Synopsis
In the middle of an outerspace battle, space warrior Tsynq Yr is forced to land on earth and switch into the body of a skunk. But earth is no place for him. Thank goodness Karen stops by. With her computer-whiz friend Jonathan, the three of them hatch a hair-raising scheme involving all the local skunks and even the space shuttle to get their new friend back into orbit!
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6 In this lively science fiction romp, Karen, who dreams about space adventure, is contacted by Tsynq Yr, an alien trapped in the body of a skunk. While Tsynq Yr (or Stinker, as Karen dubs him) finds earth civilization primi tive, he is powerless to escape without the help of Karen and Jonathan, anoth er young space nut. Stinker hatches a plan to hijack a NASA space shuttle and adapt his destroyed ship's booster rocket to give it the power to send him home. The plot thickens when Stinker is skunknapped and when enemy aliens attack; but Stinker not only triumphs, he also discovers the weapon to destroy his people's enemiesskunk spray. Service's story is brief and breezy, yet she has nicely conveyed the budding friendship of two lonely children sud denly plunged into adventure and forced to depend on each other to help their new friend. Children will enjoy references to the popular Star Trek and Star Wars series which give the story a contemporary feel. Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library