• Age: 8 to 14
• Grade: 3 to 9
• Reading age: 8 to 14

A kooky kid is banished to another planet in this hilarious adventure about a futuristic world where different is dangerous, imagination is insanity, and creativity is crazy!
Norbert Riddle lives in the United State of Earth, where normal means following the rules, never standing out, and being exactly the same as everyone else, down to the plain gray jumpsuits he wears every day. He's been normal his whole life -- until a moment of temporary hilarity when he does a funny impression of their dictator, Loving Leader . . . and gets caught!
Now, Norbert's been arrested and banished to planet Zorquat 3 in the Orion Nebula, where kids who defy the rules roam free in the Astronuts camp. Norbert has been taught his whole life that different is wrong, but everyone at Astronuts is crazy, creative, and insane!
Norbert wants nothing more than to go back to earth where things are awful but at least they're familiar. But he soon realizes that being different could be better -- and maybe the crazy farm is exactly where he belongs after all.

James Patterson's profile page

Joey Green's profile page

Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator who currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. He has illustrated many books for young people that earned multiple starred reviews and positions on the New York Times bestseller list including The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, In My Mosque by M. O. Yuksel, the Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society series also by Adam Gidwitz with several amazing coauthors, Meet Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi, Raj’s Rule (for the Bathroom at School) with Lana Button, How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller, and Ethan and the Strays by John Sullivan. He has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @MetaHatem or MetaHatem.com.

Hatem Aly's profile page

"The humor, adventure, and lively illustrations will make this book enjoyable for reluctant readers."—Common Sense Media

"Buoyed by Aly's boisterous drawings, Norbert's droll wordplay, wisecracking banter, and oddball characters, the comedy reaches farcical heights before careening to an unforeseen conclusion. The authors balance the inanity with real-life, affecting emotion, convincingly depicting Norbert's fright as well as his yearning for his parents."—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Not So Normal Norbert:
A Barnes & Noble Best Book for Young Readers!A Parents' Choice Awards (R) Winner!

"Readers will chortle at the relentless wordplay, a supporting cast made up almost entirely of caricatured grown-ups and young pranksters, and Norbert's winning mix of glibness and gullibility. Aly's scribbly ink-and-wash line drawings add punchlines as well as comical portraits of the major characters."—Booklist