It’s official. I have found myself utterly and completely immersed and mesmerized by Samantha van Leer’s writing.
Welcome to a world where extraterrestrials are landing on Earth. Two per year, each in their own egg with a white card containing one word written on it. No one knows why or how or where they come from, but the Extraterrestrial Living Being’s (ELB’s) have needs, powers and skills that could be harnessed for good or bad.
After her mother's passing and her father's departure, 13-year-old Ava Ardent has become the sole caretaker of 32 Extraterrestrial Living Beings (ELBs) housed in the Alien Zoo in Maine. Her already difficult life takes an unexpected turn when her uncle Pete, a veteran of the war in Iraq, hires 14-year-old Harley as an intern just as a powerful hurricane approaches them. During the storm, many of the ELBs escape, and with Uncle Pete joining the police to manage the crisis, Ava and Harley are left to care for the one remaining ELB while also pursuing an escaped creature in the nearby woods. As they navigate this high-pressure situation, Ava and Harley develop a deep connection, sharing personal stories and becoming each other's first true friend.
There are so many wonderful things to unpack on these pages. First of all, each ELB that was introduced was nothing short of vivid and so full of imagination that the world van Leer has created comes to life for the reader. This heartwarming and thrilling science-fiction adventure will be loved by middle-school readers while they navigate through a world where trust and friendship, responsibility and family are discussed in a way that they can relate to and understand.
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