The Fellowship for Alien Detection

June 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Haley's an eighth grader in Connecticut with a theory about the mysterious disappearances she discovers on the Internet. On the opposite coast, Dodger is a confused boy who gets radio messages from the past in his head. Both kids win an "alien detection" fellowship and travel with their families to conduct field research and do deeper investigation into extraterrestrials. When it turns out that their projects point to an actual alien invasion, the two finally meet and join forces. Intriguing brief interludes describe another girl who is trapped in an endlessly repeating day, which is also part of the aliens' secret scheme. Details of the aliens' malicious mission emerge carefully and sometimes subtly, drawing readers in. Dates and times are given at the beginning of each chapter, but the year is withheld, a clever touch as it lets readers realize that the repeated day sections actually take place in the past. The pacing slows at times, especially in Haley's opening section, which takes up the first third of the novel. The abrupt shift to Dodger's story stalls momentum for a bit, but the action accelerates as he discovers he has amazing powers and finally unites with Haley. There's more to both protagonists than their alien-hunter roles. Dodger feels like an outcast from his family and Haley has ambitious career goals. However, ultimately neither one resonates as a truly memorable figure, and the supporting characters are generally two-dimensional. Still, the premise is engaging, and final revelations about the invasion are mostly satisfying and surprising.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Grades 4-6 When Haley wins a teen fellowship to research alien detection, her obliging family packs up the car for a road trip to solve an alien abduction mystery. Following the clues, but keeping her parents less than fully informed, Haley lands in grave danger and relies on a mysterious special-ops agent to bail her out. When she meets Dodger, another fellowship winner hot on the trail of the same aliens, the two 13-year-olds join forces, determined to solve the mystery and save the planet from the mysterious invaders. Alien fans won't mind a bit when Haley (from Connecticut) and Dodger (from Washington State) head for Roswell, New Mexico, but the story doesn't end there. In fact, even after the rousing conclusion, the repeated phrase further adventures leaves the door open for sequels. The main characters are both sympathetic and idiosyncratic, but adventure is the name of the game. With plenty of action and some surprising developments along the way, this will keep the pages turning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)