The Area 51 Files

By: Julie Buxbaum

Narrated by: Priya Ayyar

Aliens, sassy hedgehogs, and unexplained disappearances . . . Oh, my! Discover the secrets of the universe in this hilarious middle-grade series from New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum.

“Epically fun!”—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she didn’t imagine she’d end up here: Area 51. A top-secret military base with a bajillion rules and so classified not even the president knows its secrets.

Also, it turns out the place is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. But they prefer to be called Break Throughs, thank you very much.

As Sky sets out to explore her extraordinary new home with her pizza-obsessed pet hedgehog Spike, she meets her otherworldly next-door neighbor Elvis and his fluffy pup, Pickles. But something mysterious is afoot in Area 51. Some of the Break Throughs have gone missing… at the exact same time Sky arrived.

Where could they be? How can Sky and her uncle convince everyone they had nothing to do with the disappearance? And why does the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle have eyeballs in it? New best friends Sky, Elvis, Spike, and Pickles try to crack the case, but the clock is ticking…

Critic reviews

A 2023 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Novel!

"A chapter book and graphic novel hybrid, it’s bursting with fantastical extraterrestrial life-forms."—The New York Times

“Epically fun! Overflowing with aliens, adventure, mystery, and adorable animal sidekicks!”—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

“The Area 51 Files has everything you could possibly want from a middle grade novel: inventive characters, witty banter, hilarious jokes, charming illustrations, amusing extraterrestrials, action, adventure, mystery—and a snarky hedgehog. It’s funny, gripping, touching and all-around wonderful."—Stuart Gibbs, New York Times bestselling author of the Spy School series

“Filled with equal parts mystery and belly-laughs, The Area 51 Files delivers an alien invasion of out-of-this-world fun.”—Gordon Korman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Restart

"Kids are going to love this unputdownable, extra-fun, extra-hilarious, extra-mysterious, extraterrestrial adventure."—Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series and the Upside-Down Magic series

"Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose... Contagiously goofy and fun."—Kirkus Reviews

"Good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure."—Publishers Weekly

Elvis

I love it brah perfect for me ears and me hart
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A lot of effort to NOT enjoy this book could not stop listening

51 files

This book is really awesome it has a bunch of good chapters and it is the best book I already read

Perfect for our students.

Perfect book for our students. Short chapters help keep the little readers interested and involved. Loved the name references and the vintage nostalgia embedded within the story. LOL 😊

Sweet and funny light-hearted listen!

This is a really fun and light-hearted book, and I'm glad to see it's an active series!

The only complaint I can think of is that the narrator doesn't emote much- the reading isn't quite monotone, but she doesn't seem to use much of any emotion, either. Not BAD, just...not great, either.

Love this book

After listening to the story, I can proudly say that this would have to be the greatest book I have ever read. I just know that if more kids and adults read this that they would 100% love this story.