Middle School

Eleven-year-old Roswell Johnson is obsessed with conspiracies about extraterrestrial life, an interest he inherited from his late father, who aptly named Roswell after the infamous UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico.
After a hard day of dealing with mean people, Roswell wishes he was anywhere but on Earth, dealing with anyone but humans. So, when aliens accidentally abduct Roswell, his biggest dream comes true—he learns that aliens are real! But when he discovers Earth is in grave danger, he must join forces with a team of quirky extraterrestrials, including two bickering Grays, a humorless Cyborg, a germophobic Mantis, an overly confident Furgarian, and an over-achieving Pleiadean, to save his planet from a tyrannical invasion. But can Roswell restore his own faith in humanity and Earth in time to save the world?

It’s great to hear Chris Colfer’s narrative voice again. He’s moved on from fantasy and is trying his hand at science fiction. He has succeeded in building yet another “out-of-this-world” world.

This story has plenty of classic sci-fi tropes, like how all alien species know how to speak English and have a vast knowledge of Earth, mainly its celebrities, entertainment, and sports. It’s always hilarious how aliens in stories always seem to know everything about Earth and Earth culture. It just shows how interesting we are to other beings.

While the creative alien species and planets are all works of Chris Colfer’s imagination, the science described in the story is based on actual scientific facts, including the names of stars. The Galactic Glossary at the back of the book will help readers separate between what is based on science and what Chris Colfer made up.

Overall, Chris Colfer’s unique sense of humor brings a new, refreshing twist to the classic sci-fi misfit team-up adventure.

Spoiler Alert: There was one big question left unanswered. I can’t wait for Book 2!