Book excerpt: This is getting seriously weird! On a remote farm in New Zealand’s South Island, Tim and Coral Townsend discover a pair of super-intelligent mice with an extraordinary calculator. Suddenly they’re plunged into an adventure full of alien technology, mind parasites and visitors from very, very far away. Their new friends just want to go home, but how can they when the most powerful, most frightening beings in the galaxy are determined to stop them? Watched by a pair of super-slimy slithery spies, Tim and Coral set about helping the newcomers. But who can they trust – especially when confronted by a ruthless killer robot intent on destroying them all? Now Tim and Coral aren’t just fighting for the lives of their friends, but for their own lives too! Fresh, funny, engaging and utterly gripping, Too Many Zeros marks the start of a brilliant new young adult adventure series for boys and girls of all ages. Brimming with excitement, humour, adventure and original ideas, you’ll find these pages practically turn themselves. This book is the first part of the Forty Million Minutes series. What the reviewers reckon ... 'A rollicking good read for pre-teenage children and their parents. It's funny, fast-paced and captivating. A real page-turner.' – Beatties' Book Blog 'An excellent Kiwi kid sci-fi novel ... very enjoyable.' – The Southland Times 'Science fiction done really well. It’s fast-paced, warm, and recommended for the tween in your life.' – Bookie Monster 'Amusing ... action-packed ... will appeal to both boys and girls from about nine or ten upwards. With spacecraft, aliens both friendly and antagonistic, and male and female main characters, it’s a great read.' – StoryTime