The Space Brigade and the Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella

Space Brigade #1

by Liane Moriarty

Nicola Berry has only one day left to save the world. Armed with little more than her two closest friends, her annoying brother, her more annoying archrival, and an unusually tall alien named Shimlara, Nicola’s not sure she’s up to the task. She must convince the awful princess of Globagaskar to end her sinister plan of turning the Earth into a giant garbage can.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Childrens, Space, Adventure

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Liane Moriarty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret, and Truly Madly Guilty; the New York Times bestsellers Apples Never Fall, Nine Perfect Strangers, What Alice Forgot, and The Last Anniversary; The Hypnotist’s Love Story; and Three Wishes. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Daniel Barrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and comical in the absurdity of the situations rather than in the dialogue. The early portions reminded me of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . High praise! After the first half, the comedy ran dry and it became action-focused.

As an adult reader, I enjoyed the setup and worldbuilding immensely, but was less interested and engaged in the action sequences. I suspect readers aged 10-14 years will greatly enjoy all parts of this book.

Themes and Character Development

I was drawn to this book in part because other reviewers noted that the protagonist's enemy was part of the team needed to accomplish the protagonist's mission. However, this enemy is merely a peer they don't get along with, and serves only to provide banter similar to the role of sibling rivalry in other stories.

The is very little character development shown in this book. Characters are mostly static, with one notable exception:

The antagonist of this story is shown to behave badly merely because she is spoiled, bored, and neglected. The protagonists succeed in changing her behavior by befriending her, which leads to her becoming friendlier in a variety of ways.

[John Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicola is chosen to save Earth from becoming an intergallactic garbage dump, fun and adventure ensue.

Having seen Liane and her two sisters talk a few years ago, one of the stories they told was of writing stories every week for their father to read, probably not adult family dramas. This is obviously a product from her love of stories, especially children's fantasy ones. Her older sister Jaclyn has mostly written children's fantasies, which I also love. Ironicaly her younger sister is named - Nicola.

So there you go, fun to be had in the serious world of book writing.

[Maggie Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, was simply supposed to be read just for a reading task, but I rather enjoyed it. Thanks @BookRoit for once again pushing me to #ReadHarder. This book fulfilled the middle grade title that doesn't take place in the USA or UK, Nicola and her Space Brigade was from Australia and the other setting was on the planet Globagaskar on the other side of the galaxy. I'm quite the fan of Liane Moriarty's adult fiction and will definetly be sharing this series with my kids in the coming years.

[Heather Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

great middle school story where truly, the only person suitable for this task is a child. Love that she needed her friends and even one non-friend to solve the challenge.

Will definitely be recommending this book.

[Kali Braithwaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Nicola Berry and the Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella by Liane Moriarty, and WOW—what a fun, imaginative ride! 🚀

This book is such a quirky, colorful adventure. Nicola Berry, your everyday schoolgirl, suddenly becomes Earth’s unlikely hero when she’s sent on a wild mission to another planet to save us all. No big deal, right? 🌎

The story is packed with clever humor, strong friendships, and some truly out-of-this-world settings (just LOOK at that cover art—how magical is that palace?!). Nicola is such a relatable character—brave, determined, and not afraid to stand up for what’s right.

If you’re looking for a book full of charm, adventure, and laughs, this one’s perfect for kids and adults who love a good escape. Highly recommend for fans of stories like The Little Prince or A Wrinkle in Time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

[Giselle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF'd 38 pages in

[Justine Ridder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love Liane Moriarty so when I saw that she had written some children's books, I had to try them out! This story was full of imagination and fun. Normally I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy, but Moriarty's world development was great. Nicola Berry has been appointed Earth's ambassador so that Earth doesn't turn into a giant garbage dump from a different planet. Parts of the story seemed not consistent. For example, these aliens can read people's minds so why couldn't the princess read everyone's minds throughout the story?

Overall, a fun read. Not good enough for me to want to pick up the next book, but still good.

"'Never leave your planet without a book.' Georgio pointed a solemn finger at her. 'That's my number-one travel tip.'" (p. 57)

[Julieta Belmonte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue sumamente divertido! No me esperaba disfrutar tanto de un middle grade pero este fue divertido, espectacular y muy descabellado (? Amé los personajes y todas las lecciones que da durante la historia, como ser más conscientes de que tenemos un solo planeta Y HAY QUE CUIDARLO!
Gracias a la editorial V&R por el ejemplar ❤

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solution and message that I didn’t see coming, but should have. So simple, yet wise. The writing is not as sophisticated as what she’s capable of now, but still glad I found a copy to read.

[Spencer Reads Everything · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is, quite frankly, silly. But it's supposed to be, and it works on those terms.
Nicola Berry and the Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella is the first in a children’s series by Liane Moriarty—yes, that Liane Moriarty—and it’s clearly written for a younger audience. The premise is delightfully over-the-top: a regular girl is whisked away to another planet to serve as Earth’s ambassador and plead humanity’s case to an imperious alien princess. The stakes are nothing less than the future of Earth, but the tone is light, whimsical, and often ridiculous in the best way.
I read this book because I’m a big fan of Liane Moriarty’s adult fiction, so I was curious to see what she did in a completely different genre. I’m definitely not the intended audience, but I still found it charming. The writing carries Moriarty’s signature wit and a sense of fun that feels genuine, not forced. The story never takes itself too seriously, and that’s the point. It’s full of space travel, weird foods, quirky characters, and a clear message about compassion and diplomacy, delivered with a healthy dose of absurdity.

While the plot is simple and the logic of the world doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny, that hardly matters. This is a story about imagination, bravery, and figuring out how to talk to people who are very different from you (even if they happen to be royalty from another planet). Nicola is a likable protagonist, and the side characters are suitably odd and entertaining.

It certainly helped that this was written by one of my favorite authors, but the book did its job. I went on to read the rest of the series, and I’m glad I did. It’s not profound, but it’s fun, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want.

For more of my thoughts, check out my video:
https://youtu.be/LbYwNyMs5vc
For more reviews, check out my channel:
http://www.youtube.com/@SpencerReadsE...

[Alba Arango · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicola Berry is just an average kid until the day a man from another planet comes to Earth to seek out the “Earthling Ambassador” who will travel back to his planet and hopefully convince Princess Petronella not to turn Earth into a garbage dump. When Nicola is chosen, she is excited and nervous about her mission. But, when it becomes apparent that the princess has no intention of deviating from her plan, Nicola decides to put together her own crew of earthlings to save the Earth before it becomes a giant pile of garbage!

What I liked: great characters! Each of the characters is unique and believable, from main character Nicola to her arch-nemesis Greta to her new alien friend Shimlara. Even the princess has her own quirkiness. The writing style is fun and easy to read, and keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen next!

What I did not like: The Prologue. I usually don’t mind prologues, but I felt this one was unnecessary and a huge distraction. The story should begin with Nicola as it does in chapter 1. Other than that, the story was a quick, delightful read.

5 out of 5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

First non-picture book I have used as before bed reading for my 8yr old. She absolutely loved it and has spent her birthday giftcard on the second and third book in the series. As a lover of sci-fi myself, I thought it was a great introduction into the genre. Funny and fast paced, recomend for reading to 8-10yr olds, possible for self reading for 10yr +.

[Andrew Greenlaw-Houldsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, if I could, I'd rate the first half of this book 3/5, and the second half 4/5. It was hard to get into, and a little obvious in trying to teach kids big words. However, the action and adventure of the second half were engaging and the characters in Nicola's Space Brigade played off each other very well. Overall, an enjoyable read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this for the reason that it is sci-fi with a female protagonist, and that is exactly what this is- junior chick-lit sci-fi for elementary readers. Fluffiest space travel story I ever read- silly and light. I may need to get the rest of the series for my 3-5 grade girls.

[Sean Harding · Rating 2 out of 5]

tThe version I read had an exceedingly long title which I won't write down, but this is clearly an alternative title. The book the first of a series (trilogy?) was pretty ordinary with not much to get excited about, but I have got the trilogy out so I'll probably read them all anyway.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is definitely a young readers book, and since I am not, I was bored with it. Predictable, and mostly fun, I think youth would enjoy it, but I didn't. I do like some young adult books, but this was not one of them.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first 2/3 of this aloud to the girls on vacation and they were enjoying it. When it was due back at the library (and we had lost momentum), I skimmed the end. It was silly, too goofy for me, but seemed appealing to the girls.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun. It would be good for middle grade aged readers.

[Ana Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a great science fiction book to read, try out this one!

[Ashley Sabatka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read. Didn't realize it was a children's book, but I still enjoyed it & would suggest it to my kids.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio because I've enjoyed the author's adult titles. It is a great middle grade series for boys or girls-reminded me of an older Tree House Mystery series

[Shermin Lim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, Thought the book was cliche but ended liking the content of the story.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story with a great example of how to change a person's mind.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly delightful adventure with a soupçon of silliness.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ My 7 year old daughter loved this series.

[Francine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars. The beginning was somewhat weak and could have used a little more buildup. If you're thinking about dnf-ing, just read past page 45. It gets a lot better. Loved the ending!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this books. Super fun.

[Smita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recco from Mira. :) Who knew Liane Moriarty dabbled in YA?

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique and fun. Leaves the reader guessing about how it will end. One near swear, nothing inappropriate.

[Fencerkitty19 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It had lots of humor, cool gadgets, great characters...I loved it!