2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Alienated and alone, December 4, 2011
This review is from: First Day on Earth (Hardcover)
Mal is an alien(ated) teen who feels he does not belong anywhere. His life is so screwed up that he works against his own best interests. His father walked out without an explanation. Mal and his mom don't cope well with life. His mom goes for the bottle for solstice and he wants to leave this plantet, the one he has not fit into since he had to take over and be the adult in his family. Then Hooper comes into his life. Hooper is a homeless man who tells Mal that he has been trapped on earth but will be leaving soon. Mal wants to believe him and leave the pain behind.
He has a couple of friends that hide pretty good too so I will leave them out and tell you that Posey and Darwyn, classmates who have their own problems like and hang with Mal for their own reasons. They, act as foils for Mal in his thinking how he might be able to leave the world/pain behind.
I loved the simplicity of the book and the universal struggle to find your place in a very complicated life. The thing that got me was all the last couple pages. You have to read the book but the voyage that gets you there is worth the trip.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deeply moving, January 3, 2012
This review is from: First Day on Earth (Hardcover)
To be honest I loved this book so much that it has taken me months to write my review. I wanted to let the book settle and give it a second reading before writing this review. I was concerned that my enthusiasm was so great I would not be objective in my review or just blather on about how great the novel is. I also read it almost 6 months before it came out. I have now waited, gone back and read it again, and still love it. I love everything that Cecil Castelluci has published but there is something more, something deeper in this book.
Cecil Castellucci does an amazing job of capturing a male voice. Our narrator is Mal, a guy in high school who went missing for three days when he was younger. He discovers an alien abductees' support group and starts to put pieces of his life together. Mal is an amazing character. I was surprised by his struggles and seeking for self-understanding, while on the journey to understand the world around him. The story captures much of what it means to be on the fringe in high school or life, to be different, to be other and in such a way that that is not a bad thing, if you are being true to yourself.
This book was written by an author I discovered only last year. I have since read all her novels. With each book of hers that I read or reread, I am challenged into looking at who I am and who I want to be. This book did that to an even greater extent. This is an amazing read as a story, and if you let it challenge you, it can also be a tool for so much more. Well done yet again Miss Cecil!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review from Esther's Ever After, December 16, 2011
This review is from: First Day on Earth (Hardcover)
Sometimes I wonder if I read the book description wrong, because I start reading a book and my jaw just drops because my prediction for the book was totally, completely off.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from First Day on Earth. Part of that was because of its (short) length and the cover totally doesn't do this book justice. Not at all.
Reasons to Read:
1.Self-discovery:
To me, this really sums up what First Day on Earth is TRULY about; because it isn't about aliens so much as it is about one incredibly hurting teenage boy who just doesn't feel like he fits in. There are some awful experiences which are slowly uncovered, which provide us with a better idea of where Mal is coming from and why he feels the way he does. And ultimately, why he makes the big decision he makes in the end. See his transformation and his bravery to make that decision is what ultimately made such an impact.
2.Well-developed characters:
I wasn't expecting this to be the case in such a short book, but Cecil nails this. For such a quick read, I was impressed with how realistic and complex Mal, Posey, and Darwyn were. None of them were who I was expecting as a reader, or even who they were expecting as friends. And I have to say that they are admirable for the way they portray the teenage transitions and problems.
3.Real issues:
Considering this is book that is presented as being about aliens and abduction, I have to say that there is a lot more to it. Yes, it is about aliens to an extent. But I really appreciated the way that Cecil brought up these issues and emotional turmoil and dealt with them. Because they are things that everyone goes through at one point, and I think this makes it a book very easy to relate to.
I still feel like I'm reeling from this one; I'm not sure exactly how to express the way it touched me, and even though I didn't like every choice Mal made, it was fascinating to watch it all unfold. I was hooked to the story all the way through, and didn't put it down until I was finished. This is a fabulous stand alone YA book, that draws heavily on aspects often found in contemporary and realistic YA.
Review copy received from Scholastic Canada in exchange for my honest review; no other compensation was received.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
