JAMES MURRAY and CARSEN SMITH

Take Young Readers to Area 51 for Some Alien Fun

by Melissa Fales

Comedians Carsen Smith and James “Murr” Murray of Impractical Jokers fame have joined forces to create Area 51 Interns, a new children’s book series about a group of kids who band together to protect the storied, highly-classified zone from a hostile takeover by an onslaught of aliens. The first book in the series, Alien Summer, was released on March 15. According to Murray, the inspiration for Area 51 Interns was simple. “The series came from two really fun questions,” he says. “First, what if everything you heard about Area 51 was real, and second, what if you and your best friends landed a summer internship there?”

Alien Summer is the first middle grade book for Murray, whose adult fiction works, The Brink and Awakened were international bestsellers. Murray says his lifelong interest in improv comedy helped him bond with his Impractical Jokers castmates, known collectively as The Tenderloins, while they were all still in high school. Murray’s work on Impractical Jokers and The Misery Index have parlayed him to the position of one of America’s funniest funny men. “Plus, I’m fairly funny-looking,” he jokes.

Smith, a self-proclaimed “goof” has worked with Murray on Impractical Jokers. She admits that for as long as she can recall, she’s always tried to get a laugh out of others. “I remember getting in trouble in kindergarten for mooning other kids during nap time,” she says. Smith is best known for her writing for the Upright Citizens Brigade. She’s a co-founder of The Goose Lodge comedy club in Brooklyn and tours with her sketch team, One Bad Egg. Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer is her first novel. 

The Area 51 Interns cast of characters is led by 12-year-old Viv, a bright girl who’s more comfortable working out math problems and doing science experiments than sharing her feelings with her friends, especially Elijah, on whom she has a bit of a crush. On the first day of summer vacation, Viv and her friends are reluctantly brought to Area 51 by their parents for the annual Take Your Kids to Work Day event. However, when a bunch of aliens escape their cells and take all the adults hostage, it’s up to Viv and the rest of the kids to save the day. 

Readers will especially enjoy learning about the various gadgets the interns have at their disposal during this epic alien showdown. “When our interns stumble into the Area 51 Gadgets Room, they’re each instantly drawn to a specific weapon,” say Smith and Murray. “Our hero Viv finds a combat suit equipped with an energy blast arm cannon. Elijah finds a jetpack-powered flight suit, and Charlotte finds a pair of duplicator gauntlets that allow her to make temporary clones of herself. Ray finds a growth/shrink ray that can make him grow multiple times his size.”

The idea for a children’s book series about the mysterious Area 51 came up when Smith and Murray were brainstorming ideas one day. “We thought, ‘How cool would it be to take a field trip to Area 51?’” says Smith. “I’ve always been fascinated by everything about the state of Nevada since my mom told me the founders named the state capital (Carson City) after me.” According to Murray, the idea touched on some mutual interests he and Smith shared. “Carsen and I love conspiracy theories and sci-fi adventures,” says Murray. “And what better source of material than Area 51?”

Murray says it wasn’t much of a stretch for him to assume the mindset of a middle school reader and cater to a preteen audience. “Have you seen what I do on Impractical Jokers?” asks Murray. “The guys and I are basically mentally stuck in high school, so it wasn’t that hard to write Area 51 Interns.” Smith said she enjoyed revisiting her own middle school years in preparation to write Alien Summer. “It was definitely fun tapping into that mode again,” says Smith. “I have such vivid memories of summer adventures with my friends from that age, so it was pretty easy to remember the dynamics and channel that into the book.”  

The pair have written the first three books of the Area 51 Interns series and have more books planned. “Viv’s story and the world of Area 51 is so vast and there’s so much to explore that James and I could easily see this series working across dozens of books,” says Smith. When asked how many books he envisions for the series, Murray offered an unequivocable answer. “Four hundred and thirty-seven books total,” he says. “I mean, not yet, but let’s hope.” 

Zoned Out, the second book in the Area 51 Interns series is due in October 2022. In Zoned Out, the interns locate a hidden part of the facility where cryptids and legendary creatures are kept so they can be examined, analyzed, and studied by scientists. The third book in the series explores the idea of time travel and divulges the pasts and the futures of the series’ main characters. 

According to Smith, the duo worked hard to make Alien Summer appealing to a wide audience of science fiction fans and alien enthusiasts. “James and I wanted to write a book that appealed to every kid, no matter who they are,” says Smith. “Boy, girl, young, old, whoever our readers might be, James and I made sure that there was a little bit of everything in there so the book would be a fun read for everyone. If you want an action-packed, out-of-this-world, sci-fi adventure, this is the book for you.”

For more information about the Area 51 Interns series, to purchase an autographed copy of Alien Summer, or to attend the book’s virtual launch on Zoom, visit area51novel.com.