Perfect for fans of The Alien Next Door , this second illustrated chapter book in the Outer Space Mystery Pizza Club series is an out-of-this-world adventure! With their trip to Kroon behind them, Mateo, Tina, Booker, and Jennica are back on Earth, Elvis the dog is no longer missing, and all is safe and sound...right? Wrong! Hot on their tails are Grunthar and his motley alien crew. NoWay and Clorox have made their way to Earth, too, ready to help the kids against whatever Grunthar is planning. Tina is determined to be the hero this time, but will she be able to figure out what the alien inventor is up to before it’s too late? Author Bruce Hale and illustrator Luke Séguin-Magee have crafted another rollicking tale featuring extraordinary black-and-white illustrations throughout. "Silliness takes center stage in this second installment...Hale is known for his wacky stories, and this one delivers. Séguin-Magee’s cartoon-style illustrations highlight the various alien life-forms and bring the pizza-fueled plot to life. Recommended for collections where alien and science fiction stories are popular."— School Library Journal Bruce Hale (he/him) has written and/or illustrated more than sixty books for kids and is the author of the Clark the Shark series; the award-winning Chet Gecko Mysteries series; Snoring Beauty , one of Oprah’s Recommended Reads for Kids; and the School for S.P.I.E.S. series. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, and you can visit him online at www.brucehale.com. Luke Séguin-Magee (he/him) writes and draws children’s books and comics. He studied fine art in Canada and went on to do a multimedia design course in Denmark. Visit him online at www.lukism.com. Chapter 1 Alien Visitors It was the kind of day people write poems about. Birds were crooning their birdie songs. Clouds mounded like scoops of vanilla ice cream, yummy enough to eat. The weather was Goldilocks-perfect: not too hot, not too cold—­just right. And best of all, school was canceled so that teachers could have a professional development day. Valentina Garcia-­Jackson should have been ecstatic. She was not. “It’s so unfair,” she moaned, slumped at the dining room table. “Why do we have to do homework on our day off?” The babysitter, Jennica Neel, glanced up from her computer tablet. “If you spent less time griping and more time working, you’d be finished already. Look at your brother.” “I’d rather not.” Still, Tina sent a glare at Mateo, who was sprawled on the couch, rewatching one of those hobbit movies for the umpty-­umpth time. To be honest, it wasn’t just the homework that was getting under her skin. It was also a new, unfamiliar feeling. A week ago, Tina had visited another planet with her babysitter, her one-­year-older brother, and their neighbor, Booker Davis. Amazing, right? But it had been Mateo, not her, who figured out where their missing dog, Elvis, had been taken. At first, she was just blown away by their adventure and happy to get their dog back. But with each day, that strange feeling grew. Why hadn’t she been the one to solve the mystery? Why hadn’t she been the one to save the day? After all, Tina was the athlete. Tina was the fearless one. So how come her bookish brother ended up being the hero? Tina sent a second glare at Elvis, curled up by the couch with Mateo. Even the dog preferred her brother. Life was so unfair. Tina let her pencil drop. She glanced over at Jennica. “Ever think about going back?” The babysitter lifted her eyebrows. “To planet Kroon?” “Yeah.” “The place where you almost drifted off into space?” asked Jennica. “Yeah.” “The place where we nearly got killed by broccoli smugglers, devoured by a monster, and drowned in a goo storm?” “Well, yeah.” Jennica scowled. “Oh, no. I am not taking you guys back there.” “Why not?” asked Tina. Setting down her tablet with a sigh, the babysitter said, “Because.” “Because what?” Crossing her arms, Jennica said, “Your parents hired me to protect you. What kind of babysitter would I be if I took you back into danger?” Mateo chimed in, peeking over the couch back. “An awesome one?” Jennica shook her head. “Come on,” said Tina. “The portal is only three minutes away, in the woods.” “I know where it is,” said Jennica. “And?” “Not going to happen.” Over the week since their adventure, Tina had often thought about returning on her own, but somehow, she’d always decided against it. It wasn’t that she was chicken. Not her. But pulling a tricky stunt on her bike or diving off a cliff into a lake because someone dared her to was one thing. It was a whole other deal to visit an alien planet alone. Tina sweetened her voice and tried a different tack. “Don’t you miss your alien boyfriend?” “NoWay?” Jennica sat back. Two spots of color appeared on her cheeks. “He’s not my boyfriend. If anything, he’s Clorox’s.” “But he’s kind of cute, isn’t he?” Tina pressed. Jennica swatted away that id