Book Review: GALACTIC HOT DOGS: COSMOE'S WIENER GETAWAY

Brallier, Max. (2016). Galactic hot dogs:cosmoe’s wiener getaway. [Google Play audiobook]. Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details /Max_Brallier_ Galactic_Hot_Dogs_1?id=AQAAAIAiOwu7OM

Plot Summary 

The adventure of Cosmoe’s Wiener Getaway begins with Cosmoe, a human from Earth and his sidekick, Humphree the alien- look alike take their food truck the Neon Wiener and enter a cook-off. The Evil Queen Dagger’s daughter, Princess Dagger wants to live a non-evil life and decides she wants to be friends with Cosmoe and Humphree. It is then these 3 run into trouble and have to figure out a way to defeat the ultimate evilness. 

Critical Analysis

This version was listened to by audiobook (unabridged). It was narrated by one individual. The narrator uses a distinct voice for each character, which is easy to identify who is who and is pleasant to listen to. In a world full of fantasy up in Space Port Funketoun; Cosmoe, Humphree, and Princess Dagger go through an exciting journey as they try and defeat the ultimate evilness. The setting lends itself as the characters use their own language. The humorous language the characters use leaves the readers guessing what they will say next: “they’re going to be like hot dog, that hot dog was delicious”, “frappin’ rad”, “this is about to get uglier than a butt convention”, “it’s coolio”. The use of similes provides the readers, in this case listeners, with a picture of description: “like a broken record” and “smooth like a marble”. Children will be engaged listening to the audiobook version from beginning to end. 

Review Excerpt (s)

-Booklist Online (April 8, 2015) “ loud sound effects, takes getting used to but effectively conveys the furious pacing of the plot’s roller-coaster array of feats and fails. Readers who have already stepped up to the Neon Wiener online will welcome newly added comments between chapters by a robotic sidekick.”

-Kirkus Reviews February 15, 2015 “The book is so frenetic that some readers will need caffeine to get through it, but in the end, that turns out to be an advantage: If a joke doesn't work, or if readers get bored, all they have to do is turn the page.”

**Book has not received awards**

Connections

The following books are related to Cosmoe's Wiener Getaway (Galactic Hot Dogs, Book 1) and can be used for an audio book club: 

Brallier, Max. (2016) THE WIENER STRIKES BACK: GALACTIC HOTDOGS, BOOK 2. ISBN 9781481424967 

Brallier, Max. (2017). REVENGE OF THE SPACE PIRATES: GALACTIC HOTDOGS, BOOK 3. ISBN 9781481424981