Eight Days on Planet Earth

Gr 8 Up—An immediately engaging story with a massive plot twist. Seventeen-year-old Matty is facing an aimless summer in his small town when his slacker dad, DJ, finally leaves for good. Living next to a field where a spaceship purportedly crashed, Matty and his dad had bonded over a love of space. But as DJ becomes addicted to his fringe theory followers, the whole family grows apart. Matty tells himself he and his mom are better off without him. Then a frail white-haired girl appears in the mysterious field to whom Matty and his dog are irresistibly drawn. Priya claims she is on Earth to collect data and is heading back to her home planet soon. She embodies everything Matty and his father once wanted to believe about the possibilities of space. Priya is delightfully odd and perceptive, and she helps Matty see the small wonders of his life. But Matty doesn't know if he is waiting on a spaceship, heartbreak, or both. This compelling page-turner will have readers happily suspending disbelief. Matty and Priya give each other much in terms of belief and faith, leaving readers to constantly wonder if their relationship is coincidence or cosmic destiny. Matty is an excellent and engaging narrator and all supporting characters play true parts.