The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle

Genre: YA fiction
Published: Originally 1995, this edition 2009; 224 pgs.
Source: New acquisition for personal library

Review: 5/5


A couple of weeks ago I attended the Utah Book Bloggers Summer Social. I never blogged about it (and I probably won't at this point) but it was a lot of fun and it was great to meet more bloggers and authors and be reacquainted with others. We had a book swap and I was lucky enough to end up with The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle. For the book swap we just laid out all the books and then everyone took turns picking one out. There was the opportunity to "steal" a book from someone who has already chosen. I was standing next to Bree Despain, author of The Dark Divine and when it was her turn she said, "If no one wants this book then I'll just take it back. It's really good." Hearing her say that was push I needed to be able to decide. I "stole" it from her, and I'm glad I did. Thank you, Bree.

I have to say that the title and the cover turned me off of this one to begin with and it was only Bree's high recommendation that got me to read it. Having read it, I now understand the cover and title and I think they fit very well. The story is told by Ginny who has just moved across the country with her family. It's a huge adjustment for her but she soon makes friends in her new high school and neighborhood. On her first day in her new high school she becomes fascinated with a strange boy who many kids have called "the Alien" for years. I'm not going to say anything more about the plot because I think it is very interesting to watch the story unfold and I don't want to spoil anything. Let me just say that it is compelling and moving and I couldn't put it down. Fortunately, I didn't really need to on the day that I read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely recommend it.

Rating: 1.2.1 I've already forgotten what kind of content was in this book but I remember thinking as I read it that it was remarkably clean. There may be a little profanity that I don't remember and perhaps some innuendo but I think it was quite clean.