Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Review: First Day on Earth - Cecil Castellucci

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Nice.)  
Genre: Young Adult 
Publication Date: November 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page Count: 150 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

Mal is angry. His father left with no explanation and his mother is more than useless. School is no picnic and he only sort of has friends. Then he meets Hooper. Hooper claims to be an extraterrestrial. At first Mal doesn't believe him, but why shouldn't he. Why couldn't Hooper be from another planet?

This was a nice little novel about a lot of things. On the surface it was about space, aliens, a kid struggling in life. This novel dealt a lot with belief. Defining your own beliefs can be hard, and allowing others theirs even when they conflict with your ideas. This novel had the same feel to it as How to Say Goodbye in Robot. They both had this laid-back and inquisitive feel to them. Some kids carving out a place for themselves, gathering misfits along the way. This is a novel that will leave you thinking about it, long after you finish. Cecil Castellucci leaves some questions unanswered and it works perfectly. As a reader, you are left to contemplate your beliefs. Depending on how you feel, depends on how you think the novel ends. I love that this book forces you to look inside and come to your own conclusions, and not because the novel isn't finished, but because it's open for interpretation. Mal and Hooper and very interesting characters. Mal isn't overly unique, sort of the lonely, brooding, outcast, but he is still a very interesting person. There's a lot going on in his life, and even though he's angry, he seems to roll with it easily. Definitely check this novel out soon. It's a quick read you won't regret. 

First Line:
"You think you know what I am, the kid slumped in his chair in the back row, with greasy hair, wearing all black."

Favorite Lines:
"My life sucks. So I shave my head."


"Hello and good-bye are not as simple as everyone thinks."

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