Born into Light (Library Binding)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Told in the first-person, this old-fashioned science fiction novel looks back upon the childhood of an old scientist. The narrator has puzzled over certain events for more than seven decades, events set into motion one morning when he was 10. A child appears out of a flash of light in their backyard and, believed to be feral or abandoned, is taken in by his family. But, before long, the child, Ben, reveals extraordinary intelligence and development. He matures quickly, finishes college in two years and ages much quicker than the narrator. The narrator's stepfather begins to investigate the other children who appeared on Earth in the same mysterious fashion as Ben; an alien race has seeded the human population with some of their own, strengthening their bloodlines and stimulating human progress. Ben gathers together as many of the aliens and their half-human offspring as he can find, and, in a flash of light, they return to the stars. While this is not a revolutionary novel, its themes of otherworldliness and superhumans will still appeal to SF fans. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10 This science fiction period piece depicts a quiet New England community near the turn of the century as it is visited and changed by a handful of strange un earthly beings, one of whom is taken in by the Westwood family and becomes young Roger's Westwood's brother. Considered at first to be feral children , they soon as tonish their foster families by the extreme rapidity with which they learn language and customs and by their unusual recuper ative powers after injury. Roger's foster brother eventually marries Roger's sister, produces children who seem to share the unique qualities of the strangers, and be gins a grand quest to track down and re unite all the alien visitors who have ap peared throughout the United States in an effort to piece together the puzzle of their purpose on Earth. Jacobs' formal poetic style is appropriate for the time period. The story unfolds through the eyes of el derly Roger Westwood. Although this technique of an adult looking back on childhood events may limit the book's ac cessibility for some readers, the vividly visual language makes the novel a very finely crafted work. Gradual revelations about the nature of these beings and their origin should tantalize and beguile read ers, and with its fascinating plot, the book should appeal to many. Lyle Blake Smythers, Library of Congress, Washing ton, D.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Library Binding: 149 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590407104
• ISBN-13: 978-0590407106
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,619,415 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extreemly interesting and paints clear images in your mind., September 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Born into Light (Point) (Paperback)

I've been looking for this book for many years, but since it is out of print I haven't had any luck finding it. I first read this book in Grade 7 (I'm in Grade 11 now)and at that time I was getting into the paranormal realm and horror genre. This novel was about a boy found by localers in a small town, by an area with scorch marks on the earth. At first he can not speak, and is ignorant on activities which we perform in everyday life. As the weeks progress however, it becomes evident that the child is highly intelligent. His siblings begin to question who he is and where he comes from as the story evolves. (see questions asking " was it alien, animal or angel?") I loved this book and give it 4 or 4.5 stars out of 5. This is one book that lets you decide what the truth of the child is, or rather, the truth of what exists.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming children's book, October 14, 2007

By	Russell T. Warne - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Born Into Light (Mass Market Paperback)

This charming little children's book is the fictional story of two feral children who are raised by a pre-WWI American family and their remarkable experience. I read this as a child, and I liked it enough that it stayed in my head for over ten years before I bought it to read again. I enjoyed it as much now as I did then.

My only regret in reading this well-crafted story is that it isn't longer. Many interesting scenes are just summarized, and we only read snippets of the dialogue, leaving the reader wishing there were more. The book probably could have been expanded 50 pages without sacrificing readability for its target audience.

But I highly recommend it for anyone to read, not just kids.

3.0 out of 5 stars wonderful idea, September 24, 2008

By	Emily Taylor "1st Grade Teacher/Scouter Gal" (Northern Utah) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Born Into Light (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of those books that stays with you for a long time. I've read it only twice in my life and I still get chills whenever I think about it. And I mean that in a good way. It's rare to see a novel that manages to combine a sense of sci-fi with an early American conservative smalltown setting--without horrible alien abductions in the like.

The story follows a boy whose life is changed by the appearance of ferral children found in the woods. Two are adopted into his family and fit in normally enough--though there is always something strange about them, especially as they begin to age faster than normal.

What really makes this book tick is the sense of heart that is put into everything. This is about family, life, death, and love--even though some of the characters happen to be aliens.

My only real complaint is that the story is perhaps a little too broad for the page length, but even so Jacobs leaves the end with plenty of shivers and possibly a few tears.

Interesting ideas that are well executed. No, not the best literature, but it certainly has emotional impact--which can be just as good as the artsiness.