, the two begin to wonder what is really happening.  Not only does Arnie learn of alien abductions, but alien doughnuts from outer spastry.  Being a doughnut dog himself, Arnie and his town friends fear being abducted by these aliens.  The downtown bakery is closing its doors, as no one is buying anything since the alien abductors are capturing those on Earth who eat doughnuts.  When Peezo goes missing after a fight with Arnie, Arnie begins to wonder what happened to him.  While searching for Peezo, Arnie himself gets captured by the alien abductors and then he sees Peezo and the others who have been abducted as well.  Thinking the aliens have brainwashed everyone including Peezo, Arnie is determined to find out the truth, even though Peezo had already told him that this was all just a movie production.

The author includes humor, black-and-white illustrations, a dictionary of UFONUT, and information on Arnie’s next adventure.

For schools that use Accelerated Reader, an existing test is available for students to take (AR Quiz # 164554).  There are three titles so far in the Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut series.   Filled with charm and silly humor, these fast-paced chapter books introduce readers to Mr. Bing and Arnie, his new pet "doughnut dog."

Summary: “Arnie is shocked when he hears his neighbor Loretta Schmoretta tell news reporters that she was the victim of an alien abduction.  And not just any aliens--alien doughnuts from outer spastry.  Arnie thinks this is a ridiculous story, that is, until he gets abducted. Arnie must think fast in order to rescue his fellow doughnuts and the townspeople from the alien invaders.” 

Fantasy-Fiction, Humor-Fiction            --Charleen Forba-Mayer