| The Tattletales and Copycats are back, a month after the events of the Six Haunted Hairdos -- and Santa Claus has been kidnapped by aliens! Actually, Hamlet, Vermont mayor Timothy Grass, who's kind of sweet on the kids' teacher, Miss Germaine Earth, dressed up as Santa for the school party and disappeared on Christmas Eve. Nobody knows what happened to him; the boys think it was Bigfoot, the girls wonder whether he got snatched into another time to be a "Christmas Carol" ghost. But Mayor Grass has been grabbed by five Fixipuddlings -- green aliens under the command of their bossy leader Pimplemuss (9 feet tall, 6 eyes, tentacles and green fingerpads), who wants to earn enough merit badges to become Serene Queen of Fixipuddle -- and kept a prisoner in their busted space ship the "Loiterbug," because they got the impression Santa was a dictator who enslaves small green elves to work in his shops. It's up to the kids, with the help of Reebok (Pearl Hotchkiss's dog) to get to the bottom of the mystery and free Mayor Grass. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - very upbeat FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - an adult (general) Spying & Investigations Yes What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14) Descript. of chases or violence - 10 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 % Main Character Identity: - Female Profession/status: Age: - a kid Main Adversary Identity: - Female Alien Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can change shapes - can talk to animals Eccentric: Yes How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Terrain Earth setting: - 20th century Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript |
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