This Is a really cute book, I read it to my daughter who laughed the whole time. It was great to see her smile! ( )

The Lambchop family saves the day in this outer space adventure - of course kindness overcomes fear and aggression. ( )

When the residents of a far-distant planet send a message to Earth asking for someone to meet with them, the President of the United States asks Stanley Lambchop, an all-American boy, to be his ambassador.

When a message is received from the distant planet Tyrra, the President of the United States selects Stanley Lambchop and his family to travel to the planet on board the top-secret spaceship “Star Scout.” What will Stanley and his family find when they reach the planet? And why were the Tyrrans eager to have visitors?

“Stanley in Space” is the third book in the Flat Stanley series. This chapter book, written for children in grades two through four, takes young readers on the madcap adventures they have come to expect from a Flat Stanley story. Fluent readers at the late third grade level should have no problem reading this guided reading level P book independently.

Recommended. ( )

The author of Flat Stanley moves away from his more fantasy-styled stories to craft an old-fashioned scifi space adventure in this latest Stanley book. The story opens with Stanley receiving an unusual call - from the president of the United States. Apparently, the president has been so impressed with some of Stanley's past ventures that he needs Stanley to step up to a new mission: being the representative of planet Earth. Apparently, the United States and England have had secret communications with the distant planet of Tyrra. Stanley and his family are to board the super secret spaceship the Star Scout and reconnoiter with these aliens. Of course, the Lambchops are happy to do their duty.

When they arrive on the strange new planet, they discover that the Tyrrans lured them out under false pretenses. However, after clearing up some initial confusion (and realizing that the tiny Tyrrans don't pose much of a threat, after all, in their diminutive sizes), Stanley and his family realize that the Tyrrans are only acting out of desperation. The citizens of Tyrra have managed to poison their food supply, and although the ecological disaster is reversible, it can't be fixed quick enough to prevent the Tyrrans from all starving. The Lambchops decide to help the Tyrrans out of their predicament, despite their poor reception, and must quickly devise a clever plan that is good enough to save an entire planet.

I have found all of the Stanley books to be a bit ridiculous, but this one wins the title of most outrageous. In fantastical stories, the author needs to help the reader suspend belief, and I don't think that happens here. That is my opinion as an adult reader; I do remind myself that these stories originated as bedtime tales for the author's children, and in stories like that, the more insane and attention-grabbing, the better. I read this book to my young girls and they enjoyed it. So I think some of the flaws that immediately jump out at me - why in the world would the president ask Stanley and his family to do this job, what did the Tyrrans hope to accomplish by luring Earthlings out to them, is inviting a whole planet of aliens to live on Earth really going to go over that well with the rest of the planet, and many other provoking questions - aren't as relevant for the intended audience. The short format and quickly-paced plot are good for early readers, and the space adventure is likely to engage their attention. This is not the best-written kid's book, and not even the best-written book in the more limited genre of beginning chapter books, but it is entertaining for children, and will certainly appeal to readers who are fans of the other Flat Stanley stories. ( )