Can of Worms

Dedicated science-fiction fans will probably find this novel silly, but others looking for something a little wacky and not too taxing may be amused by its rendition of aliens running amok. Sometimes Mike Pillsbury's made-up stories about space battles seem more real to him than his life with two highly successful parents, a popular older sister and a mob of classmates who ""think he's weird."" Mike feels like an alien, but he doesn't actually believe he is one until the SOS message he launches into outer space (""I am being held against my will, trapped by ignorance and cruelty...."") brings all sorts of strange creatures from other planets to his aid. By the time they arrive, Mike has found a girlfriend and decided that earth isn't so bad after all. Not all of his rescuers, however, agree that he should stay put. Mackel (A Season of Comebacks) glosses over the logistics of Mike's communication with aliens as well as his belatedly discovered intergalactic origins. She spends most of her energy describing the various extraterrestrials (ranging from a pink blob of goo to something that looks very much like a poodle) and lamenting Mike's isolation as a classic nerd. Mike's transformation into a hero, like his encounter of the third kind, is, perhaps, a little too far out of this world. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)