Interspersed with the dialog between Danoid and Pete are boxes of interesting related trivia (called "earthdatabanks"), reports from Danoid to his Commander explaining human workings from an often humorous alien point of view, and science experiments illustrating the concepts. The ideas for experiments are one of the best features of the book as they are all simple, easy to follow, and clearly illustrative of some anatomical fact. For example, there are experiments designed to measure nerve speed, to measure the amount of air exhaled in one breath, to illustrate the way in which our muscles act upon our joints, and to illustrate how taste and smell work in concert.

The book's main drawback is in the flatness of the characters and their conversation. Pete and Danoid are likeable, but one-dimensional individuals. Pete exemplifies the breezy cheeky pre-teen; Danoid the ponderous, literal minded computer based life form. The dialogue between the two is occasionally stilted and insipid. Ironically, although it is the characters of Pete and Danoid that may be intended to draw kids in, the facts, themselves, are so well-presented and explained that they can stand quite well on their own.

Recommended.