There’s something about book titles that can just grab your attention right away. An Alien in the Jam Factory is one of those.
I often pick up books when I travel and when I was in Goa last month, I visited Literati for the first time. I browsed for quite a while before this book caught my attention, and I loved the premise.
Scooter McLay is a genius. Thanks to his incredible inventions, McLay’s jam is a phenomenal success. Whether it’s wasp-repellent jam or the not-yet-very-successful Edible Jam Bubbles, each of Scooter’s inventions sparkles. He has loving parents, he thoroughly enjoys inventing, and he’s never going to let their rival Daffy Dodgy steal his secrets. It’s all perfect. Except that he has no friends. No one is allowed into the top-secret factory. And for hygienic reasons, he cannot even have a pet.
One day, however, an alien called Fizzbee crashes into the factory, and it seems like everything is going to work out just perfectly. Fizzbee is friendly and smart, the perfect companion. Best of all, Fizzbee and Scooter make a great team and together, they can outwit Daffy Dodgy!
I loved the story. Scooter’s aching loneliness, his optimism, and his determination come alive to us. The ingeniousness of the inventions is reminiscent of the best kind of cartoons, where there is simplicity within the most complex of mechanisms. The twists and turns of the plot keep you reading till the last page, and smiling long after.
| Title | An Alien in the Jam Factory |
| Author Illustrator | Chrissie Sains Jenny Taylor |
| Tags | Early Middle-Grade, Humour, Adventure |
| Rating (out of 5) | 5 |
| Age-group | 8+ |
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