The Only Alien on the Planet

by Kristen Randle

Overview

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."

Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402249273
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	552,578
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

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.

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. In between teaching algebra and literature, quilting, being active in church, reading, and raising children, Ms. Randle has written several novels, including the award-winning The Only Alien on the Planet.

Editorial Reviews

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. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 8 Up-Ginny feels like an outsider when her family moves from their native California to a new home on the east coast, but once she starts attending the local high school she finds someone even more alien than herself. Smitty Tibbs is an honor student who never speaks, makes eye contact, or allows anyone to touch him. Ginny feels oddly drawn to the strange boy, and learns that his long-time defender, Caulder Pretiger, is not only a fellow student but also her next-door neighbor. They form a solid friendship, often joined by Ginny's two brothers and Caulder's sisters in a comfortable sixsome. When Caulder decides that he and Ginny will crack Smitty's silent armor and bring him back into the world for his own good, their awkward attempts at communication and real friendship cause serious problems. The facade of glib YA fiction-clever banter, easy relationships, convenient social opportunities-is occasionally suffused here with the brilliance and intensity of Joanne Greenberg's I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Holt, 1964). As Smitty is pulled reluctantly from his protective silence, his bizarre and painful past is revealed and the novel becomes utterly compelling. In the end, things fall into place a little too easily and neatly for such a difficult beginning, providing a conclusion that may not stand up to hard, clinical analysis, but it is totally satisfying. A fast-moving, unusual contemporary romance that should have great appeal.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA

School Library Journal

Ginny Christianson had been a happy person: "happy, cheerful, easygoing, reasonably popular even." When her family suddenly relocates and a beloved older brother leaves for college at the same time--well, let's just say Ginny is a "displaced person." As life manages to go on, and fun, caring new friends begin to fill the gap, a strange boy at school captures Ginny's attention. Smitty Tibbs is a brilliant, handsome boy who never speaks. He is known as the Alien and lives in total isolation from emotion and communication--tolerated by the other students but pretty much left alone. Meanwhile, Ginny's new friend Caulder has long been fascinated with Smitty and is determined to break through to him. Together Caulder and Ginny take Smitty in and begin to probe at the barriers he has thrown up, the abuse he has suffered, and the resulting silence into which he's retreated. Ginny's deft and engaging narration reveals a delightful and totally believable teen. The otherwise strongly drawn characters sometimes delve into dialogue that sounds like social-work parlance, but we can forgive because the overall impact of this psychological novel is so powerful.

Anne O'Malley