Freddy and the Men from Mars
Author: Walter R. Brooks
Illustrator: Kurt Wiese
Book 21 in the Freddy the Pig series
Pages: 256
Published: 1954
Age: 8+
All the trouble starts when a newspaper reports that six little creatures, believed to be the only martians ever to have visited Earth, have been captured - single-handedly - by Mr Herbert Garble. This news wouldn't have disturbed Freddy and the other barn animals had not the paper further stated that their friend Mr Boomschmidt had invited Mr G. and his men from Mars to join Boomschmidt's Stupendous and Unexcelled Circus. Freddy, ever ready to maintain his reputation as a detective, immediately suspects a hoax, and quickly sets out to expose it. How he manages to do so, with the help of Jinx, the Horrible Ten and several other familiar allies - plus a band of real Martians who turn up just in the nick of time - makes for one of the most hilarious of all the Freddy tales.
About the Freddy the Pig Series
Books in series order
- 1.Freddy Goes to Florida(1927)
- 2.Freddy Goes to the North Pole(1930)
- 3.Freddy the Detective(1932)
- 4.The Story of Freginald(1936)
- 5.The Clockwork Twin(1937)
- 6.Freddy and the Politician(1939)
- 7.Freddy's Cousin Weedly(1940)
- 8.Freddy and the Ignormus(1941)
- 9.Freddy and the Perilous Adventure(1942)
- 10.Freddy and the Bean Home News(1943)
- 11.Freddy and Mr. Camphor(1944)
- 12.Freddy and the Popinjay(1945)
- 13.Freddy the Pied Piper(1946)
- 14.Freddy the Magician(1947)
- 15.Freddy Goes Camping(1948)
- 16.Freddy Plays Football(1949)
- 17.Freddy the Cowboy(1950)
- 18.Freddy Rides Again(1951)
- 19.Freddy the Pilot(1952)
- 20.Freddy and the Space Ship(1953)
- 21.Freddy and the Men from Mars(1954)
- 22.Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars(1955)
- 23.Freddy and Simon the Dictator(1956)
- 24.Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans(1957)
- 25.Freddy and the Dragon(1958)
- +The Collected Poems of Freddy the Pig(1953)
- +The Wit and Wisdom of Freddy the Pig(1999)
Reading age: 8+ years
'The American version of the great English classics, such as the Pooh books or The Wind in the Willows.' (The New York Times Book Review)
Freddy the Pig can seem the most unheroic of heroes: he oversleeps, daydreams, eats too much and, when not suffering from writer's block, writes flowery poetry for all occasions. His tail uncurls when he gets scared. Although lazy, he accomplishes a lot, because "when a lazy person once really gets started doing things, it's easier to keep on than it is to stop."
But Freddy the Pig is a pig for all seasons - a detective, a pilot, a magician, an explorer, a poet, a politician - you name it! Along with his farm friends - including Jinx the cat and Charles the rooster - on Bean Farm in Upstate New York, Freddy's adventures show ingenuity and endeavour; a good time and a good laugh.
This classic series features the brilliant Freddy and illustrates the cardinal virtues: "fair play and a good sense of humor."
'Freddy is simply one of the greatest characters in children's literature!' (School Library Journal)