Bud just moved with his dad to New Mexico, where his dad will now be in charge of a new Radio Telescope Lab. The worst part about moving is starting a new school. On the first day he manages to catch the wrong bus — a bus that takes him to an intergalactic school named Cosmos Academy attended by aliens. Bud never counted on being the only human at his school, especially at a school where students are taught that their number one enemy is Earthlings! The only one who figures out that Bud is an Earthling is his new friend, Gort. Gort doesn’t see what the big deal is about Earthlings; Bud seems friendly enough. Together they do their best to hide Bud’s true identity while trying to figure out a way to get Bud home. Add in a myriad of colorful and eccentric alien characters and you get a romping good time in outer space.
First off, the cover is very appealing, with monsters chasing a kid in outer space with a flying bus in the background. Lots of kids are going to pick this up due to the colorful cover and the whole book being in color is a huge bonus. The story has aliens, sports (a really cool game called ZeroBall), friendship, and your average school setting. The story of alien abduction isn’t a new premise, but adding a school setting makes this a fresh story. The artwork is detailed and colorful, and even the scary aliens aren’t really that scary. This will be a favorite for fans of Amulet and Bad Island.
Earthling!
by Mark Fearing
ISBN: 9781452109060
Chronicle Books, 2012
