The Galaxy Pirates: Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris

Emma and Herbie are hanging together as usual.  One day he does all the homework, the next day she does.  It's his turn today and they are in her dad's library.  Out of the blue, her dad rushes in and moves the bookcase and shoves her and Herbie in and closes the door.  She sees the intruders through the bookshelves.  They grab her mother, demand to know how to work the Pyxis, and when mom doesn't cooperate, they shoot her father!  She wants to go out and stop them, but Herbie holds her back.  In no time at all, they're gathered up and herded out of the house.  Where could they be taking them?

Crown Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 4th, so you don't have to wait long to get a copy.

This is a magical tale with lots of action and some of the children's reactions are just dumb luck.  Emma learns that her boring parents were actually from another world.  When she opens the old box that was in the hidden room, she finds the actual Pyxis.  When she says the magic words, it turns on and begins vibrating.  What she doesn't realize is that it's almost like a homing device.  Everyone looking for it can see the signals.  While she and Herbie are trying to escape the bad guys, she makes another discovery.  They can travel through to the world her parents escaped long ago.

This is a busy exciting tale with lots of action and lots of adventures for Emma and Herbie.  They make new friends and they learn about this new world.  They manage to recover her mother, but they still have her father.  There will be another in this series, and I'll be watching for it.  I like these characters.