#524 in our old book database. Not rated.

When Janet and Isaac write together, they put out very charming books. Robot, child, and pet rush off into the wild frontiers of space to have adventures. A good children's book. ( )

I grew up reading the Norby comics that were published in Boy's Life Magazine, so I was fast to pick up a book that featured my favorite mixed-up robot. But for some reason, I never read the whole thing, so it's been sitting in my to-read pile for years, traveling from bookshelf to bookshelf, getting packed away with other unread books, just waiting for me to get back to it. Finally decided it was time.

The Norby series is definitely meant for a younger audience. The adventures follow young Jeff Wells, who owns Norby and has a group of friends that help keep Norby's existence a secret (including an Admiral and a police officer) so he isn't experimented on by scientists interested in the secret of his hyperdrive. This particular book collects the third and fourth stories in the series, Norby and the Lost Princess and Norby and the Invaders.

While firmly set in the sci-fi genre, there is also a heavy element of fantasy to the series. The planet of Jamya is mentioned frequently, a planet of bioengineered intelligent dragons, and Norby's original home. While it was strange jumping into the middle of these stories, there is enough explanation for anyone who hasn't read parts 1 and 2 to follow along and catch themselves up in the backstory.

These are fun tales, and reading them transported me back to my own childhood a little bit. ( )