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The Only Alien on the Planet

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Winner of multiple awards, praised by librarians and teachers as one of the best books ever written for teens—NOW BACK IN PRINT!

New town, new school, new friends. It was difficult for Ginny at first, but her senior year is finally starting to feel kind of normal. That is, until she sees him—the beautiful mystery in her English class. He has never spoken a word to anyone. He moves through each day at school without making eye contact. His name is Smitty Tibbs, but everyone calls him the Alien.

Ginny is convinced there's more to the Alien than his muted exterior. But as she attempts to break into his safe and emotionless world, she realizes her efforts might be causing more harm than good. Has she gone too far, or not far enough?

"Utterly compelling...totally satisfying. A fast-moving, unusual contemporary romance that should have great appeal."

School Library Journal

"The thick wall an abused teenager builds between himself and the world is penetrated at last by an extraordinary pair of friends... A strong book with healing at the end, memorable for its spirited friendships and unpreachy soul-searching."

Kirkus Reviews

"Ginny's deft and engaging narration reveals a delightful and totally believable teen. [T]he overall impact of this psychological novel is so powerful."

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 27, 1995
      New student Ginny is intrigued by the handsome alien in her homeroom--no, this is not a science fiction novel. Smitty--real name Michael--is known to his schoolmates as "The Alien" because of his affectless appearance and complete silence. Soon, Ginny and Smitty's longtime protector, Caulder, team up to try and crack his shell. They get much more than they bargain for when they drag him along on old-movie outings; as a none-too-subtle plot device, the first turns out to be The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, the second, East of Eden. Smitty walks out of both, for it turns out that he was almost fatally abused by his older brother, who also convinced him that he would die if he spoke to anyone. With the help of Ginny, Caulder and a wise and sympathetic therapist, Smitty emerges from this psychological curse, and he and Ginny even begin a tentative romantic relationship. Randle (Why Did Grandma Have to Die?) unfortunately builds her otherwise well-crafted novel around an uncharacteristic response to abuse. Under his pain, Smitty is totally honest and caring--a very romantic figure, but not one likely to be found in the real world. Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.6
  • Lexile® Measure:650
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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