Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow

By Nathan Bransford

Out-of-this-world antics in this hysterical middle-grade adventure!

Sixth-grader Jacob Wonderbar is a master when it comes to disarming and annihilating substitute teachers. But when he and his best friends, Sarah and Dexter, swap a spaceship for a corn dog, they embark on an outer space adventure. And between breaking the universe with an epic explosion, being kidnapped by a space pirate, and surviving a planet that reeks of burp breath, Jacob and his friends are in way over their heads. Action packed with an added dose of heart, Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow is sure to captivate middlegrade readers all over the universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: May 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781101515075

Nathan Bransford

Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow (Dial, May 2011), Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe (Dial, April 2012) and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp (Dial, February 2013). He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd. and blogs at http://blog.nathanbransford.com He lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews for Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow

[jackiewark · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The universe has a plan for Jacob Wonderbar...who knew it would all begin with corndogs, men in silver suits, and substitute teachers! Jacob has a reputation, far and wide, for his ability to torment substitute teachers and this day, Jacob has a particularly weird experience. After school, Jacob and his best friends, Sarah and Dexter meet a man in a silver suit who trades his spaceship for a corndog...a corndog? YES!The trio commandeers the airship through space causing, what is affectionately known as, the great cosmic space kapow. Parts of the galaxy have exploded and they aren't quite sure what has happened to Earth. As they travel to other planets, and meet strange, unusual but mostly friendly Astrals, the world they once knew has now expanded. They encounter pirates, princesses, people who eat only dust, and a whole planet of substitute teachers. Finally, the meet the King of the Universe who has other plans for Jacob...just what those plans may be is a mystery to Jacob. (Do we smell a sequel?) Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow is full of humorous high-adventure, the wonders of space, and corndogs! But, mostly it is the story of how important friends are, both old and new, especially if you dare to take a trip into the galaxy and beyond! Thank you to LibraryThing, Dial Books for Young Readers, and Nathan Bransford for this copy.

[catheolson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A silly, fun ride through outer space with Jacob and his friends Dexter and Sarah. Lots of action and humor. I did have some getting into the book so am interested to see how my students react to it when school starts. Recommended for 3rd to 5th graders, probably more appeal for boys than girls.

[kbarnes_61 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jacob and his friends, Sarah Daisy and Dexter, manage to get themselves into a lot of trouble at school, particularly when there is a substitute teacher. Then it's open warfare!! Therefore, they're used to the unusual. So when a "being" offers to trade his spaceship for a corndog - why not? Off they go on a test ride into space, unwittingly destroying their escape route back home. What ensues is the ultimate joyride for any tween. Best of all, they encounter a planet populated by substitute teachers as well as pirates and more.I can't help but think how many upper elementary school age kids are gonna love this book. It is full of adventure and irreverent behavior. I intend on recommending this book a lot over the summer. It is a perfect vacation time read.

[leesylou · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A sweet book for preteens. I have to admit way back when, I was the one person in the theater who walked out of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" horrified and disgusted at the glorification of mis-behavior, so let me be clear that this book isn't doing the same thing. Jacob Wonderbar is a well-meaning boy who isn't completely self-absorbed; things just seem to happen to him when he behaves like any other sixth grader. This leads him, his two best friends, and two cosmic kids on a series of creative, amusing adventures. It's nice to see the interplay among the different children, each of whom brings their own strengths, weaknesses and perspectives to the group. With both boy and girl main characters and secondary ones, mysteries and obvious science fiction elements, princesses and monsters, and cliff hangers as well, this will appeal to many young readers.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have been a follower of Nathan Bransford’s blog, for a little over a year. When I learned he had written a book and it was in the early reviewers giveaway at LibraryThing I had to try. I was thrilled that I won a copy for review. Normally I review things pretty quickly. However, we had a read-a-thon at school and I had brought several books. Many of my students didn’t have a book or had finished theirs and I ended up loaning them my books. I sat down Saturday night and started the book and finished it Sunday morning. It was wonderful. I loved the book for many reasons that I will try to explain.Jacob Wonderbar is your typical sixth grade student. He feels his job is to distract substitute teachers from the lessons. As a teacher and a former substitute teacher I’ve met many kids like Jacob. Jacob meets a sub he is unable to tame or make run in terror. Mrs. Pinkerton knows who he is. He unfortunately gets sent to the principals office along with his best friends Sarah and Dexter. Things don’t go well for him. His mother has been called and he is grounded. Sarah and Dexter go to Jacobs house to find out his punishment when they witness a silent explosion. They go to investigate. In the forest they discover a spacecraft and a man dressed from head to toe in silver. He offers to trade his spaceship for a corndog. Jacob jumps at the chance to buzz around space and makes the trade. Once in the ship with his friends the ship takes off. When he overrides the ships automatic system he creates havoc in space and breaks the universe. This event leads to a run in with space cops, a pirate, a planet of scientists, the planet Numonia, where a day is one minute long and a planet full of substitute teachers who all know of Jacob Wonderbar.I laughed at Jacob’s antics. I was actually picturing one of my students as Jacob. All teachers have a Jacob in their classroom. They are usually one of the more intelligent, lively students. I loved the character Sarah. She reminded me of some of my international students. Their parents have them in tutoring before and after school. If a special program is offered, no matter what the subject matter their child goes into it. They have expressed a desire to just have a little free time for themselves. They have turned out to be some of my biggest readers. It is their form of escape. Dexter is that kid that seems to always be picked on and needing rescued. But, let someone go after his best friend or something he really loves or wants and look out. I recently had a student who has said very little all year that wasn’t associate with the lesson, stand up to another student about something he was extremely passionate about. The other teacher in the room and I stood and looked in awe. It gave me hope that kids like Dexter will survive in the world because they have their passion hidden inside of them. This is a book I didn’t want to end. I want to find out more about Dexter’s dad and what adventures he has before him. I know that there are one or two more books coming in this series and I can’t wait to read and review them. This is one of those books of which I will need to purchase several copies because they will not be on my shelves for long and will be read until they fall apart. Well done Nathan and I wish you much success with your future books.!

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story is definitely written for middle school aged kids. The plot is very much like a Saturday morning cartoon, mostly entertainment with little explanation. I know enough about space, distances and celestial bodies that it took me a little while to set that aside and just go with the flow. It was a fun quick read and I'm sure I would have rated it much higher if I was in the target age group. Our Hero Triumvirate Jacob, Sarah and Dexter are best friends, Jacob is the ringleader. His specialty is frustrating substitute teachers and getting the class free time. We first meet him in class where it looks like he's finally met his match. The new sub has Jacob and both his friends in the principals office in record time. Jacob gets sent home and severely grounded for the foreseeable future. After school his friends catch up with him and while they are talking about the events of the day they see a bright light and a man offers to trade them his space ship for a corn-dog. Taking him up on his offer they discover he really did give them the keys to a space ship. That's when their adventure really starts.

[otwells · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It is perfect for the age group it is targeted for. Jacob and his friends have a bunch of wild rides and experiences throughout space. The action is reasonably fast paced - not so much that you have to go back and reread but not so slow that you are getting bored with the book. I was a little disappointed that Jacob did not find his father in space. However, I think this leaves it open for the author to write a sequel about Jacob and his friends going back into space and perhaps finding Jake's dad. The graphics in the book were appropriate for the characters which was very nice - sometimes the illustrator's pictures do not match what the author wrote and it was a relief that these did. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone in the target range or even adults who like juvenile literature. Good read!

[asomers_8 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This may be just the book for some of the young male reluctant readers that visit my library. Three friends accidently take off into outerspace after finding a space ship in the woods near their home. Just the kind of adventure a third grade boy might daydream about. I found the dialog goofy and I think the illustrations really detracted from the story, but this book was not written to appeal to someone like me . It will appeal to boys grades 3-5 who love science fiction and space travel.If they're reading Jon Scieszka's Time Warp Trio, or Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series, they will most likely reach for this book as well.

[asbiskey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Troublemaker Jacob and his friends Sarah and Dexter trade a corndog for a space ship, then set off for an adventure of galactic proportions. Each of the kids had his or her own problems on Earth. Now they have to deal with problems on a much larger scale. Jacob is missing his father who left two years ago, and he compensates by acting out. Sarah is trapped in a world that pigeon holes girls as helpless, and feels compelled to prove herself. Dexter is a follower who relies on his friends for protection. Their adventures in space help them gain perspective of their problems on Earth, and they end up better off for it. This reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. They all get trapped away from home and are searching for a way to get home and a character atribute: Jacob a heart, Sarah a brain, and courage for Dexter. This is a good book for second to fourth graders. The chapters are very short (six to ten pages), the illustrations are lively, and the plot is simple and exciting. The adventures will appeal to kids and they will probably be able to relate to at least one of the characters. While not profound literature, it is a good, entertaining book that I would recommend to kids ready for a longer, but not difficult chapter book.

[elissajanine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lively story about three friends who cause mischief in this solar system and a few others, Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow is a light-hearted read that made me smile. With spaceship chase scenes involving vengeful substitute teachers, a planet whose atmosphere smells of burp-breath, rebellious royalty, and mathematician mice, it certainly has all the ingredients to hook young readers. That said, the pace in the beginning lagged a bit, and the humor lacked a laugh-out-loud kind of sparkle, at least for me. I’m not the target audience, so I read the first chapter aloud to my sixth grade students, and while they were super-excited by the cover, the awesome title, and the copy on the back cover, the opening scene didn’t capture their attention instantly. They did, however, ask me to read on. We all liked Jacob Wonderbar, and the author worked at making him a more complex character by weaving in the conflict with his father, but the supporting characters of Sarah and Dexter were rather flat, and the adults in the book were basically caricatures. The plot is woven together well, with a nice bit where all three main characters are separated and have their own adventures, and the ending has a satisfying feel, even though it clearly feels designed for a series.