Akiko: Pieces of Gax

Akiko is an ordinary sixth-grader who happens to have friends from a different planet. Spuckler, Mr. Beeba, Poog and Gax the robot show up to take Akiko for a vacation to Gollarondo, a city that hangs upside down. In a moment of mishap, Gax falls from the city to the ocean below, becoming the property of Hoffelhiff, the ruler of the seas, who then sells individual pieces of Gax to an assortment of buyers all across planet Smoo. Getting back the pieces of Gax is not easy, and sometimes downright dangerous. This ninth book in a ten-book series is an adaptation of the Akiko graphic book series and can be read and enjoyed independently. Funny and sometimes hysterical, well-written, interesting and adventurous, the novel includes the wonderful illustrations of its creator Mark Crilley, and for students who like to read, is even more exciting and worthwhile than its graphic cousins.

The latest in Mark Crilley's Akiko series for upper elementary kids is terrific. My son and I have been the reading the series together. It is a great "read aloud" series. Akiko goes on adventures in outer space with a group of three aliens and a robot. There are wonderful, detailed illustrations - Crilley started as a comic book artist and you can get graphic version of the earlier books in the series. This is one book that adults will enjoy reading with their kids - unlike some other kid books that we just suffer through. It is funny, and has lots of crazy situtations for the characters to get out of.

**** stars Akiko is a fifth grader and has friends from the planet Smoo. Her friends take her to an upside-down city, seriously! When one of her friend's robots named Gax falls off the city into the Moonguzzit Sea. They're in big trouble because everything that falls off the city belongs to the owner of the sea under the city! So the person that owns Gax, named Spuckler wants to get him back, but they get captured! They find out that Gax has been taken apart and sold to three different people. Now they have to find all the pieces of Gax. They go through three amazing adventures in hopes of getting the parts. If you like adventure, I would highly recommend this book!

Mark Crilley's AKIKO: PIECES OF GAX tells of a pleasure trip to Gollarondo with Pog, Gax and others - to a city which has been built completely upside down. When robot Gax accidentally falls into the Moonguzzit Sea he becomes the property, by law, of the ruler of the seas: can Akiko and her friends retrieve the now-disassembled Gax? A vivid plot and fine fantasy make for a moving story: