Alistair and the Alien Invasion [Hardcover]

Marilyn Sadler (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

Offering clever illustrations and a witty text, Alistair's latest adventure finds him searching the galaxy to complete his homework even as he thwarts an attempted alien invasion of Earth.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-Once again, Alistair saves the day-actually the planet-in another of his fantastic adventures. As the boy genius blasts off in his space ship in search of the most unusual plant life he can find, he spots an alien vessel heading toward Earth. He turns back, and is horrified to see the invaders put all the people in sight in suspended animation, while they, too, collect plant specimens. Intrigued by Alistair, the creatures invite themselves over to his house and closely study his every move. It isn't until the last page that readers discover the reason for their intense interest: when they remove their space helmuts, each alien is shown to be an exact clone of the boy wonder! Bollen's mixed-medium cartoons aptly extend Sadler's wacky plot with delightful effect. Interspersed with humor and zany situations throughout, Alien Invasion is sure to be another "Alistair" read-aloud hit.
Claudia Cooper, Ft. Stockton Independent School District, TX
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4-8. When Alistair, a paragon of schoolboy virtue and the hero of several popular picture books, learns that aliens have landed on Earth, he reacts with dismay: "Alistair did not have time for an alien invasion. He was in the middle of a science project." True to form, he soon makes contact with the aliens and not only satisfies their curiosity about earthlings, but also obtains a rare plant that enables him to finish his assignment on time. From the image of Alistair ironing his shoelaces to the sign reading "School closed due to alien invasion," children will revel in the deadpan humor that pervades both the story and the colorful, cartoonlike illustrations. In an age when the predictable abounds, the publication of a droll picture book with a genuine surprise ending is cause enough for celebration in the peanut gallery. Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671759574
• ISBN-13: 978-0671759575
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book even 10 years later!, April 23, 2009

By 

K. Steinberg (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alistair and the Alien Invasion (Hardcover)

My son loved all of the Alistair books at ages 5-7, we checked them out of the library many times. Now, 10 years later I was in the library, checked out this book and showed it to my 15 year-old who now would rather ride a motorcycle than anything else. He laughed, said "Oh, Alistair!," and immediately read through the book. And he loved it just as much as he did 10 years ago! (And so did I!)

I'm not sure what that says about our educational system though... :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent for imagination, October 5, 2006

By 

Cubsmom (Cleveland Hts., OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alistair and the Alien Invasion (Hardcover)

Finally purchased this book for my 5 yr. old who has been in love with it since he was 4 yrs. and takes it out at the library whenever he can. Alistair, the little boy genius, is really not of this world. The ending has a great twist. I enjoy reading it to him as much as he enjoys hearing it! That's a twist!

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars i hate titles. see below:, July 27, 2002

By 

steal_this_books (wretched hipsterville, silver lake, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alistair and the Alien Invasion (Hardcover)

as an adult alistair, this book made me cry.

i am not certain whether the message, which seems to be:

- people on earth will like you at sort of a remove if you do something spectacular or heroic, but really the people you belong to are space aliens -

would be good for child alistairs. then again, i am not certain a 6 year old who skipped too many grades (or the equivalent) would pick up the message. then again, i am not certain said 6 year old would not.

i am giving it 4 stars b/c it is at least a book about the abovenoted person, which is rare & b/c i think it is wellwritten. still, i would think, be wary.