Emperor of the Universe

by David Lubar

  By the time someone thought to check on the crew member, it was far too late to try to find her. Not that they would have, even if they’d seen her drift past the viewport, waving frantically and trailing her safety line like an umbilical cord.

  When the pirates eventually cycled the airlock and admitted Morglob, they formed a circle and stared down at the slimy, glistening creature.

  “What is it?” the first mate asked. He prodded Morglob with his foot.

  “Jelly?’ the second mate suggested.

  “I like jelly,” another crew member said.

  As they stood there, discussing the virtue of jelly and daring one another to give the currently available jelly a taste, Morglob glorped across the room to an air duct. It wouldn’t work as well as his normal speaking tube, but it would have to do for now. He flowed around it and said, “Bring your captain here.”

  The pirates stared at one another. The captain hated them as much as they hated him, and he generally stayed in his quarters unless there were vulnerable ships to attack.

  “Now!” Morglob shouted.

  Losing his home had made him cranky. As had being snubbed. He’d offered to make the Earthling a star, and was rewarded with treachery. The long drift through space afterward had not improved his mood. It had, however, given him ample time to contemplate various means of revenge against the monsters who had destroyed his home. They would pay. And they would suffer.

  He did not know, yet, of the events that had transpired after he was booted into space. He had no idea Nicholas was now the Emperor of the Universe. He would learn this soon enough, since Nicholas seemed to be a favorite subject of newscasts, sfumbles, and reality series. That information would only make his task easier, since an emperor would not be hard to find. Nor would his companions.

  And it would make their eventual destruction all that much more enjoyable, since they would fall from great heights. Morglob issued a small glorble of happiness as he pulled free of the register and awaited the captain—who, if all went according to Morglob’s rapidly forming plan, would soon be his servant. “They will suffer,” he said. “And then they will die.”

  He was not the only one with plans of vengeance.

  STARSCAPE READING AND ACTIVITY GUIDE TO

  BY DAVID LUBAR

  Ages 9–12; Grades 4–7

  PRE-READING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What are the first questions or reactions this book’s title brings to your mind? Does the title make you think the story is going to be funny, sarcastic, dramatic, silly, serious, or a combination of those things? Author David Lubar subtitles this book: “A Fable with Spaceships and Aliens.” Have you read or heard a fable? What was it about? A fable usually has a moral—a meaningful message or lesson—the author hopes to pass along to the reader. Why do you think the author might want you to know Emperor of the Universe is a fable from the moment you see the title?

  2. In Emperor of the Universe, middle-schooler Nicholas V. Landrew finds himself on a wacky interplanetary adventure when circumstances (and some sneakiness on his part) land him on his own for three weeks. If you had three weeks on your own, with no school, parents, or plans, and could go on an adventure—unrestricted by real-world limitations like money, age, or the rules of school, parents, or even nature—where would you want to go and why? Who would you want to meet? What would you want to do?

  POST-READING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Who did you think the narrator was when you began to read the story?

  2. Other than brief mentions or appearances, and a few texts and phone calls, the grown-ups in Nicholas’s life (his parents, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Lucy) are given very small roles in the story. Why do you think the author chose to do this?

  3. Nicholas makes the decision to step into the gerbil cage after he witnesses his gerbil, Henrietta, and the “test” package of ground beef disappear in a flash of purple light. Would you have chosen to do the same thing if you found yourself in Nicholas’s situation? Why or why not?

  4. In chapter three, “A Brief, but Useful, Morsel of History,” we learn: “From the moment that one race ventured off their home planet and stumbled across another inhabited world, there has always been an Emperor of the Universe.” How do you think these two ideas—races from different planets meeting and the need for a universal leader—are related? Do you think the Emperor of the Universe compares to the concept of a God or Godlike figure from religion or mythology? Why or why not?

  5. From the outset of the novel, author David Lubar intertwines chapters that focus on Nicholas V. Landrew’s specific story with chapters that take a much broader view—as broad as all of time and space—almost like a telescope zooming in and out. Why do you think the author chose to structure the book this way?

  6. Author David Lubar is a master of word play. Can you cite chapter titles or quotes where the author uses puns or a twist on a common phrase or famous work to foreshadow or emphasize specific plot points or themes?

  7. How does Nicholas’s encounter with the Craborzi lead to the “Flamenco Dance of Death”? What is the GollyGosh! and how does it relate to the “amazing thing that didn’t happen next”?

  8. How do Stella Astrallis and her newsflashes develop and connect parts of the story?

  9. In chapter ten, “All Aboard!” Nicholas meets freelance space courier Clave. How does his use of terms like “barbarians” and “backwater planet” reveal Clave’s view of Earth and Earthlings? Clave says to Nicholas: “I’m sure you’re a little dazzled by learning how small your place in the universe is.” Should we be careful about making assumptions about what an advanced, intelligent, significant race we human beings are? How does the author use Clave and other characters to help Nicholas (and the reader) see that everything is a matter of perspective, and that there might be many perspectives that differ from the Earthbound point of view?

  10. What does Clave explain to Nicholas about the Ubiquitous Matrix and Earth being a “petro-cloaked” planet? Do you think the Ubiquitous Matrix is like a universal internet? Or do you think it’s more a spiritual than technological system? Why do you think the Ubiquitous Matrix is compromised on petro-cloaked planets? Do you think the author is flagging issues like poor environmental stewardship of planet Earth, pollution, climate change, and our society’s priorities being out of sync with nature?

  11. Can you discuss how Clave’s obsession with “sfumbles” is a spoof on cellphones, texting, blogging, or posting constantly, as people of all ages tend to do these days? Later, the author comments on things going “univiral.” How does this spoof the modern phenomenon of silly, trivial things “going viral” in our chronically plugged-in society?

  12. How does Nicholas’s diplomatic advice to Menmar’s President Nixon get misinterpreted and lead to disaster? “Planet torchers” sound like the stuff of science fiction, but how are they similar to real-world nuclear bombs?

  13. How do Henrietta and Nicholas figure out that Jeef is a “holy cow”? Do you think Jeef, who often uses Bible phrases, represents a religious or spiritual perspective in this story? Why or why not?

  14. How does the expansion of Thinkerator technology compare to the proliferation of personal computing, cellphones, and online commerce in our society? Can you think of real-world counterparts for companies like Hyperjump Unlimited?

  15. Why is Morglob Sputum interested in Nicholas? Why does Spott want to escape? What happens to Cloud Mansion Intergalactic?

  16. What happens on Zeng, and how does Spott save the day? Why is Nicholas afraid to go to Spott’s home planet, Beradaxia? Why does Nicholas decide to return to Zeng to fix the “devouring singularity”? How does this show how he has grown, or changed, in the course of the story?

  17. Do you agree with the first acts Nicholas takes after the Syndics inform him he is the new Emperor of the Universe? Would you have made the same or different choices?

  18. Though he highlights some positives (including friendships that transcend huge differences), auth
or David Lubar’s interplanetary citizens struggle with many of the challenges that plague Earthlings—consumerism; materialism; war and conflict; pettiness; obsession with celebrity and style over substance; money, rather than morals, driving “progress” and proliferation of technology. Does he fill his universe with these flaws and perils so we can reconsider the havoc they are wreaking in our own (real) time and place? Nicholas gets the unique responsibility and opportunity to make a difference as Emperor of the Universe, but shouldn’t each of us do our part?

  COMMON CORE–ALIGNED READING, WRITING, AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

  These Common Core–aligned activities may be used in conjunction with the pre- and post-reading discussion questions above.

  1. MEAT YOUR NARRATOR (POINT OF VIEW). Philosophical Jeef is the omniscient narrator of Emperor of the Universe. Having gone from content cow to ground beef to her current (almost) all-knowing state of “one with the universe,” she has a very unique, fluid view of time and space and how and when Nicholas Landrew’s story unfolds within it. Invite students to consider how the story might be different if it were told from another character’s perspective. Have students choose a key event from the story and write a 2–3 paragraph description of it from another character’s first-person point of view (such as Nicholas’s, Henrietta’s, or Clave’s). Students can write an additional 1–2 paragraphs comparing and contrasting the omniscient viewpoint to the first-person viewpoint. What challenges or opportunities does each point of view create for the author, the reader, and the characters?

  2. HOW ON (OR OFF!) EARTH IS THAT POSSIBLE? (TEXT TYPE: OPINION PIECE) In chapter five, “What Didn’t Happen Next,” the narrator (Jeef) observes: “Many physicists believe our observations help determine the nature of reality, and our decisions create parallel universes.” This suggests that a single person’s perceptions and decisions have an enormous amount of power, as well as the mind-boggling idea that there can be more than one reality, or multiple dimensions or versions of reality. Write a 1–2 page essay explaining why you agree or disagree with this idea.

  3. ALIEN ALERT! (TEXT TYPE: NARRATIVE) In Emperor of the Universe, Nicholas V. Landrew goes on a mind-blowing, life-changing three-week intergalactic journey. Can you reverse the circumstances and write a detailed, action-packed 3–4 page story imagining what would happen if an alien beamed down into your bedroom, rather than beaming you up onto a ship like Nicholas experienced? What is the series of events that unfolds when the alien visits you? How does the alien affect your life at school and at home? What adventures or misadventures do you have together? What do you learn from each other?

  4. SLIME AND PUNISHMENT (TEXT TYPE: ARGUMENTS). In Emperor of the Universe, Nicholas seems to wreak havoc wherever he goes on his unexpected and chaotic journey through the universe. (There was also the “exploding roach brains” incident at the science fair back on planet Earth.) Ask students to review the “roster” of incriminating incidents: the stomping of Craborzi scientists; the mutual destruction of the Menmarian and Zefinoran planets; the self-destruction of Morglob Sputum’s headquarters; the escape from Zeng (to avoid becoming human sacrifices), which causes Zeng to start imploding, creating a “devouring singularity” that threatens to end the entire universe. Invite students to select an incident, decide if they think Nicholas is innocent or guilty, and write a 1–3 paragraph argument supporting their position with relevant evidence drawn from Emperor of the Universe. (If desired, students may write arguments for or against more than one of Nicholas’s unwitting “crimes.”)

  5. DEEP THOUGHTS IN DEEP SPACE (THEMES). In Emperor of the Universe, author David Lubar explores many timely and philosophical themes and ideas. (For example: the nature of self-awareness, the possibility of alternate realities, the irony and futility of war, the consequences—both humorous and dangerous—of individual or cultural assumptions, the power of media to shape or mislead public perception; the concepts of mortality and immortality, the unchecked proliferation of technology.) Ask students to select a theme and write a 1–2 page essay examining how that theme is developed throughout Emperor of the Universe, making sure to include relevant quotes and references from the story. Or you can focus on themes in small groups or class discussions and debates.

  6. BUILDING CHARACTER (COMPARE AND CONTRAST). In a short essay, compare and contrast the characters of Nicholas V. Landrew and Clave the Menmarian. Consider physical and emotional differences. Be sure to discuss their philosophical differences, too—analyzing how these characters view and understand the world, or the universe, and their role in it—something which author David Lubar has humorously and thoughtfully emphasized in characters, situations, and narration throughout Emperor of the Universe. How does Mr. Lubar explore and develop the relationship between Nicholas and Clave over the course of the story? How do these characters discover and overcome their “cultural” differences? How and where do Clave and Nicholas, citizens of entirely different planets, find common ground? Use relevant details, examples, and quotes from the text to examine how Clave and Nicholas act and interact in different situations throughout their complicated journey. Do they see themselves, and each other, differently at the end of the story than they did at the beginning? Explain how and why.

  7. FACT AND (SCIENCE) FICTION (RESEARCH AND PRESENT). Invite students to work in pairs or small groups to do online and library research to inform a presentation on one of the subjects listed below. Use the research to create a PowerPoint or other multimedia presentation to share findings with classmates. Invite students to discuss how the factual information presented relates to the fictional Emperor of the Universe.

  • Douglas Noel Adams. (David Lubar dedicated Emperor of the Universe to this English essayist, humorist, and satirist, who authored The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.)

  • French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes. (David Lubar revisits Descartes’s famous quote “I think, therefore I am” with Henrietta the gerbil’s remark after gaining self-awareness and the ability to speak: “I am. Therefore I think.”)

  • Studies or statistics exploring the impact the proliferation of cellphones, social media, and digital devices is having on youth (or overall) culture.

  • Brief history of World War I (1914–1918) and why it was dubbed “The War to End War” or “The War to End All Wars.” (The Emperor of the Universe chapter title “An End to All Wars” seems to echo this sentiment, but is it ultimately a hopeful or hollow promise?)

  • NASA’s recent mission to Mars. (How might some of the scenarios in Emperor of the Universe be a cautionary tale for how one species thinks about and pursues interplanetary exploration?)

  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS COMMON CORE READING AND WRITING STANDARDS

  RL.4.1-3, RL.4.6, RL.5.1-3, RL.5.6, RL.6.1-3, RL.6.6, RL.7.1-3, RL.7.6; W.4.1-2A, 4.3, 4.7, W.5.1-2A, 5.3, 5.7, 5.9 W.6.2A, 6.3, 6.7, 6.9 W.7.1-2A, 7.3, 7.7, 7.9; SL.4.1, 4.4; SL.5.1, 5.4; SL.6.1, 6.4; SL.7.1, 7.4.

  STARSCAPE BOOKS BY DAVID LUBAR

  NOVELS

  Flip

  Hidden Talents

  True Talents

  MONSTERRIFIC TALES

  Hyde and Shriek

  The Vanishing Vampire

  The Unwilling Witch

  The Wavering Werewolf

  The Gloomy Ghost

  The Bully Bug

  NATHAN ABERCROMBIE, ACCIDENTAL ZOMBIE SERIES

  My Rotten Life

  Dead Guy Spy

  Goop Soup

  The Big Stink

  Enter the Zombie

  STORY COLLECTIONS

  Attack of the Vampire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  Beware the Ninja Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  Check Out the Library Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  The Curse of the Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Other Warped and Creep
y Tales

  Invasion of the Road Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  Wipeout of the Wireless Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

  Teeny Weenies: The Intergalactic Petting Zoo and Other Stories

  Teeny Weenies: Freestyle Frenzy and Other Stories

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ever since DAVID LUBAR was little, he has traveled to alien planets, fantasy realms, and earthly wonders by means of books. He’s thrilled he can help launch others on this journey through his own novels and short stories. In the past twenty-five years, he’s written fifty books for young readers, including Hidden Talents (an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults); My Rotten Life, which is currently under development for a cartoon series; and the Weenies Tales short story collections, which have sold more than 2.7 million copies. He grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, and currently lives in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, with his awesome wife, and not far from his amazing daughter. In his spare time, he takes naps on the couch.

  Visit him online at www.davidlubar.com, or sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page