AKIKO AND THE MISSING MISP

Now in sixth grade, spunky, pigtailed Akiko is back for her tenth Smoovian adventure. In the midst of the First Annual Middleton Mega MangaFest, Akiko finds herself face-to-face with the Akiko Robot, so she knows another journey to the planet Smoo is upon her. When egghead Mr. Beeba accidentally sends her 25 years back into Smoovian history, Akiko must help preserve the correct chain of events—and save the Misp, a crown that grants the wearer great power and ultimately control of Smoo. Faced with this challenge, she must think fast; none of her interplanetary friends recognizes her, since they haven’t met yet! Filled with her trademark moxie, Akiko finds a way to both unearth the stolen Misp and sustain Smoovian history. This fun, light sci-fi romp fits in nicely with its predecessors and is a pleasant addition to this long-standing series. Thanks to plenty of fill-in references to her previous adventures, new readers can easily delve into this installment, although most will likely seek out prior volumes to catch up on more of Akiko’s intergalactic escapades. (art not seen) (Science fiction. 8-10)