Humorous middle grade/YA books with aliens?

swvaughn · Mar 9, 2007

Hey all,

My son (he's 10, going on 25) started reading Can of Worms by Kathy Mackel, and he loves it. Because he hasn't been too interested in many books since last year when he discovered Avi (the year before that it was the Magic Treehouse series), I'd like to get him other books in this vein, in the hopes he'll keep reading through the summer.

The book features a highly intelligent (nerdy, to the other kids, of course) seventh-grader who doesn't fit in, is convinced he's an alien, and sends a message to outer space for a rescue. To his surprise, a whole lot of aliens respond. (Okay, that's a poor synopsis, but there's the basics.)

Anyone know of any funny middle grade or YA novels featuring aliens? Recommendations are greatly appreciated!

hnh · Mar 9, 2007

I loved Bruce Coville's books when I was a kid. He has a series of alien books starting with My Teacher is an Alien. He also edited a few themed short story collections about aliens, monsters, etc.

swvaughn · Mar 9, 2007

Oooh, thanks! Series are good. That should keep him occupied.

Jimmer · Mar 9, 2007

You're in luck. My good friend Kathy Mackel has written lots of other equally fun books. Do a search at Amazon for all the titles but the ones on my shelf are as follows:

EGGS IN ONE BASKET
FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH
(the books above are sequels to Can of Worms. I think there are more too. Did you know Disney made a TV movie of Can of Worms?)

MAD CAT
SEASON OF COMEBACKS

She also writes adult Christian thriller novels.

I love her books too.

Jimmer

swvaughn · Mar 9, 2007

Hooray! Your good friend Kathy is a trip.

I'm enjoying the book just as much as my son (we're reading it together).

I didn't know there was a movie... we'll have to look for it. Thanks for the sequels, and the additional titles!

Soccer Mom · Mar 9, 2007

I wonder how I missed these books? They sound right up my third grader's alley! Thanks for the recommendations.

Tallymark · Mar 12, 2007

Okay, I know they're out of print right now and that it's a 52 book series, but when I was a kid, I loved the Animorphs series. I mean, I worshipped it. And I still think it's one of the best damn sci-fi young adult series there ever was, and that it's worth taking the trouble to hunt down.

It's about a group of kids who encounter a dying alien, who warns them of the in-progress invasion of earth and uses his technology to give them the power to morph--to turn into an animal after only touching it. They then have many exciting (and often funny, but, I'll admit, sometimes also sad or dark) adventures turning into animals and fighting parasitic aliens. While making a few alien allies and also trying not to flunk out of school.

Humorous middle grade/YA books with aliens?

swvaughn

adrift

hnh

swvaughn

adrift

Jimmer

swvaughn

adrift

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

Tallymark