Be First in the Universe

by Stephanie Spinner, Terry Bisson

Twins Todd and Tessa don' t always think alike, but there' s one thing they both agree on-- Gemini Jack' s is their favorite store in the mall. Where else can you find a remote control that works on people, or a mirror that sees 10 minutes into the future? And Jack is even stranger-- he glows in the dark, and gives discounts to Tod and Tessa because they' re twins. Then Jack develops an interest in the other set of twins in Tod and Tessa' s grade-- nasty Ned and Nancy. They' re so mean, even their mother is scared of them. Why would Jack want to meet them?
Tod and Tessa are about to learn what happens when you introduce your worst enemies to the coolest guy in the universe.
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Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Hardcover

First published February 8, 2000

About the author

I was born in Davenport, Iowa, and grew up in Rockaway Beach, New York. I read straight through my childhood, with breaks for food, sleep, and the bathroom. I went to college in Bennington, Vermont, moved to New York City, and took a job in publishing so I could get paid for reading. I read so much bad fiction that I needed a break, so I moved to London, and from there I traveled to Morocco, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan India, Nepal, and Ceylon. I came back to America, wandered around some more -- to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize -- and on returning to New York decided to study Tibetan Buddhist painting (called thangka painting) in Boulder, Colorado.

I painted thangkas for many years. Each one took anywhere from several weeks to a few months to complete, and at long last I understood that this was not the ideal way for me to make a living. Only a few hundred Americans collected thangkas, and they wanted old ones, painted by Tibetan monks. It was time to make a change.

So I took another publishing job, this time in children’s books. I found that I liked children’s books a lot, and before long, I became an editor.

Years passed. I was encouraged to write. I scoffed at the idea that I had anything to write about. I edited some wonderfully talented authors -- Virginia Hamilton, Philip Isaacson, Clyde Robert Bulla, Gloria Whelan, Robin McKinley, Joan Vinge, Garth Nix, and Chris Lynch, among others -- with great enjoyment. Writing seemed like torture by comparison.

Then, to my amazement, I found myself writing a book and having a good time -- simultaneously! The book was ALIENS FOR BREAKFAST, and I enjoyed writing it because my co-author was Jonathan Etra. Jon (who died of heart disease in 1990) was a close friend with a wild sense of humor, and collaborating with him changed my opinion of writing forever. After ALIENS FOR BREAKFAST, and ALIENS FOR LUNCH, which we also co-wrote, I began to think that writing could be interesting fun.

And now that I’ve been doing it full-time for more than ten years, I can tell you why I like it better than a job. First, I can work in my bathrobe. (To the FedEx man and the UPS man, I am "the woman in the plaid flannel robe.") Second, I can eat when I’m hungry, choose when to take phone calls, and walk my dogs any time. Third, the only meetings I have -- and they’re short -- are with the dry cleaner and the post office ladies. Fourth, I can read whatever I please. I may tell people I’m doing research when I read about horse-trekking, or hunting in ancient Greece, or 16 ways to better compost, but the truth is, I’m not doing research, I’m having a good time. Which I think is still allowed.

Reviews

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Science Fiction
Grade: 3-6

This is a story about two twins, Tessa and Todd, who discover a hidden store in the mall called Gemini Jack's U Rent All. This rental store is owned by an alien named Jack, who has a twin named Jill. He rents two items to Tessa and Todd: an e-pet named Effie who eats lies, and a remote control called a Do Right that forces people to do what you ask. Tessa and Todd have to face two other twins in their class at school named Nancy and Ned, who are consistently causing trouble. At one point they steal Effie and a few other e-pets, and Tessa and Todd use their Do Right to get them back. The story follows the experiences of the twins through their days knowing the alien Jack, while being raised by their hippie grandparents who don't understand the futuristic tools Jack gives them.

Activity #1: Students could create their own perfect tool that would have a special power. They could draw a picture of it, create a model of it, and write about their reasons for wanting it.

Activity #2: Students could develop their own story of the perfect store. What would it sell? LIke the store in the book rented out electric pets, remote controls for people, and glasses that would make you imaginary when you put them on, what would kind of store would it be and why? The students could write about it and share it with the class.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has it's moments especially about the many twins in this book. Two of them are nice, two of them are scheme-smart, and the other 2 are there to help the nice. Mission impossible to take mean people to their planet?

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This twisted story explains how Jack is looking for twins in a small town with a big mall. Characters are unbelievable, but that seems to be the point. Every character is a caricature, over emphasized stereotype. But it is still cute and entertaining in a silly way.

[Youngkyung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!
Humerous!
Funny!
HaHa!