From a Distant Star

Gr 7 Up—Seventeen-year-old Emma is holding on while everyone else has given up. Her boyfriend, Lucas, is dying from cancer, and there aren't any treatment options left. She's spent every free moment by his bed, even though his mother seems to resent this. When an alien ship is destroyed, the lone survivor takes over Lucas's body. Everyone rejoices, but Emma is worried and confused because Lucas no longer talks or acts like the boy she loves. She and Lucas's younger brother soon realize what happened. When scary government agents enter the picture, Emma realizes that she has to find a way to free the alien and give Lucas back his body. Listeners will need to suspend a fair amount of disbelief in order to get into the story, but it's well worth it. Kate Rudd adeptly creates all the voices and keeping the pace brisk and the story addictive.