“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for middle school.” —Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee

EMPEROR OF THE UNIVERSE
by David Lubar
Starscape, July 2019

Prepare for liftoff! First in a trilogy, here’s a madcap space adventure about a hapless young hero and two surprising sidekicks on the run across the galaxy. Written as an homage to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this book will appeal to fans of funny middle grade series by Tom Angleberger, Jeff Kinney, and James Patterson. When seventh grader Nicholas V. Landrew, his beloved pet gerbil Henrietta, and a package of ground beef are beamed aboard an alien space ship, they soon find themselves on the run in a madcap chase across the universe. All Nicholas wants to do is get back home before his parents find out and ground him forever, but with the Universal Police hot on his trail, that won’t be easy. Before it’s all over, Henrietta will find herself safely ensconced back in her cage, Nicholas will be crowned Emperor of the Universe, and something even more surprising will happen to the package of ground beef. When seventh grader Nicholas V. Landrew, his beloved pet gerbil Henrietta, and a package of ground beef are beamed aboard an alien space ship, they soon find themselves on the run in a madcap chase across the universe.

Ever since David Lubar was little, he has traveled to alien planets, fantasy realms, and Earthly wonders by means of books. He’s thrilled he can help launch others on this journey through his own novels and short stories. In the past 25 years, he’s written fifty books for young readers, including “Hidden Talents” (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults), “My Rotten Life”, which is currently under development for a cartoon series, and the “Weenies Tales” short story collections, which have sold more than 2.7 million copies.