Akiko on the Planet Smoo

Akiko Books #1

by Mark Crilley

Fourth grader Akiko finds a spacecraft hovering outside her window one night, is whisked off to planet Smoo to find kidnapped Prince. How can Akiko head a rescue mission when she's afraid to be on the school's safety patrol? The team includes -- Spuckler Boach, Gax, Poog, and Mr. Beeba.

Genres: Childrens, Science Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Comics, Fantasy

162 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Mark Crilley is an American comic book creator and children's book author/illustrator. He is the creator of Miki Falls, Akiko, and Brody's Ghost. He is also noted for his instructional videos for drawing in the manga-style. Crilley distributes drawing advice to artists via YouTube videos and his DeviantArt account. In August 2010, he starred in some how to draw videos for Funimation on demand. Mark Crilley's wife is Miki Crilley who he named Miki Falls after. The two have a daughter, Mio, and a son, Matthew.
Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cri...

Reviews

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most aborable childrens comic-book (and novel) series of the last few decades!

The first 4 novels parallel the comics (the Alia Rellapoor saga) but then go off in different but equally entertaining paths.

Filled with exciting locales, engaging stories and lovable characters, this (along with BONE and a few others) are my go to reccs for kids books (both comic and novels.)

[Catherine]

Having, in recent years, only associated Mark Crilley with his atrocious but somehow prevalent "How-To-Draw Manga" videos, I am surprised to discover that he authored one of my favorite childhood series.
This and the other books in the Akiko Series are fun, light sci-fi which takes itself just seriously enough. The characters are fun and creative, and the plots are silly but believable. Plus the illustrations were super cute.

(also! this cover art isn't bad, Mark Crilley, you clearly know something about art, why do you have so much trouble teaching it?)

Anyway, read this book and enjoy it.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever. It was so deep it made me rethink my entire life.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Akiko on the Planet Smoo is a children's comic book about a 4th grader named Akiko who is spirited away by people from another planet in a far away galaxy to locate the king's lost son with a ragtag crew of odd characters.

The premise is interesting and the characters seem to be fun with names that seem very Seussian. This comic series would appeal to anyone of any age and gender and is a very quick read.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two boys really enjoy this series, this being the first book. I read the second book as well at their request. It is a road trip with input from Gullivers Travels, Star Wars, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and plenty of its own originality mixed in as well. My boys are 9 and 11, so always exciting when they find something hey are excited about.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars
Read this for fun and let's face it, I'm not its target reader, it's very much written for younger kids (despite the protagonist being 11 I think?). It's a fun space adventure with quirky characters and drawings, I suspect the graphic novel version would be much more engaging than prose.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have fond memories of reading this series as a kid, and its still a fun story! Akiko receives a mysterious letter summoning her way from home one night. She's greeted by strange characters and taken into space for an incredible adventure, as she is mistaken to be an asset for a rescue mission. The world and characters are so creative, with adorable illustrations included!

[Tiffany Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juli and I liked this book.

[Lizzy Seitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 out of 5 stars

This series was my jam as a kid so I started rereading it on thanksgiving and now I wasn’t to reread the whole series!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to re-read a favorite family book now that my children are grown up

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me every couple of years when I remember this book: dang

[Jocelyn Lugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a kid and it was a pleasure to reread. Akiko is a girl I could relate to at that age and I know many younger girls who are just like her.

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Akiko on the Planet Smoo is clearly targeting late elementary or middle school kids. That said, it is still entertaining and only the most restrictive parents will have problems with the content.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poog has my heart forever

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the greatest strengths of the Akiko series is its straightforward use of prose. It's definitely a book for younger audiences to enjoy, so the descriptions of the characters and the environments is oftentimes clear enough that the images aren't really necessary to get an idea of what goes on. However, it isn't especially simplistic or boring; the characters are given solid, distinct, and entertaining personalities, though in the vein of the usual coming-of-age story, Akiko is the one that is the most prone to development and change.

Pacing of the plot is also handled well; Akiko on the Planet Smoo feels like the introduction to the series' world, as well it should, but gives enough of a taste of things to come that the reader wants to find out how the journey will continue. More than anything, the impression of how much more I wanted to know about the characters and the journey they're on will stay with me for a long time.

[Carol Hardesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason I wait so long to review four- or five-star books is because usually I love them so much that I don't know where to begin. "Akiko on the Planet Smoo" is no exception. Not only is it one of the few books I've reread, but it's also one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE childhood books. Like any noteworthy storyteller, Mark Crilley creates a tale that's both unique *and* proverbial. Planet Smoo is unlike any place I've seen before (always a good sign). The characters' personalities are the right blend of individual and archetypical. Akiko's character arc from shy schoolgirl to heroic leader is done with style so it doesn't come off as insincere. And like any great story (children's or otherwise), "Smoo" hits all the right notes in its action, adventure, humor, and heart. All in all, "Akiko on the Planet Smoo" is a superb sci-fi adventure that deserves more recognition.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended for EL410 at Chase Academy

Fun adventure story with a likeable protagonist. (Can I just say this is probably the first story I've encountered where the main character is Asian, but her ethnicity doesn't really play a role in the story except for the detail of eating rice with her family. Refreshing).

Spaceship, pirates, dangerous robots, and dinosaurs -- this book has got a little something for every adventure loving kid. I can see classes getting into interesting discussions about why Akiko was sought out to rescue the prince (i.e., her qualities as a leader).


The vocabulary or the pacing of the story shouldn't be a problem for most students at the 410 level.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akiko on the Planet Smoo is fast-paced and the characters are interesting. This is not a violent book, but the main characters are captured by pirates and put into a coliseum and do have to outsmart the creatures that are sent in to battle them. There are a lot of exciting parts to this story that will make your child want to keep reading.

Even though the main character is a girl, both boys and girls should enjoy reading about Akiko and her adventures. The book is the first one in four-part series, so the storyline is not finished in this one. I look forward to reading Akiko in the Sprubly Islands, and so will your child.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.

[Tonia Sandersfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akiko is just a normal 11 year old girl who enjoys hanging out in her room after school with her best friend, Melissa until the letter arrives. It has no stamp or return address, but tells Akiko to be ready to go at 8 PM, and to meet them outside her bedroom window. Except she lives on the 17th floor, so that's kind of impossible. Unless the people who are picking you up will be picking you up in a spaceship to take you to the planet Smoo to save the prince who has been kidnapped. Fun, cute story, but I was a little disappointed that such a small part of Akiko's adventure was in this book, and the rest is told in the other books of the series. Cute and eccentric characters as well!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this doesn't look like a book for an 11 year old but they are my brothers and he begged me to read them. It is actually really good. In this one Akiko gets taken off the planet Earth and taken to the planet Smoo. BEcause a king misstook her for a famous person who had been on a lot of missions. He told her that she had to travel across the planet to bring his son back because he had been captured. read this series to see if they are able to bring the prince home safly.

[Tibby]

This one reminded me a lot of Cleopatra in Space and even more so of Zita the Space Girl. It’s a more difficult chapter book, but it has some pictures. It was really more the story line of a young girl ending up far from home in outer space and going on adventures. I came across the book while weeding our collection in the library. There are about ten of these books in the series so I thought I would read the first. Lots of action and space pirates and gladiator games. Fun characters, too.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

7/29/10-Finished the book up last night. It was cute, but I am not totally in love with it. Fun main character - female and a light sci-fi adventure with a big cliffhanger. We'll see if I do it as a read aloud or not.

7/22/10 - My teaching partner in Boise often shared this with her class. I am considering it for a read aloud.

[Devon Nelms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Akiko a young girl in forth grade gets a strange note one night that says to meet someone or something at her window at 8:00 tonight. Later that night she gets wisked away to the Planet Smoo. When she gets there she meets her team-Gax,Poog,Spukler Boach, Mr.Beeba-and goes out to save a prince,meet the Sky Pirates,and become a leader. It's one of the best fantasies ever, I love it!

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very dull read about a young girl who is enlisted to rescue a space princess. The idea is a good one and it's supposed to be really good in the comic book form. This is another one of those series books that doesn't have a satisfying conclusion and just ends abruptly with the reader left in the air about the rescue.

[Moop · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute graphic novel, the first of Akiko where she is taken from her high rise apt to the planet Smoo. On the planet the king wants her to stay and merry the prince. She declines and goes back to Earth with special souvenirs that remind her that her adventure really happened and wasn't a dream.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strange, very adventure filled book that is the start of a series. What I liked about this book was Akiko herself. She's like most tweens, shy, unsure of herself but willing to step up when things get hard. I wish this book had been a little longer because I did feel like details were missing, but all in all I will be back and look forward to finishing the series.

[Kris Odahowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the SciFi adventures of Akiko, a young girl destined to save the universe, Akiko is great series for fans of imaginative outer space adventures. This book is available for check out at the Gadsden County Public Library.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun to read!!!!!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was originally a comic strip series and the book has no ending--disappointing to me. It is one of the books in this year's Battle of the Books

[Minke]

current bedtime story with the kids