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In this delightfully creepy novel from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Ronald L. Smith, twelve-year-old Simon thinks he was abducted by aliens. But is it real, or just his overactive imagination? Perfect for fans of Mary Downing Hahn and Louis Sachar.
Twelve-year-old Simon is obsessed with aliens. The ones who take people and do experiments. When he's too worried about them to sleep, he listens to the owls hoot outside. Owls that have the same eyes as aliens-dark and foreboding.
Then something strange happens on a camping trip, and Simon begins to suspect he's been abducted. But is it real, or just the overactive imagination of a kid who loves fantasy and role-playing games and is the target of bullies and his father's scorn?
Even readers who don't believe in UFOs will relate to the universal kid feeling of not being taken seriously by adults that deepens this deliciously scary tale.
About the author
Ronald L. Smith is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award–winning author of several novels for young readers, including Hoodoo, The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away, Gloom Town, Project Mercury, and the Black Panther: The Young Prince series. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. To learn more, visit strangeblackflowers.com.
Summary
In this delightfully creepy novel from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Ronald L. Smith, twelve-year-old Simon thinks he was abducted by aliens. But is it real, or just his overactive imagination? Perfect for fans of Mary Downing Hahn and Louis Sachar.
Twelve-year-old Simon is obsessed with aliens. The ones who take people and do experiments. When he’s too worried about them to sleep, he listens to the owls hoot outside. Owls that have the same eyes as aliens—dark and foreboding.
Then something strange happens on a camping trip, and Simon begins to suspect he’s been abducted. But is it real, or just the overactive imagination of a kid who loves fantasy and role-playing games and is the target of bullies and his father’s scorn?
Even readers who don’t believe in UFOs will relate to the universal kid feeling of not being taken seriously by adults that deepens this deliciously scary tale.
When the evidence starts piling up and the owls keep watching, who can a kid turn to for help?
- Paranormal Mystery: A strange light on a camping trip, a mysterious mark on his stomach, and owls with eyes that don’t belong on this planet. Simon knows something happened, but the truth is scarier than he can imagine.
- Alien Abduction Story: Simon is obsessed with the Grays, UFOs, and government cover-ups. After one terrifying night, he’s afraid his obsession has become a reality.
- Dealing With Bullies: As if worrying about aliens isn’t enough, Simon has to face school bullies and his own father’s disapproval, leaving him feeling completely alone.
- Unreliable Narrator: A tense psychological thriller for kids where readers will question everything. Is Simon uncovering a conspiracy, or is his imagination getting the best of him?
Additional text
“I hugged this book last night because I love Simon so much.” —Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Award-winning author of Hello, Universe "Smith (Hoodoo, 2015) continues to be one of the most distinct and impressive voices in middle-grade speculative fiction right now."--Booklist "An eerie and layered tale with a main character to which young readers will relate."--School Library Journal "CSK/Steptoe Award–winning author Smith (Hoodoo, rev. 9/15) crafts a tightly plotted novel full of suspense and compassion with a climax that will chill readers straight to the bone."--The Horn Book Magazine "A middle-grade X-Files primer."--Kirkus "The touching efficacy of this novel is in its showing rather than telling of a boy with the weight of multiple worlds—whether through the media or family or his own mind—placed squarely on his small shoulders."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
