Bobo Crazy: Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century

This chipper chapter book imagines life in the year 2049, chronicling the adventures of high-energy fifth-grader Zenon Kar. This is the latest in a series begun with the author-illustrator team's 1996 picture book Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, which led to a Disney Channel movie. Zenon lives on a space station high above earth where live pets are not allowed. She longs for a Tobo brand robotic dog, the hottest toy in the galaxy, but her frugal father buys her a Bobo, a cheaper knock-off, instead. However, something happens to make her appreciate her Bobo for what it is, and to understand her father's attitudes. Kids--especially those caught up in the Furby, or, more recently, Poochi and Meowchi craze--will likely relate to the themes of peer pressure and materialism, which Sadler (the P.J. Funnybunny books) handles admirably by nestling them in a barrage of funky Zenon-speak. As drawn in Bollen's cartoonish style, Zenon could be a cousin of animated character Judy Jetson, arriving at the mall on her hoverboard or zipping to the Mars Malt. Though the premise may not be groundbreaking, the thought of life ""out there"" is still a draw for young readers. Ages 6-9. (Jan.) FYI: A second Zenon movie will air on the Disney Channel this month; a second Zenon chapter book will be published in July 2001.