Sky and her friends tackle their biggest mystery yet—the discovery of Area 52!—in the third installment of this laugh-out-loud, Edgar Award nominated middle grade series by New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu.

Sky’s life in Area 51 is full of surprises. Like the fact that aliens are real—and now one is her best friend! But the biggest surprise yet comes when Sky learns that her grandmother has been kidnapped and is stuck in Area 52, the only other alien portal on Earth. 

There’s just one problem: No one knows the location of Area 52. In order to solve this mystery and save Sky’s grandma, Sky and her friends will have to solve a series of secret puzzles and codes, search the Area 51 library for clues, and break into FBAI headquarters using a tuna fish sandwich. But someone doesn’t want Sky to solve this mystery, and they’ve got their eyes on her…

Series Overview: The Area 51 Files (out now in hardcover, paperback coming Spring 24), The Area 51 Files #2: The Big Flush (out now in hardcover, paperback coming Summer 24), The Area 51 Files #3: Friend or UFO (hardcover coming Spring 24); The Area 51 Files #4 (hardcover coming Summer 2025)
 
Contributor Bio(s)
 
JULIE BUXBAUM is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels Tell Me Three Things, What to Say Next, Hope and Other Punch Lines, and Admission. She also wrote the critically acclaimed The Opposite of Love and After You. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She frequently has UFOs (Unidentified Food Objects) all over her shirt.

Author Residence: Los Angeles, CA

LAVANYA NAIDU is a children’s book illustrator and animator, born and raised in Kolkata. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, she has worked on numerous children’s books as well as animation projects. She currently lives in Melbourne and recently completed her role as the head of design on the animated kids series The Strange Chores (season 2) at 12field Animation. In her spare time, Lavanya enjoys collecting dinosaur models and befriending dogs.

Illustrator Residence:Melbourne, Australia

Illustrator Hometown:Kolkata, India