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Space Ship
The Space Ship Returns to the Apple Tree
What travels faster than light, but looks like a peanut roaster? Marty's new Bamboozerlergical Metal Martinean Interspacial Superphotic Astral Rocket Disk, of course! The twelve year old from space is back for another summer of adventure with his pal Eddie. This time, the boys want to tour the United States, but there is one small problem--they only have four days to do it and Marty hasn't quite learned to fly his new ship...
- GenresScience FictionChildrens
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
About the author
Louis Slobodkin
113 books17 followersLouis Slobodkin entered the Beaux Arts Institute of Design, where he studied drawing, composition, and sculpture, at the age of fifteen. In his six years there, he won over 20 medals for his work, and was awarded the Louis Tiffany Foundation Fellowship.
In 1927, Slobodkin married Florence Gersh, a poet and children's author. However, Slobodkin did not become involved in children's literature until 1941, when he illustrated The Moffats, by his friend Eleonor Estes.
In 1944, Louis Slobodkin won the Caldecott Medal for illustrating Many Moons, written by James Thurber.
During his career, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, 50 of which he also wrote. He and his wife collaborated on five books.
In 1927, Slobodkin married Florence Gersh, a poet and children's author. However, Slobodkin did not become involved in children's literature until 1941, when he illustrated The Moffats, by his friend Eleonor Estes.
In 1944, Louis Slobodkin won the Caldecott Medal for illustrating Many Moons, written by James Thurber.
During his career, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, 50 of which he also wrote. He and his wife collaborated on five books.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 23, 2023
What a great follow up to the first book! In fact, it's probably my favorite of the series. Marty really out does himself and offers us readers numerous laughs as he tries to handle his space ship. It's a crazy, wild ride to ... well, it's anyone's guess!
This series is pretty hard to find, but it's so worth it! It's enthrallingly cute; both in word and it's numerous illustrations!
Your family won't be able to resist Eddie or Marty ... or dear old grandma either, whose hard-of-hearing actually brought about Marty being called Marty. Because after all, when your grandson is trying to be discreet about the alien he brought home with him and you ask him where his little friend is from and you hear "Martin E. Ann," why not call the little guy "Marty."
It's a memorably quirky, clever, humorous story that will keep you and your entire family entertained from beginning to end! I highly recommend these books and do wish you the best of luck in finding a copy. Fingers crossed that with more people reading them, they'll be reprinted again!
Ages: 5 - 13
Cleanliness: "gosh" "blimey" and the like are said sometimes.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
This series is pretty hard to find, but it's so worth it! It's enthrallingly cute; both in word and it's numerous illustrations!
Your family won't be able to resist Eddie or Marty ... or dear old grandma either, whose hard-of-hearing actually brought about Marty being called Marty. Because after all, when your grandson is trying to be discreet about the alien he brought home with him and you ask him where his little friend is from and you hear "Martin E. Ann," why not call the little guy "Marty."
It's a memorably quirky, clever, humorous story that will keep you and your entire family entertained from beginning to end! I highly recommend these books and do wish you the best of luck in finding a copy. Fingers crossed that with more people reading them, they'll be reprinted again!
Ages: 5 - 13
Cleanliness: "gosh" "blimey" and the like are said sometimes.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
November 29, 2009
The fascinating but still irascible Marty, the Martinean has retunred to the apple tree on Eddie's Grandmother's farm.
He is set to complete the mission he did not finish in the first book. The scientists at home have discovered two new metals, one transparent and one visible. These are the new Bamborzoligial Metals.So the Martinean scientist have provided Marty with a disguised spaceship.
Btw, Slobodkin like to create tongue twisting or amusing names for Marty's gizmos
The outer part of the Spaceship cannot be seen, except when wearing special glasses. The second , inside part looks like a very small auto. When Eddie first sees it, not realizing it is a disguished space ship, he says it looks " like a peanut roaster", to Marty's immense annoyance.
So, in his spaceship disguished as a car, Marty is ready, with Eddie to explore Earth and the adventures begin. Marty wants to see Washington, D. C.. Unfortunately, he's not s good a pilot as he thinks he is and they end up in lots of humourous place-- the capital city isn't one of them.
Very entertaining, funny and a good sequel to the first book, The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree,. Eddie and Marty are still welll drawn characters. Marty's matured some--and is much more cheerful, now that he can explore. So Slobodkin has fun with Marty's lack of knowledge of Earth and they have a great time-as does the reader. .
Slobodkin wrote a few more in this series, but the first two are the best. Recommended for age 7 on up or any sf fans.
He is set to complete the mission he did not finish in the first book. The scientists at home have discovered two new metals, one transparent and one visible. These are the new Bamborzoligial Metals.So the Martinean scientist have provided Marty with a disguised spaceship.
Btw, Slobodkin like to create tongue twisting or amusing names for Marty's gizmos
The outer part of the Spaceship cannot be seen, except when wearing special glasses. The second , inside part looks like a very small auto. When Eddie first sees it, not realizing it is a disguished space ship, he says it looks " like a peanut roaster", to Marty's immense annoyance.
So, in his spaceship disguished as a car, Marty is ready, with Eddie to explore Earth and the adventures begin. Marty wants to see Washington, D. C.. Unfortunately, he's not s good a pilot as he thinks he is and they end up in lots of humourous place-- the capital city isn't one of them.
Very entertaining, funny and a good sequel to the first book, The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree,. Eddie and Marty are still welll drawn characters. Marty's matured some--and is much more cheerful, now that he can explore. So Slobodkin has fun with Marty's lack of knowledge of Earth and they have a great time-as does the reader. .
Slobodkin wrote a few more in this series, but the first two are the best. Recommended for age 7 on up or any sf fans.
December 27, 2015
This was my second gateway book to science fiction. My 3rd grade teacher kept pushing dreary "good little girl" books at me, which I wanted no part of. I liked books about kids (girls, boys, didn't matter) who did stuff and occasionally got in trouble. That's Eddie and Marty all over.
There are actually five of these books, but West Park Elementary's library only had the first two.
Highly recommended for young readers, even though they are somewhat dated.
There are actually five of these books, but West Park Elementary's library only had the first two.
Highly recommended for young readers, even though they are somewhat dated.
April 21, 2011
Awesome book, the best in the series. I borrowed this book from the library about twenty times when I was a schoolkid.
June 8, 2025
My plan was for this book to arrive sometime between April 15 and May 15, during my library's Librarians' Reading Challenge. And I'm not sure where the delay occurred, but it arrived just a little later than that -- but many thanks to the Doherty Library at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota for lending me this one. I hadn't read it since I was a kid.
This was the second in a short series of books written well over half a century ago by Louis Slobodkin. I can't recall when the first one, "The Space Ship Under the Apple Tree," was written, but this one was from 1958. I read it either on loan from the library in Bethany, Mo., or Branson, Mo., both of them towns where my grandfather lived. I remembered loving them enough to read them multiple times in the late '70s or early '80s, so I wanted to revisit them now that I am a little older.
And... what can I say? They're kind of silly. From a science fiction standpoint, they're much more fiction than science. Marty's space ship, here often disguised as a tiny car, cruises through the non-existent "iconosphere" as he and his Earthling friend Eddie zip around the United States in a fact-gathering mission for Marty's folks back on the planet Martinea. And when Marty extinguishes a fire using his "anti-combustion oxygenized concentric ray" -- well, that sounds like it just wouldn't work at all.
But it's a fun read. I'm often fascinated at how much things have changed since just a few years before I was born. All the characters are so innocent and wide-eyed, and everyone calls cars "automobiles," just about without fail.
You're not going to learn much science from books like this, but you might learn a little bit of pop-culture history. And it will take you only a few hours -- it's a very short book!
This was the second in a short series of books written well over half a century ago by Louis Slobodkin. I can't recall when the first one, "The Space Ship Under the Apple Tree," was written, but this one was from 1958. I read it either on loan from the library in Bethany, Mo., or Branson, Mo., both of them towns where my grandfather lived. I remembered loving them enough to read them multiple times in the late '70s or early '80s, so I wanted to revisit them now that I am a little older.
And... what can I say? They're kind of silly. From a science fiction standpoint, they're much more fiction than science. Marty's space ship, here often disguised as a tiny car, cruises through the non-existent "iconosphere" as he and his Earthling friend Eddie zip around the United States in a fact-gathering mission for Marty's folks back on the planet Martinea. And when Marty extinguishes a fire using his "anti-combustion oxygenized concentric ray" -- well, that sounds like it just wouldn't work at all.
But it's a fun read. I'm often fascinated at how much things have changed since just a few years before I was born. All the characters are so innocent and wide-eyed, and everyone calls cars "automobiles," just about without fail.
You're not going to learn much science from books like this, but you might learn a little bit of pop-culture history. And it will take you only a few hours -- it's a very short book!
March 10, 2021
I read this series with my brother several times as a kid. I'm so happy to have found this one for my kids! They loved it and we finished it in a record time for a book, 3 days!
March 17, 2013
Heartily recommended to middle grade readers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews