UFO: Unavoidable Family Outing is a light-hearted children’s book series written by Dave Hackett. The main plot of each book is a Dysfunctional Family going on holiday together, with Hilarity Ensuring and Wacky Hijinks galore.There are also boy bands, attempted murders, attempted murders by boy bands, amnesia, giant piles of cheese, fictional cats solving real-life crimes, lots of fun with acronyms, creepy bearded drivers, unusually catchy ransom notes, threatening lions, juggling, and two very impressive concerts in a row.
UFO: Unavoidable Family Outing contains examples of:
- Actually, I Am Him: Several times. In the second book, the handsome stranger who BRAD accidentally hurts in the elevator is in fact Teen Idol Brandon Brenton Brantley, and then in the third book Chunk is Ronnie B because as it happens ‘Reuben’ is Marcie and Marshall’s son, Chundrance.
- Art Shift: The unnamed narrator is aspiring to be an author, and occasionally the books give extracts of his current works. His writing style is significantly different from his narrating style. The most obvious was during the third book, when he decided to write a graphic novel (and apparently casted real actors ).
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Implied to be the case with every relationship, but as BRAD is the one who gets into the most trouble, there are several moments where the family sincerely worries about him throughout the series. Admittedly several times BRAD was revealed to be safe all along, but it’s the thought that counts.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Teased as an in-universe squick, but thankfully averted. Sal had indeed written in her diary that BRAD was their long-lost brother, but only because she realised someone was reading her diary. The narrator’s panic that his eldest sister was dating their long lost brother was all that Sal hoped for and more.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: In the third book, Marcie and Marshall are suspected to be murdered by their son (drawing this instalment into Darker and Edgier territory, although still pretty lighthearted). Narelle came to this conclusion by… a muffled voicemail and the fact that Marshall changed their answering machine message to something admittedly ominous.
- Darker and Edgier: Although still pretty cheerful, the third book does have a subplot of being convinced Narelle’s friends from the second book had been murdered by their son. And although that turned out to have been jumping to conclusions, there was also someone legitimately trying to kill BRAD the whole time.
- The Ditz: BRAD. Constantly. Prime examples include not realising the invitation to play at the world’s biggest concert was ‘’not’’ addressed to him, and also having a nap while the family are convinced he fell overboard and then not realising he was having a nap and being equally convinced he was swimming in the ocean at the time.
- There were also numerous Noodle Incidents, including getting his tongue stuck to a freezer door, throwing up in his girlfriend’s popcorn at the movies, and somehow getting a guinea pig glued to his head.
- Graham isn’t that far behind, either. He was informed that once on board a cruise ship, everything was free, which he took literally – up to and including trying to steal the television. The ship’s security decided that being that dumb was punishment itself, and let him go. This is the second time Graham’s activities were overlooked by law enforcement simply because no-one wanted to deal with it.
- Drives Like Crazy: Jess apparently ran over the letterbox the first time she got behind the wheel. Justified in that she was a sixteen year old who has barely had a few minutes experience, although the fact that apparently she lost the road during the first book suggests she was unskilled as well as inexperienced.
- Dysfunctional Family: Well, let’s see… there’s the Bumbling Dad Graham, the Only Sane Woman mother, Narelle, the Bratty Teenage Daughter Jess, Deadpan Snarker Cool Middle Sister Sal, and the equally snarky unnamed narrator. Not to mention Jess’s boyfriend, BRAD.
- Eagleland: UFO in the USA.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: A few days before the series starts, Narelle commented that BRAD was ‘bright, responsible and delightful’. She is somewhat less flattering directly having to deal with him, although in all fairness the second book might have been the first time she had to deal with him for an extended period of time. She only really begins disliking him after he and Jess attempt to get married in the second book.
- Easy Amnesia: BRAD in the second book. After falling out of a car, he lost all of his memories. Jess tries to reverse it by beating him with a cushion. Sal and her brother are quite willing let it happen.
- Elopement: Jess and Brad attempt it twice. First is a spur of the moment Vegas wedding, and the third book kicks off with them running away for a boat trip.
- Foreign Queasine: Mentioned several times in UFO in the USA, with the Aussies being startled at some of meals available, including cough medicine-tasting Cherry drinks, highly cheesy lasagne, and serving sizes that would probably last the whole week.
- Inverted, too. When amnesiac BRAD can’t remember what vegemite is, the protagonists inform him it’s his favourite topping, having it on everything including smoothies. The narrator reflects if he gets his hands on some, BRAD would be in for the smoothie of his life. note .
- Fun with Acronyms: Beyond the ‘UFO’ title itself, BRAD is a good example of the trope. After he started spelling his name in all capitals, Sal and the protagonist made it their mission in life to work out what the letters B-R-A-D stand for.
- The first few pages alone introduce BRAD as ‘Big Reject And Doofus’, ‘Blatantly Ridiculous Armpit Dork’, ‘Brown Rabid Alligator Dung’, ‘Beaver Ripple Ashtray Drink’, ‘Buffalo Rectum and Drainhole’, and ‘Bright Responsible and Delightful’.
- Genius Ditz: Surprisingly, Jess. Despite believing that bacon is made from the nice pigs who consciously choose to be bacon (other pork products are made from ‘loser pigs’), she has a mental encyclopaedia of boy band facts. This comes in useful in two major plot points in the series, when they have to disguise BRAD as Brandon Brenton Brantly, and when they’re trying to work out the pattern of attacks on BRAD.Sal: Wow. Jess’s knowledge of all things boy band is quite disturbing.Narrator: It’s no wonder she doesn’t have any room inside her head for anything else.
- I Lied: Turns out, Sal’s claim that BRAD was their brother is a complete fabrication. Granted, she was writing that in her personal diary in order to discourage her brother from reading it, and if he’d kept his nose out of it he would have been fine.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Not even needed to be said explicitly.Sal: (about BRAD) There’s no taming him – he hasn’t even been fully house trained.I didn’t need to look over at BRAD. I knew that whatever he was doing, it would back up Sal’s comment without question.
- Land Down Under: The protagonists are Australian.Jess: Y’know, nobody calls it Down Under.BRAD: They don’t?Jess: Nope. Only people in America.
- Language Barrier: Almost.Graham: Hey, mate, where can a bloke find the crapper?Airport Worker Angel: *blank stare*Graham: I’m lookin’… for… the dunny. The bog. The shouse… where’ya hidin’ it?Angel discusses with his coworkers.Angel (trying Translation by Volume): I’ve asked around, sir, and I’m sorry, but no one here seems to speak your language. What you might want to do is go to the international help desk on level two. You can take the stairs, or you can make a right at the travelator and keep on walking. You’ll find it right beside the rest rooms.Graham: Dunnies.Angel: Oh, you don’t have to thank me, sir. It’s all part of the service.
- Large Ham: Jess, but Brandon Brenton Brantley is also very dramatic. Everyone has their moments, really.Jess: You can’t – you WON’T – you refuse to feel my pain. You’ve never been in love like this, Mother. Not ever. Not like the love I share with BRAD. I’ll never love again. Not now. I can’t. I WON’T. My reason for LIVING is gone. I can’t go on without him. I can’t. I WON’T. My only one, my soul … he’s gone. GONE! Now I’m alone. Helpless. Helpless and alone. Alone and helpless, facing a lonely, helpless BRAD-less life. I just can’t bear the thought. I can’t. I WON’T. Life without BRAD would be…’Narrator: A relief? A joy? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
- No Name Given: The protagonist. It gets to the point where Sal introduces him as Neville whenever he meets someone new, despite his protests.
- Refuge in Audacity: Apparently Chad K. Tevate was willing to feed Brandon Benton Brantly / or BRAD to his lions for failing to perform the world’s best concert. Possibly an empty threat, since the only thing he seemed legitimately prepared to do was throw BRAD in jail on justifiable charges of fraud.
- Road Trip Plot: The first book is about a drive from Sydney to Cape York.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: BRAD takes being threatened with a lawyer well.Brandon: The last I heard, it’s not especially legal to impersonate a highly successful and beautiful pop-boy! And you’ll be hearing from my lawyer, you can be sure of that!Brad: Yeah? Well… you’ll have to catch me first, hey!
- Sixth Ranger: BRAD only starts tagging along after the first book.
- The All-Concealing "I": See No Name Given.
- The Ghost: BRAD, to a minor degree in the first book. Apart from three texts from his phone (and one of which was not even sent by him), he has no direct communication with the characters until he manages to call Jess in order to explain he had been banned from his phone because of a call to Greenland and had not been kidnapped at all. The only way his characterisation is shown is by the way the other characters react to him. One could be forgiven for assuming they were exaggerating his stupidity. As the next two books prove, they were not.
- Also, Sophie Malone. Apart from a short cameo at the ends of USA and Afloat, she doesn’t really turn up.
- The Reveal: After spending half of the first book trying to wheedle out a massive secret from Sal, the protagonist finally hears what she has to tell him: BUUUUURRRRPPPPPP.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Mack and Sal. Granted, Sal was presumably average size for a fourteen year old, but her love interest was not.
- Viva Las Vegas!: The second book’s climax takes place in it, complete with Vegas wedding
- What Does She See in Him?: Averted. BRAD might be a moron, but Jess isn’t that far behind either. Played straight with Sharona, who seems to have nothing in common with BRAD. The story hints that it was a Childhood Friend Romance.
- Women Are Wiser: Narelle is one of the sanest members of the family, especially in contrast to Graham. While Sal also has Only Sane Man tendencies, it’s averted big time by Jess. The male protagonist is also shown to have taken more after his mother in the brains department.
- World of Ham: You are either a Deadpan Snarker or a Large Ham in these books.
