My Teacher Is an Alien

Wow, now I finally know why this book has been so popular for so long. It's fast-paced, engaging, easy to read... and also thought-provoking, with lots of details that enhance it to be much more interesting & rich than most quick adventures.

First of all, it's got a girl narrator and a boy who is also a hero. And then there's some great lines:

"Sometimes I wonder about my brain; I mean, it seems to have a mind of its own. If it was really my brain, you'd think I would have a little more control over it, wouldn't you?"

"That's not the way rumors work. People never check with the source. They always ask someone else. Don't ask me why, but it's true. Lots of stupid things are true."

"Just because a thousand idiots believe something, that show more doesn't make it true."

"I've kind of changed my mind about being an actress. I'm thinking maybe I'll be a scientist when I grow up. I'd like to invent a ship-a ship that would take us right out of the solar system-out to explore all those distant stars that fill the sky at night. Worlds where we would be the mysterious aliens."

I also appreciate the advice that the reader listen to *The Stars and Stripes Forever,* especially the piccolo solo. And for that matter, how often is a piccolo the instrument a kid plays in a children's book?

Yes, some details make this dated. Lots of problems could be solved with cell phones, for example. But it's not been updated, and I think that's terrific. show less

A cleverly written book from beginning to end. Bruce Coville can write his ass off. Susan recruits Peter, the science fiction reading nerd, to help her unmask Mr. Smith as an alien. She finds out he wants to kidnap and examine the best and average students of her school, she concocts a plan. Peter creates Plan B, where he motivates himself and has Mr. Smith take him because he wants to learn about the other intelligence.

Full of chuckle worthy moments, as a throwback book, it delivers.

My Teacher Is an Alien is the first in a four book series, which is fortunate because by itself, it doesn't stand up very well at all. Unfortunately, I was so unexcited after reading this volume had I not read the later books in the series first, after reading this one I might not have decided to read the remainder of the series.

Susan Simmons, the main character, is a fairly popular sixth grade girl, a good student, and a talented piccolo player. She has been looking forward to the spring semester of school because her teacher Ms. Schwartz always has the class prepare a play, and she wants to be an actress. She is horrified to learn that Ms. Schwartz is being replaced by a new teacher named Mr. Smith, and Mr. Smith has no intention of show more letting the students put on a play or do anything else that is fun.

While attempting to retrieve a note from Mr. Smith's house, Susan discovers the terrible truth about her new substitute teacher: he is an alien disguised as a human. She decides the only person she can confide in is the smart, bookish science fiction fan in her class: Peter Thompson (in one of Coville's typical asides, Peter is seen in one scene reading A Princess of Mars) who is usually bullied by the mean Duncan Dougal. Peter at first thinks she is playing a joke, but they break into Mr. Smith's house again and find Ms. Schwartz imprisoned in a force field where they learn that Mr. Smith (aka Broxholm) intends to take some students from their class away with him for study: the best, the worst and three "average" students.

The news spreads through the class, and oddly, the kids end up believing it. Even Duncan begins to help Susan and Peter as they try to foil Broxholm's plans. Except that Peter seems to decide to fall on his sword for everyone and works hard to prove he is the best student to ensure he is selected. Everything culminates in a musical finale (it turns out that Broxholm is incapacitated by Earth music) and Broxholm is forced to unmask and show his true alien nature until Peter gives Broxholm and escape route and leaves with him on his spaceship.

And then the story ends. The book has no explanation for why Broxholm needs to abduct some Earth children. There is a bit of wish fulfillment in Peter's character - he decides to leave with Broxholm to fulfill his dream of being in space, a dream likely shared with a lot of kids who will be drawn to reading this book. But without any indication of Broxholm's motivations or intentions, the book seems completely inadequate. The book starts off a decent science fiction series aimed at young readers, but on its own merits it simply falls flat.

This review has also been posted to my blog Dreaming About Other Worlds show less

I remember reading this as a kid and really liking it. Last week I had a kid come in for a short fifth grade book for a book report that was due yesterday (yesterday as in the day before he came into the library not yesterday the day I started listening to it. I decided that I should give it a listen for old times sake.

This is still a fun book. Susan and Peter are still really smart and spunky kids. I really didn't notice the lack of cell phones and computers. There's no way the kids would get away with sneaking around the way they do in the book too. The world is very different and I think the story is holding up well.

I remember reading this as a kid and really liking it. Last week I had a kid come in for a short fifth grade book for a book report that was due yesterday (yesterday as in the day before he came into the library not yesterday the day I started listening to it. I decided that I should give it a listen for old times sake.

This is still a fun book. Susan and Peter are still really smart and spunky kids. I really didn't notice the lack of cell phones and computers. There's no way the kids would get away with sneaking around the way they do in the book too. The world is very different and I think the story is holding up well.

I remember reading this as a kid and really liking it. Last week I had a kid come in for a short fifth grade book for a book report that was due yesterday (yesterday as in the day before he came into the library not yesterday the day I started listening to it. I decided that I should give it a listen for old times sake.

This is still a fun book. Susan and Peter are still really smart and spunky kids. I really didn't notice the lack of cell phones and computers. There's no way the kids would get away with sneaking around the way they do in the book too. The world is very different and I think the story is holding up well.

I remember reading this as a kid and really liking it. Last week I had a kid come in for a short fifth grade book for a book report that was due yesterday (yesterday as in the day before he came into the library not yesterday the day I started listening to it. I decided that I should give it a listen for old times sake.

This is still a fun book. Susan and Peter are still really smart and spunky kids. I really didn't notice the lack of cell phones and computers. There's no way the kids would get away with sneaking around the way they do in the book too. The world is very different and I think the story is holding up well.