Greetings From Planet Earth [Hardcover]

Barbara Kerley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

An extraordinary debut novel from the award-winning author of THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS and WALT WHITMAN.

If you had one minute to describe life on Earth, what would you say? It's 1977, and Theo and his class are creating a golden record inspired by the one Voyager 2 will carry into space as a greeting from Earth. But as Theo searches for an original answer to his teacher's question, other questions begin to surface: What happened to his father in Vietnam? And why has his mother been keeping secrets all these years?

In this unforgettable, innovatively constructed debut novel, Barbara Kerley shows us the beauty of outer space and the devastation of war.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As NASA prepares to launch the Voyager 2 space probe in 1977, Theo celebrates his twelfth birthday with his mother, his grandmother, and his big sister. He receives a present that is supposedly from his dad (who left for Vietnam seven years before), though the card is written in his grandmother's hand. Theo seeks answers to questions about his father, but an unspoken rule at home is "Don't talk about Dad. Ever." In his quest, Theo resorts to conversations with his grandmother, a raid on his mother's hidden stash of letters, research at the library, and even some gumshoe detective work. The jacket illustration of a boy walking on the moon implies science fiction, but the novel is quite down-to-earth in its exploration of a boy's sense of loss and his drive to answer fundamental questions. The book has a relatively complex structure, interspersing third-person narrative, first-person reflections in a school report, and letters. Though perhaps more intellectually satisfying than emotionally involving, the novel convincingly portrays a family overshadowed by secrets. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Barbara Kerley

Barbara Kerley is the author of several award-winning picture books, including WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?, a Sibert Honor Book, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, and an ALA Notable Book; and THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS, a Caldecott Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book. Her debut novel, GREETINGS FROM PLANET EARTH, was named a finalist for the California Young Reader Medal. She lives in Portland, Oregon. You can visit her at www.barbarakerley.com

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439802032
• ISBN-13: 978-0439802031
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,412,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I had two favorite pastimes as a kid.

One was playing dress-ups with my friends. We were fancy ladies with oh-so-complicated lives or pioneer women crossing the prairie. Once I was even a snake wriggling out of a snake-charmer's basket. As a teen I became very involved with theater, both on and off the stage. (For all intents and purposes, it was still playing dress-ups, only now with makeup, lights, and a stage.)

My other pastime was reading stacks and stacks of books--and sometimes, reading the same book over and over.

The dress-ups, the theater, the stacks of books, and, I now see, my work as a writer, have all been fueled by my life-long fascination with people and the story of their lives.

Come visit my website to see the stories I tell. www.barbarakerley.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Story of war's aftermath and the meaning of humanity., June 10, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greetings From Planet Earth (Hardcover)

Barbara Kerley's GREETINGS FROM PLANET EARTH is set in 1977 and tells of Theo and his class who are creating a greeting to be carried into space from Earth. In the course of composing a letter which will address the wider questions of who humans are, Theo must confront his own identity - including family secrets - in this story of war's aftermath and the meaning of humanity.

5.0 out of 5 stars Countdown to the truth, April 24, 2007

By 

Kelly Herold "Big A little a" (Smalltown, Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greetings From Planet Earth (Hardcover)

It's 1977 and twelve-year-old Theo is obsessed with space. So he's excited when his science teacher, Mr. Meyer, tells the class that the Voyager probes will "each...carry a golden record: a message, in pictures and sounds, from Earth to any aliens out there in space." Mr. Meyer charges the class to bring in one picture and one minute of sound conveying "what they thought was most important about Earth."

Without getting into what an amazing teacher Mr. Meyer is, let me tell you that this project gets Theo thinking. And he has quite a bit to figure out. You see, Theo's father never came home from the Vietnam War and Theo's mother doesn't want to talk about it. In fact, she tears up whenever Theo asks a question. Fortunately, Theo's grandmother, JeeBee, recognizes that Theo wants answers and helps him by talking about Theo's father and sharing his letters from Vietnam.

As Theo searches for the answer to what is most important about Earth, he becomes more and more frustrated because he doesn't know what's most important about himself and his family. He finds out his mother has hidden all his father's letters to her and to Theo and his sister. JeeBee knows the answers, but she's still not to the end of the story. Theo's frustration boils to such a point that he destroys his airplane and spacecraft model collection.

Barbara Kerley skillfully weaves Theo's thoughts about space and space craft, told in first person, with Theo's story, told in third. Theo is a compelling character, thoughtful and bright, and we sympathize with his search for answers. The ending is a complete surprise, yet utterly plausible.

The parallels between 1977 and 2007 are difficult to ignore, as is the thematic role of secrets in the novel. Secrets, no matter how well meaning, damage a family and a community. And they're particularly dangerous for a child like Theo. As Mr. Meyer tells him, "I've met a lot of people in my life, Theo. People who truly examine things--examine themselves, even. And people who don't. I see it in school all the time--the kids who memorize for the test and the kids who really want to understand." Theo wants to understand, even if it is more difficult.

"Greetings from Planet Earth" is highly recommended for children ages nine to fourteen. It's the perfect Middle School novel--ideally suited for kids who are just beginning to question everything themselves.

5.0 out of 5 stars Richie's Picks: GREETINGS FROM PLANET EARTH, April 6, 2007

By 

Richie Partington "Richie's Picks" (Sebastopol, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greetings From Planet Earth (Hardcover)

Theo is seeking the meaning of life on Earth when his birthday arrives and his unspoken questions about his dad once again erupt inside of him. For each year on Theo's birthday, "JeeBee" (his paternal grandmother, Bernadette) gives him a model rocket or plane that is meant to be from his father. Theo and his dad built the first one together when Theo was five, shortly before his dad departed for Vietnam. The models all hang on Theo's ceiling. However, nobody in the family really talks about his dad, the dad who never came home:

"Talking about it would be against the rules. Mom had never told Theo what the rules were, but he'd figured them out. Number One: If you pretend everything is fine, then everything is fine. And Number Two: Don't talk about Dad. Ever. 'It's like JeeBee wants me to remember him' -- he glanced at the red birthday card lying on his desk -- but my mom doesn't.' "

But this is the year when Theo will begin outgrowing his previous coping mechanisms and will find himself taking a giant leap in order to learn about his dad and what really happened to him. As we read about Theo's quest and his family's dysfunction, we see how, years after the monthly body count ends, the effects of war continue to reverberate through the families of soldiers.