The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian #4: Journey to the Center of That Thing: A Funny Sci-Fi Chapter Book Based on the Award-Winning Podcast for Kids

The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian #4

by Jonathan Messinger, Jonathan Messinger

Finn Caspian and Explorers Troop 301 dive into the belly of a planet-sized alien in the fourth book of this illustrated chapter book series based on the award-winning kids’ podcast! Explorers Troop 301 has explored a lot of planets hoping to find a place to call home. But their latest mission feels like the most  boring  ever—until they get chased by giant  ANT ibodies straight into the planet’s open mouth! Uh-oh! This planet is really a ginormous,  planet-sized alien  and the explorers are her lunch!  Can Finn and his friends make it through all thirty-five stomachs, battle an army of ants, out-whiz a super-computer in a deadly game of trivia, and find a way out? Or are they doomed to be part of the planet’s balanced diet? The books in this series are for kids ages 7 to 12 looking for a funny illustrated story to tear through. They contain no violence, a little bit of suspense, and some aliens who are real chuckleheads.

128 pages, Hardcover

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

Co-publisher of Featherproof Books, books editor of Time Out Chicago, founder of The Dollar Store Show, Boston native, Chicago dweller. Don't trust anyone with more friends than books.

Reviews

[CallahansBooks]

The art of effectively reviewing a kid’s book evades me. If a lame adult like me loves a book, shouldn’t that mean a kid would dislike it? One approach could be to ask whether I would have enjoyed the story had it been available to me in 19-dickety-6.

The kids genre for ages 6-10 years or so — after Golden Books, before YA — is a favorite. It’s when children first encounter *chapters.* Characters are personified and the talking beaver with a lesson to learn is retired to a dam somewhere. Imagination is mandatory but some themes appear over and over.

“The Adventures of Finn Caspian” is no exception. This 4th quixotic exploration finds Finn and his team of Sancho Panzas trapped inside a living, planet-sized organism. Shades of “Magic School Bus” color the ordeal as author and podcaster Jonathan Messinger’s roster of heroes work their way out of the “center of that thing.” It’s a familiar circumstance; but tailored to the popular Finn Caspian podcast franchise, I’ve no doubt it would captivate a 6-10 year old me.

[Diana]

My 8 year old has been listening to this podcast forever and so I've been reading the chapter books to him. You kinda have to ignore the fact that the adults are invisible and that these kids are given a VERY long leash in exploring other planet. But these really appeal to my 8 year old.