The launch of a madcap space adventure trilogy for young readers by David Lubar, author of the popular Weenies Tales! When seventh grader Nicholas V. Landrew, his beloved pet gerbil Henrietta, and a package of ground beef are beamed aboard an alien space ship, they soon find themselves on the run in a madcap chase across the universe. Now all Nicholas wants to do is get back home before his parents find out and ground him forever, but with the Universal Police hot on his trail, that won't be easy. Before it's all over, Henrietta will find herself safely ensconced back in her cage, Nicholas will be crowned Emperor of the Universe, and something even more surprising will happen to the package of ground beef. "This book is ridiculous! Ridiculous crazy fun ... and deep truth." —Jon Scieszka, bestselling author of the Time Warp Trio series "What do you get when you combine a 7th grader, a gerbil, a package of ground beef, and an alien space ship on a chase across the universe? David Lubar's latest masterpiece, of course!" —Dan Gutman, bestselling author of the My Weird School series "David Lubar's Emperor of the Universe is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for middle school!" —Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee