Can the fate of the universe depend on a unicorn lunchbox?Eleven-year-old Finn Foley, his mother, and his younger sister, Kate, moved to Cold Spring near the Hudson River when his dad walked out. He hates it. Every day since school started, bully Lincoln Sidana has made his life miserable. Their most recent dust-up lands them in the principal's office, locked in until they become friends. Totally unlikelybut then so is a wormhole opening in Kate's lunchbox, brought by Finn to school by mistake. The wormhole sucks Finn in and spits out a high-tech robot named Highbeam. Finn is quickly sucked back to Earth, but a strange piece of alien technology has grafted itself onto his chestand every time he touches the lunchbox, he zips through space. Highbeam's from a part of the universe where a race called the Plaguethey look like giant locustshas conquered and laid waste to countless civilizations. The Plague wants the wormhole generator, and now they know about Earth. Can Finn and friends defeat an intergalactic scourge? Buckley kicks off his new SF/adventure series with this high-energy, slightly sarcastic opener. Realistic kids, wild aliens, and unicorns sure to surprise readers add to the fun. Finn presents white, but the supporting cast is multiethnic, mostly cued by naming convention (Lincoln's implied South Asian). The whizz-bang, globe-threatening finish has closure but sets up Book 2 nicely.If the laughs don't keep the pages turning, the action will. (Science fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 4--7--Finn Foley's pink unicorn lunchbox opens a wormhole that allows him to move across space and time. It's awesome, aside from the otherworldly creatures now desperate to catch Finn and steal his space-traveling technology. Help soon arrives in the form of a giant robot named Highbeam, determined to protect the lunchbox from a swarming locusts species called the Plague. Finn has no choice but to team up with his school bully (Lincoln), his crush (Julep), and his little sister (Kate) to aid Highbeam on his quest; even if it means calling upon the bloodthirsty, savage unicorns for help. Buckley nails his new series opener with fantastical elements of faraway galaxies, rebellions, and space travel that hook readers from page one. Finn and his pals reflect a younger "The Last Kids on Earth" gang, but with a sparkly lunchbox wormhole generator that's bigger on the inside. Finn and Lincoln's journey of enemies to friends shows them discovering that one never knows another person's struggles. Highbeam's presence doubles as comedic relief and mentor for Finn and his gang. VERDICT Perfect for Max Brallier and Doctor Who fans seeking an action-packed sci-fi adventure.--Emily Walker, Lisle Library District, IL

In this middle grade adventure, several children form an unlikely alliance to help save the world after one bonds to an alien weapon that opens interstellar wormholes. After part of the weapon fuses to his chest, and the other half melds with his little sister's unicorn-themed lunch box, 11-year-old Finn Foley becomes capable of teleporting, albeit somewhat randomly. To keep this technology out of the hands of the Plague, a race of murderous bugs, Finn must work with classmate Lincoln Sidana, a bully; conspiracy-interested Julep Li, his crush; and a malfunctioning extraterrestrial robot, part of the resistance. But with the relentless Maj. Sin Kraven of the Plague High Guard stalking them through the small town of Cold Spring, N.Y., it'll take persistence, ingenuity, and some unexpected backup from outer space for the new band of friends to repel an army capable of destroying Earth. Buckley (the Sisters Grimm series) spans the galaxy with this humorous story, grounding the action with a focus on Finn and Lincoln's familial and school situations that gives the characters depth. Finn's unicorn-obsessed sister adds another layer of entertainment to an action-packed romp. Ages 10--up. Agent: Alison Fargis, Stonesong. (Apr.)

Hold onto your butts as Buckley, author of the popular Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, throws his newest adventure into hyperdrive from page one. Giant locusts, aliens, robots, savage unicorns, and a wormhole-producing lunchbox lead to rapid-fire chaos in this series starter about kids saving the universe. Eleven-year-old Finn is having a tough year, and his latest batch of troubles includes being stuck in the principal's office with his bully, Lincoln. Without warning, Finn's lunchbox starts to spew cosmic tendrils of light--followed by a large robot named Highbeam and a piece of otherworldly tech that adheres itself to Finn's chest. This is how Finn and planet Earth are drawn into an alien war against the Plague--huge, sentient insects on the hunt for their next meal. While Buckley provides light backstories for his main kid characters, this book is entirely about nonstop action and well-placed dashes of humor. Finn and his four-kid crew ping around town and the occasional planet via wormhole, doing their darndest to stop the Plague from settling on Earth. Light-speed fun.