What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World by Henry Clark

One day River, Freak and Fiona find an old green sofa outside near their bus stop.  They decide to search underneath the cushions, and find a rare, zucchini colored crayon.  It is a collector's item, worth thousands on Ebay, but their consciences lead them to return it to the owner of the house where they found the couch.  When they do, they are caught up in an intergalactic plot to take over the world. The crayon, and the pluck of the three pre-teens are the keys to preventing an alien invasion.

I read this book because one of my librarian friends raved about it when it first came out in 2013.  It is a silly book, but very cleverly written.  There are a lot of lines that have hidden zingers that just made me smile. Clark has a good sense of comic timing.  It would seem like a character was about to get caught, or fall to their death or something, then at the last minute something funny would happen to save them.  If you are looking for a book to read aloud this summer, this is one that could appeal to a variety of ages. (355 p)