Stepsister from Planet Weird [Paperback]

Francess Lantz (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

In the heart-warming style of Barbara Park and Bruce Coville, former children's librarian and well-reviewed author Francess Lantz brings to life a funny and accessible story filled with compassionate insights about growing up. Meet two girls who are galaxies apart--Megan, an insecure young girl and Ariel, a beautiful, brainy, and perfect girl from the planet Zircalon-6. The girls don't like each other very much and to complicate matters, Ariel's alien father has fallen in love with Megan's earth mother. But the girls do have one thing in common--break up their parent's courtship. Follow the two girls as they get to know and understand each other and realize that they both really do care about their parents happiness.  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8?The last thing down-to-earth Megan wants is her mother marrying Cos and having his perfectly brilliant, beautiful daughter Ariel as a stepsister. Ariel is no happier about the union. The two teenagers do agree on one thing: if they work together, they may be able to keep their parents apart. As the girls scheme, their efforts seem to work; however, they actually find themselves becoming friends. Ultimately the couple marry and the group becomes a happy family. This is the basic plot, thickened by the fact that Ariel and her father are not letting on that they are helium-breathing aliens from Zircalon-6 adapting to life on Earth. Their cover ups, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations of life on Earth create the zany humor prevalent throughout the story. In the form of diary entries, Ariel reveals details of her extraterrestrial life and her opinion of what she views as primitive earthly existence. The wit, character development, and good fun work together to produce a title suitable for reluctant readers?or anyone who wants a fast-paced read. Add this one to paperback collections.?Cheryl Cufari, Glencliff Elementary School, Niskayuna, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

In the heart-warming style of Barbara Park and Bruce Coville, former children's librarian and well-reviewed author Francess Lantz brings to life a funny and accessible story filled with compassionate insights about growing up. Meet two girls who are galaxies apart--Megan, an insecure young girl and Ariel, a beautiful, brainy, and perfect girl from the planet Zircalon-6. The girls don't like each other very much and to complicate matters, Ariel's alien father has fallen in love with Megan's earth mother. But the girls do have one thing in common--break up their parent's courtship. Follow the two girls as they get to know and understand each other and realize that they both really do care about their parents happiness.  

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679873309
• ISBN-13: 978-0679873303
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,860,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Megan and Ariel, August 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Stepsister from Planet Weird (Paperback)

I saw the movie on the Disney Channel and taped it because i LOVED it so much. The movie is about a 14 year old girl named Megan LArson who loves windsurfing and a boy named Cutter. Then Ariel Cola comes into the picture. She is blonde and pretty, but does not understand " this strange place called Earth". While her father, Cosmo Cola is enjoying earth life, Ariel longs to be a bubble once again, and be Sueza of Circalon, with her beloved Phinool by her side. But things go haywire and Kathy LArson and Cosmo Cola fall in love, putting Megan's and Ariel's lives into one chaotic ride. The girls soon decide that the only thing to do is to break up their parents, and when plan after plan don't work to split up the parental units, Megan and Ariel began to like each other. To complicate things even further, when the horrible Emperor from Circalon comes to freeze Cosmo, his son Phinool finds himself falling for Megan, and Cutter finds himself falling for Ariel. This is a must see movie for kids and grownups alike. Please see this if you get a chance!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read if you want a book that's truly out of this world, July 1, 2000

By 

Stevie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stepsister from the Planet Weird (Hardcover)

Funny, interesting, and imaginative! For anyone who thinks THEIR stepfamily is wierd, read about this one! For example: Does YOUR stepsister morph into water, stretch herself like Gumby, live on helium, and read minds? Does YOUR stepfather watch "Sesame Street" on a regular basis? And were either of them previously balls of pink gas? Strange as this story may seem, you can relate to Sweezle (AKA Ariel Cola, the stepsister in question), especially if you've moved, or had a long-distance relationship that failed (though it probably wasn't AS long-distance). You can also relate to Megan, the main character, who wishes her parents weren't divorced and doesn't want her mother to marry into this, um, strange family. It was made into a movie by Disney Channel, which was COMPLETELY different and not half as good. My advice: read the real thing. You won't be dissappointed!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stepsister from the planet weird., May 28, 2004

By 

Chelsea Silversmith (Gallup N.M) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stepsister from the Planet Weird (Hardcover)

A single mom is looking for a man to date so that her kids can have a stepdad. Then there's this one guy that is also looking for a woman to date so that he can marry her and so that his daughter can have a stepmother also. This one day they were at a store and all of a sudden they had bumped in to each other and from there they had fallen in love at the first time that they had seen each other. The lady and her kids had invited them to lunch. The family of three was staring at them, and then this one girl that has the brother and the mother was showing them around the house. Her mother had told them to eat and the girl who has the father was floating above the grass and the family was really looking at her then the guy and the little brother were all ready to eat and they were all drooling all over the place.

The lady that has the two kids and one of the kids thinks that the guy and his daughter are weird and that time that the family is weird but his daughter has been floating and there was a trail behind her. Then the girl that asked if they were from a different planet.

The other thing that the kids didn't like about the weird family was that they act differently then the people that they know.

I would recommend this book to other people because it is a cool story -- kind of weird, tho!