Fantasy

I loved this book as a kid and its still a really good book! I think this is the first book I ever read with a non binary character, though its not exactly the representation you would want.

Also, reading this as an adult, are Snout and Gracker a couple?! Im just gonna assume yes. ( )

I stumbled across Aliens Ate My Homework at a used book store and thought it would be a fun book to read with my son. I'm happy to report that we both really enjoyed the story! Rod is a relatable character that finds himself in a very unbelievable situation, which is made even more difficult by his inability to lie.

While I understood Rod's aversion to lying, I wish his reasoning had been expanded on more. It has to do with his father leaving and broken promises, which I believe should be talked about more in children's books. Oftentimes the parents are gone with no explanation, and I think we need to normalize single parent families. However, Coville does address something that was uncommon for the 90's (the book was first published in 1993). One of the aliens is non-binary. 🤯

"Oh, don't be silly. I am neither male nor female. I'm a farfel."

"Is that more like a boy or more like a girl?"

"Actually, it's more like a pippik than anything."

Skipping ahead...

"Okay," I said. "Just tell me what pronoun to use when I'm talking about him. Her. Uh, it. I mean... see what I mean?"

"It will do just fine," said Tar Gibbons.

"What will do just fine?"

"It will," he repeated.

"What will?"

"It. Refer to me as an it."

"That seems pretty rude," I said nervously.

"Not as rude as calling me a he or a she," it said.

I thought Rod asking which pronoun Tar Gibbons preferred was brilliant. My son didn't seem at all concerned or confused about a character wanting to be referred to as it instead of he or she, and I immediately started highlighting sentences in the book so I could show my husband later. This is something that should be normalized in books, and it allows for natural conversation about a topic some parents don't know how to address.

Aliens Ate My Homework had a solid story with interesting characters. It didn't take us long to read this one, and I'm already looking for the other books in the series. Definitely one to look for! (★★★⋆☆)

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