I LEFT MY SNEAKERS IN DIMENSION X

Rod Allbright returns for his second space romp (after Aliens Ate My Homework, 1993) with the crew of the spaceship Ferkel. He and his annoying cousin, Elspeth, are captured by a painfully ugly space-giant, Smorkus Flinders, who kidnaps them into another dimension and uses them as bait to trap Grakker, the captain of the Ferkel and a Galactic Patrol good guy. Grakker and his crew come to Rod's rescue, but they total the Ferkel in their escape and are forced to remain in Dimension X and seek the help of the local fauna and flora. (Don't laugh; some of the flora is pretty intelligent.) It's a good thing they do because, while they're there, they must save their own universe from destruction by Smorkus and his evil cronies. Rod apprentices himself to the warrior Tar Gibbons and, between his training and the inedible food he gets at Smorkus's place, this space jaunt starts looking like a spa vacation for our pudgy hero. Tar prepares to fight Smorkus, but at the last moment his apprentice must step in for him—they enlarge Rod for the fight—and in a scene worthy of ``American Gladiators'' Rod triumphs over his enemy. He also learns that his father, who ran out on Rod's mother three years ago, is not altogether a human being—which makes Rod himself half-alien. In the epilogue, Rod sets up for his next adventure: the rescue of his father. Hilarious antics with endearing aliens. Coville (Oddly Enough, below) is at the top of his weird, wonderful form. (Fiction. 8-11)