Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy by Joshua Levy

Wow, Jackson. You never thought things could get any worse after your father got disgraced and fired from the school, PSS118. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't listened to his secret message to me? How was I to know he'd invented humanity's first rocket capable of faster than light speed, or that he installed the engine in the school? Or that he programmed the computer to give me control of the ship? I guess ignoring the warnings was on me, but I had no idea what the Quarantine was. So now Ari, Becka, and I find ourselves... somewhere. The computer says our location is unknown. The main thing we've learned about this planet is the Minister is in charge, and she forces all of the aliens to love her. We need to find some way back to our solar system and hopefully get help to rescue the rest of the school.

The plot of the book is a little zany, but it's strangely engaging. Ari is the genius friend who does most of the computer stuff, and Becka is the seventh-grade bully/troublemaker with unexpected talents. She fills a role to run the school/spaceship, plus Ari loves her. Jackson's role as leader is due to the fact he's the only one the computer listens to, but he has a lot to learn about actual leadership. Most of the story takes place on Elvid IX, and the Minister is the main antagonist. Humanity's technology is an infant compared to the capabilities of the aliens, and the Minister's power is based on fear and suppressing the rights of everyone. Jackson's dad's rocket power is the target of her violence and creates the conflict for this book and its sequel. The author mixes humor with adventure, as the three kids try to escape Elvid IX. Familiar details are included on this planet, including a seven-hundred story shopping mall that sells everything from shredded hand towels, to dragons, to rocket fuel. The computer and robot lunch ladies don't talk like machines, and the normalcy of alien life is amusing. Imagine a parent going to a pet store to buy a sea monster and reminding the child that he's responsible for taking care of it. Overall, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would and recommend you give it a shot. It will appeal to lovers of light-hearted space adventures, as it includes some silliness.