The Only Alien on the Planet - Softcover

Randle, Kristen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1402226691 ISBN 13: 9781402226694

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire, 2009

Synopsis

They've all gotten used to him. The one who never speaks. The one who never smiles. They all say he's retarded. So, though his name is Smitty, they call him "The Alien." And from the moment Ginny sees him she knows she has to meet him. Because she's been feeling weird since she and her family moved from the West Coast. She knows what its like to feel alone. Ginny decides to become his friend.

But Smitty is very different from anyone Ginny has ever known. And she soon realizes that reaching out to him might destroy him. Because in his world, there is no love. No pain. No room for anything--or anyone. Until Ginny comes along...

About this title

About the Author:

Kristen D. Randle lives with her husband, four children, and two dogs in a little wood on the banks of a Utah river. She and her husband manage their own recording studio. The award-winning The Only Alien on the Planet is one of several novels she has written.

From Publishers Weekly:

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.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1402226691
• ISBN 13: 9781402226694
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240