Alien Game - Softcover

Dexter, Catherine; Martin, Catherine Dexter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688152902 ISBN 13: 9780688152901

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

As the students at her school become increasingly caught up in the annual game of "Elimination," Zoe grows more and more convinced that the new girl in her eighth grade class is not what she seems

About this title

About the Author

Eric Velasquez has illustrated numerous childrenís books including Chain of Fire and Journey to Joíburg: A South African Story, both by Beverly Naidoo. He lives in New York City.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8?The students at Oak Hill School annually participate in a sort of icebreaker game, called Elimination, as a way of helping kids get to know one another. It involves tagging individuals and claiming their game cards until only one is left, holding all of the cards. This year the game has taken on added excitement because of Christina, a new girl who is particularly adept at playing. Zoe becomes frightened when the students whom Christina tags appear mesmerized by her. They start getting sick in large numbers. Soon Zoe begins to suspect that Christina is an alien. Her fears are confirmed and she and a friend try to keep the girl from winning the game. In an exciting climax, Zoe learns that the winner will be taken away in an alien Transport along with all of the zombielike children. At the last moment a teacher steps forward and saves the day, going off in the Transport alone. Despite the fast-moving plot, weaknesses abound. The game appears to be an end in itself; no clear motives for promoting it are ever revealed. Also, Zoe's parents seem unusually calm when she starts describing Christina's disconcerting habit of dissolving into tiny pinpoints of light before her eyes. Adults at the school are amazingly tolerant of the chaos and upheaval the game causes. This story is for young sci-fi fans who enjoy excitement but won't be too analytical when it's all over.?Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0688152902
• ISBN 13: 9780688152901
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208
• Illustrator: Velasquez Eric