NNtG: Screammates #02: Aliens in the End Zone

It's time to return to Screammates, the four-book Goosebumps-like, but about sports! This time it's football season. Like the American version of football. And we have aliens too, those are sometimes fine. Will we score a touchdown with this tale? Find out with Aliens in the End Zone. 
 

This cover is decent. I like the design of the alien with its large, green head and bug eyes. Definitely enough to illicit some scares. And we have decent shocked kid reactions, but I don't know, the girl on the right seems more annoyed than full on frightened or concerned. More of a "oh god, this guy again" than anything fearful. Also, I do like the nice sunset and the cloudy sky. Good atmosphere to add to an enticing cover.

Johnny Nielsen and Kristen Talley are a part of their school football team, the Rockville Rockets. And the team's not doing so great, losing their last game 42-7. Both Johnny and Kristen feel disenfranchised as they both keep being benched. Kristen in particular even though she's the best kicker on the team, yet the coach, Coach Saks, would rather put in his son Joe instead. But they have one last game of the season against the Cranston Cowboys. And the school principal, Principal Lowrey, has a way to turn their morale around. And it's with a Martian named Mookie. And, much like the cover, he is described about the same in the book, being a green bug eyed alien. But don't worry, Mookie is just the mascot. No way he's a real alien or something. What is this, a children's horror novella?

Turns out that an alien mascot isn't the brilliant morale booster as the kids just all mock Mookie anyway, which is definitely something you want to do if he really is a Martian. Seriously, what is it with Screammates and people seemingly wanting to get killed? I guess I shouldn't be surprised after we had people openly jeering a giant. Then Mookie's eyes begin to glow and his antennae move and I guess that's all you need to do to impress school children. He then spins around and vanishes in a cloud of smoke. As Johnny and Kristen process all this on the way home, they get stopped by two Cranston players named Todd and Tim Mitchell who promise that Rockville has no chance of winning the big game.

But it seems that's actually the case as at the game, Rockville can't get a single point on the board. It's also raining and despite being the supposed lynchpin, there's no sign of Mookie. Johnny even thinks it's hopeless without Mookie, to which Kristen says that they've won big games without a mascot, so why should this be different? Mookie then shows up and points his finger at Johnny, causing an electric blast to zap the boy and give him better strength and speed. Oh, that's how he's going to help the team. Cheating! All of the players improve (except Kristen who is still not allowed to play), beating Cranston 42-21 and now they're in line to win the state championship. 

After the game, Johnny and Kristen spot the Mitchell twins grabbing Mookie, first trying to remove the costume to no avail, then throwing him into a dumpster. Johnny tries to stop them, but the twins grab him and are about to pound him. Only all of a sudden, the boys start playing a game of "Stop Hitting Yourself" to each other, like their arms are out of control. After they give, they go to grab Mookie, only he's nowhere to be found. As they head home again, Johnny now believes that maybe Mookie is an alien. Kristen doubts it, when suddenly the nearby trees start to chase them. Well that escalated. Turns out it was Mookie's doing all along as he indeed reveals he's an alien from the planet J-2. Turns out there's a really good internet signal on J-2 and he spotted Principal Lowrey's want-ad for an alien mascot. And, I guess because work is work I guess, he took the job.

The championship game arrives as the Rockville Rockets take on the Westport Pirates. And it appears that the Pirates have an alien mascot of their own, only dressed like a pirate. This makes Mookie panic and run off. Kristen and Johnny check on him and he reveals that he left J-2 not because of the want-ad, but because of a bully named Vandor who tormented him and cost him all his friends. And sure enough, the alien the Pirates have for a mascot is Vandor. As they tell Mookie to stand up to Vandor, Vandor arrives and says that he has a proposition for Mookie. If the Westport Pirates win, he'll blow up Earth. If Rockville wins, he'll spare the planet and leave Mookie alone. And given Mookie's fear, this might be easier said than done.

It's an uphill battle as despite Vandor's attempts to wear down the Rockets, Mookie comes to their aid to tie the game at 42-42, meaning it comes down to one more goal for the fate of the planet. One minute left and Joe Saks has the ball, but despite Mookie's efforts, the alien faints. But he recovers and the game remains tied with seconds to spare on the fourth. Eventually Joe collapses in pain, meaning that despite not letting her play the whole time, Coach Saks finally puts Kristen in the game and she scores the winning field goal. The Rockets win, Vandor is defeated, Earth is saved. Later, Kristen and Johnny celebrate when they get a note from Mookie thanking them for their help. He also says that he didn't help Kristen, that was all her. Johnny on the other hand...

I liked this book, but do feel it's very rushed. That's because it's a 78 page story with plenty of pages used for illustrations. But, by that token, it also doesn't feel like it has to pad or go in directions that lead to the obvious wall hit. The story always stays about Mookie. I like the concept of Mookie being the good alien who helps his team to win. Granted through magical cheating, but I guess there are worse ways to cheat. Johnny and Kristen are likable protagonists with Kristen's whole plight actually mattering in the end. Though honestly, nobody calling out the coach's clear nepotism is still bad. But, then again, 90s schools. Vandor is an interesting villain on paper, but doesn't get much time to be more interesting than he could have been.

I like the extra conflict with Vandor, but it also feels like a way to add stakes to a story so devoid of them. So we have to ramp it up to eleven with the story literally being about the fate of the planet on the line. It's also not a scary book in the slightest. Aside from Mookie and Vandor's designs, the story is straightforward and actually more... guess the best term would be "cute" than anything. Your standard alien friend story over something like an alien invasion story. Just wish there was a bit more I could really say about this one. It's a light and breezy book that's an easy recommend I guess? Aliens in the End Zone gets a B.