Who Goes Home? [Paperback]

Sylvia Waugh (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

This conclusion to the Ormingat Trilogy brings together past events and people who share an understanding of the mystery of Ormingat. The story begins with a tragedy averted. How will it end? Who goes home?

Like Patrick in Space Race and Matthew and Alison in Earthborn, Steven is a visitor from the planet Ormingat, sent to live temporarily on Earth with a human family. When his earthly son Jacob is born with a fatal immune deficiency, however, Steven cannot watch his son die, and calls upon his secret extraterrestrial connections to save the boy. With the help of a protective shield from Ormingat, Jacob does survive, but he grows up secluded, frustrated, and without friends. When Steven is forced to tell Jacob of his identity and involve him in his work, Jacob resents the intrusion of this alien world. Jacob never asked for more than a normal human life, yet it’s the one thing Steven can never give him.

Meanwhile, the activities of other Ormingatriga are drawing undesired publicity and the danger of detection. Steven is summoned back to Ormingat, but how can he abandon his earth family?


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–A sequel to Space Race (2000) and Earthborn (2002, both Delacorte), all set in present-day England. On his 13th birthday, Jacob Bradwell discovers that his father is an alien from the planet Ormingat. Though Jacob's mother is an earthling, the boy was entwined as an infant with the Ormingats when his father, Steven, administered a lifesaving Ormingat medication. Jacob has always felt different from others, including his own sisters, and now he knows why. Steven's job is to view his fellow aliens through a monitor and provide fencing, a kind of invisibility, which protects them while they perform their work until their return to Ormingat. Jacob and Steven become involved in cases where earthlings begin to suspect alien presence and one Ormingat child runs away to avoid leaving Earth. As the time draws near for Jacob and his father to return home, neither one wants to leave his Earth family, though the command module demands complete obedience. Hidden spaceships, invasive gadgets, morphing bodies, and all-powerful command modules give the story a classic sci-fi feeling. Both mystery and adventure drive a plot that centers on Jacob coming to terms with his dual identity. This story stands on its own and satisfies the demand for quality science fiction of which there never seems to be enough.–Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Miamisburg, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. This companion book to Waugh's Space Race (2000) and Earthborn (2002) revolves around a startling revelation. On Jacob's thirteenth birthday, his father divulges that he came from the planet Ormingat, that he performs an unusual job on Earth, and that he and Jacob are both aliens. Over the next few months, Jacob learns more about Ormingat as he and his father work together to help fellow aliens and engage in a sometimes-prickly process of getting to know each other better. Some characters from the previous novels reappear, making the story more resonant for those who know them, though readers picking up this book first will find Jacob's story engaging. Best known for the Mennyms series, Waugh writes with a certain formality and distance, yet the story shows a keen perception of personalities and relationships. Science fiction for those who like their reality tweaked by the possibility of aliens living among us. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (July 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440418399
• ISBN-13: 978-0440418399
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,216,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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