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My Teacher Is an Alien #1
My Teacher Is an Alien
Could your teacher be an alien? Do your research with this bestselling, hilarious sci-fi favorite from the author who inspired Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series.
Sixth grade is just out of this world!
Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn’t know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face—and realizes that “Mr. Smith” is really an alien!
At first no one will believe her except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr. Smith’s horrible plans for their classmates, they know they have to act fast. Only they can get rid of their extraterrestrial visitor—and save the rest of the sixth grade class from a fate worse than math tests!
Sixth grade is just out of this world!
Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn’t know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face—and realizes that “Mr. Smith” is really an alien!
At first no one will believe her except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr. Smith’s horrible plans for their classmates, they know they have to act fast. Only they can get rid of their extraterrestrial visitor—and save the rest of the sixth grade class from a fate worse than math tests!
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
334 people are currently reading
4138 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews
July 10, 2022
I remember I literally couldn't put this book down. I read it at school. My sixth grade teacher noticed and borrowed it as one of her read out loud to the class books. The whole class loved it and after it was over they carried me around the class on their shoulders. Okay maybe the last part didn't happen but I was seriously popular for weeks cause kids wanted spoilers.
December 20, 2011
This book single-handedly made me fall in love with science fiction when I was in fourth grade (thanks, Mr. Juhas!). I reread this book dozens of times as a kid, but reread it for the first time in more than a decade over the last couple of nights.
One of the things I'd forgotten was that this book is written from the perspective of a sixth grade girl named Susan. In my opinion, her gender wasn't all that important to the story, but it's interesting to note that Coville chose to write from a girl's perspective for a science fiction story. For the time period, I don't recall that being done often.
Another reason I believe I forgot about Susan was that I had strongly identified with Peter as a child (and that was probably the reason Mr. Juhas had recommended the book to me).
As a writer, one of the things I look for is why I like a book, and this book has many lessons to offer. For example:
- most (if not all) of the chapters end on a cliffhanger, making the book hard to put down.
- there are multiple character triangles (Susan, Peter, Broxholm; Susan, Ms. Schwarz, and Mr. Smith; Susan, Peter, Duncan) that keep the story interesting. Each character has clear, individual motivations.
- the hidden messages deal with fears virtually every middle school student has: sometimes it's hard to broach tough subjects with parents, fear of how peers will react, dealing with schoolyard bullies, etc.
I'd recommend this book to any middle grade student who's ever felt like an outcast.
One of the things I'd forgotten was that this book is written from the perspective of a sixth grade girl named Susan. In my opinion, her gender wasn't all that important to the story, but it's interesting to note that Coville chose to write from a girl's perspective for a science fiction story. For the time period, I don't recall that being done often.
Another reason I believe I forgot about Susan was that I had strongly identified with Peter as a child (and that was probably the reason Mr. Juhas had recommended the book to me).
As a writer, one of the things I look for is why I like a book, and this book has many lessons to offer. For example:
- most (if not all) of the chapters end on a cliffhanger, making the book hard to put down.
- there are multiple character triangles (Susan, Peter, Broxholm; Susan, Ms. Schwarz, and Mr. Smith; Susan, Peter, Duncan) that keep the story interesting. Each character has clear, individual motivations.
- the hidden messages deal with fears virtually every middle school student has: sometimes it's hard to broach tough subjects with parents, fear of how peers will react, dealing with schoolyard bullies, etc.
I'd recommend this book to any middle grade student who's ever felt like an outcast.
Read
January 15, 2023With that title, and that cover, this was a book that elementary Clint had to read. I remember having a lot of fun reading it even though I was doing so in my spare time, which interfered with reruns of Star Trek, Batman, and Gilligan's Island. (That makes me sound old, but they were reruns, keep in mind.) And I don't know if you pay attention to the news, but some of the teachers nowadays are definitely from another world.
March 22, 2025
The title says it all. An entertaining read. I do find Bruce Coville to be one of the better young adult authors out there, so he's always worth checking out. His stories are well-plotted, well-written, and usually a lot of fun, and this was no exception. It just didn't stand out as anything special, hence the three-star rating.
April 29, 2010
So I really didn't have much of a life as a kid, but I remember ploughing through these one summer, probably when I had a twisted ankle and was couch-bound. Looks like he kept writing beyond the years I read him, but these were essential readings at the time. Miss you Scholastic!
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January 31, 2016What is there to even say? Bruce Coville is the reason I love reading, and the reason I love sf/f in particular. This was the most formative series of my childhood. The first book is pretty light and silly (the end of the series is quite a bit heavier), and utterly delightful.
April 21, 2025
Super fun and super engaging. Great intro to science fiction for new readers. 4.5 stars
June 27, 2021
I always set my expectations pretty low whenever I'm going into a middle-grade book that's not written by my idol, R.L. Stine. However, I really enjoyed this book.
The premise is fairly simple - Our protagonist Susan discovers her new substitute teacher is an alien, and must warn her fellow classmates and figure out a way to prevent themselves from being abducted!
This little book was well-written, very amusing, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It does feel a little flat at times, as some of the events are briefly summarized/narrated through the first-person POV, and there isn't much suspense to this either, it's mostly just fun with lots of humor. The characters are surprisingly well-done. I liked how the author implemented some more adult-type jokes in here, yet the book is pretty tame and age-appropriate.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this, except for the ending which felt just a little bit rushed and contrived. I did like one aspect of the ending, though, which was actually a little bit dark/sad.
In summary, this is a great book for kids and Goosebumps-loving adults like myself. I highly recommend this one.
The premise is fairly simple - Our protagonist Susan discovers her new substitute teacher is an alien, and must warn her fellow classmates and figure out a way to prevent themselves from being abducted!
This little book was well-written, very amusing, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It does feel a little flat at times, as some of the events are briefly summarized/narrated through the first-person POV, and there isn't much suspense to this either, it's mostly just fun with lots of humor. The characters are surprisingly well-done. I liked how the author implemented some more adult-type jokes in here, yet the book is pretty tame and age-appropriate.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this, except for the ending which felt just a little bit rushed and contrived. I did like one aspect of the ending, though, which was actually a little bit dark/sad.
In summary, this is a great book for kids and Goosebumps-loving adults like myself. I highly recommend this one.
July 18, 2018
My 11 year old son really liked listening to this audiobook, even after he read the copy that he owns. And I really liked listening to it with him!
January 13, 2020
I liked the third book, and I’m still waiting on Animorphs via inter-library loan, so I figured I’d see how much these cost on kindle. Turns out they are free via unlimited!
I’m not sure how the original edition of this was, but the ebook had a lot of typos. One of the images didn’t work, and the scans that did work were really dark. It’d probably be better to read this in print.
Still, those are minor issues I’m willing to overlook. Overall this was a fun, short read. If I was a stickler I could go on about how the characters were cliche archetypes for YA (bully, pretty girl, nerdy boy), but why? It worked at the time this book was written. They are archetypes that still resonate with the child I once was, so I’m not complaining.
This worked out well for me, because the end of this book is the beginning of the third book, oddly enough. The third book is Peter’s experience in space, so I may not read the second book at all.
Of course, when they are free . . .
I’m not sure how the original edition of this was, but the ebook had a lot of typos. One of the images didn’t work, and the scans that did work were really dark. It’d probably be better to read this in print.
Still, those are minor issues I’m willing to overlook. Overall this was a fun, short read. If I was a stickler I could go on about how the characters were cliche archetypes for YA (bully, pretty girl, nerdy boy), but why? It worked at the time this book was written. They are archetypes that still resonate with the child I once was, so I’m not complaining.
This worked out well for me, because the end of this book is the beginning of the third book, oddly enough. The third book is Peter’s experience in space, so I may not read the second book at all.
Of course, when they are free . . .
May 3, 2018
I discovered that our local library OverDrive website had a bunch of fun children's books in audiobook editions, so I thought I would give this one a try. It's a fun, fast story and I enjoyed listening to Liza Ross narrate the story. I really like that it is told from Susan's perspective, instead of from a boy's.
Overall, I thought the plot was a bit silly, but I liked it anyway. I see, now that I've gone on Goodreads to post this review, that this is just the first book in the My Teacher is an Alien series. I may have to look for the other books.
Overall, I thought the plot was a bit silly, but I liked it anyway. I see, now that I've gone on Goodreads to post this review, that this is just the first book in the My Teacher is an Alien series. I may have to look for the other books.
May 3, 2013
This was one of my favorite books as a kid and I’m pleased to see students continue to check it out, as well as Coville’s newer books. It held up on re-read much better than expected – it’s really a suspenseful and well crafted story. Good use of the evil teacher trope. Mr. Smith has some very creepy standoffs with Susan as he stays in character as their teacher. Trying to balance supernatural threat with the pressure of daily life is always a great lens for the experience of being young - I like the way that saving the world and doing a clarinet solo are equal pulls on Susan here. This is a solid entry in the “wacky-school-life” genre or it could be a gateway to harder sci-fi.
June 25, 2016
I liked the book because it was all about a teacher that was actully alien.
October 14, 2021
I completely forgot this book existed until I saw this cover. What a classic.
February 19, 2025
solid 4
August 20, 2012
1.I love this book. It`s very interesting. for example, on page 93. When Duncan,Peter and Susan was spying on Mr.Smith. Duncan went in a room and saw a breif case. He opened it and he started to scream very loud because an alien head poped up and started to talk in a weird language. Another is that on page 51. When Peter and Susan was in the middle of the attic. They saw Ms.Schwartz frozen in a rectangular see through box.
2. I would reccommend this book to my brother Mohamed. I would reccommend this to my brother because he loves mysteries. He likes to find things and figiuring them out just like Susan. He also, likes watching Law and Order. Law and Order is about mysteries.
3.This book was not challenging for me. It was not challenging for me because, while my brother watches Law and Order I have to predict what happens. Predicting is another form of comprehension and i used that to understand.
4. Peter is in 6th grade. He is a "geekoid" thats what people say. He loves reading books he don`t like watching tv and people tease him about it. He has glass, blond hair and brown or green eyes. He has one friend and thats Susan.
2. I would reccommend this book to my brother Mohamed. I would reccommend this to my brother because he loves mysteries. He likes to find things and figiuring them out just like Susan. He also, likes watching Law and Order. Law and Order is about mysteries.
3.This book was not challenging for me. It was not challenging for me because, while my brother watches Law and Order I have to predict what happens. Predicting is another form of comprehension and i used that to understand.
4. Peter is in 6th grade. He is a "geekoid" thats what people say. He loves reading books he don`t like watching tv and people tease him about it. He has glass, blond hair and brown or green eyes. He has one friend and thats Susan.
May 8, 2012
Grade Level: 6th to 8th
This science fiction book is about an alien that comes to Earth, poses as a teacher, and has a plan to abduct students for study. The main character, Susan, discovers he is an alien and the book unfolds with her attempting to foil the aliens plan. The book is not very long, but very easy to read. The dialogue includes internal monologue from the main character.
This book can be used to discuss unlikely friends (Peter and Susan), the possibility of aliens, or the process of solving a mystery. The book genre is difficult to place into a curriculum that is based on other content areas, but an imaginative teacher would be able to incorporate this book into a class lesson that could span multiple subjects. Some science can be incorporated with a look current technology and possible future technology. In addition, this book can create a discussion about aliens and what they might discover when they visit Earth, allowing students to have a larger view of the world.
This science fiction book is about an alien that comes to Earth, poses as a teacher, and has a plan to abduct students for study. The main character, Susan, discovers he is an alien and the book unfolds with her attempting to foil the aliens plan. The book is not very long, but very easy to read. The dialogue includes internal monologue from the main character.
This book can be used to discuss unlikely friends (Peter and Susan), the possibility of aliens, or the process of solving a mystery. The book genre is difficult to place into a curriculum that is based on other content areas, but an imaginative teacher would be able to incorporate this book into a class lesson that could span multiple subjects. Some science can be incorporated with a look current technology and possible future technology. In addition, this book can create a discussion about aliens and what they might discover when they visit Earth, allowing students to have a larger view of the world.
June 27, 2019
The plot is predicable , but I love the villain.
November 23, 2021
Alright, today we branch off slightly for something I've been wanting to do for a bit. Earlier this year I covered a short story collection hosted by Bruce Coville. He was a decently big deal in the middle grade/YA scene back in the 80's and 90's, having tons of works and series. I've been meaning to dip into his major work and I figured this is a good place to start. This little series is well regarded, especially the last one which I already know will be very interesting. I got that one at a used book store so I was now obligated to go through the rest.
I wanted to get one more casual read in before December comes so and this was my choice. No idea how fast I'll get through these, but either way this was a solid start. I was gonna say this was a nice shift but Animorphs already gives me secret alien action but whatever. Anyway, the story is pretty simple.
Susan Simmons get a new teacher at the start of the new semester, and the old teacher mysteriously seemed to quick. The kids loved Mrs. Shwartz but Mr. Smith is another story. He's not horrible but he is fairly strict, mostly on orders from the principal and oh boy we'll touch on that. One day he takes a note Susan wrote and basically she sneaks into his house to get it back, assuming he brought it with him I guess, and through sneaking is how it discovered that her teacher is indeed an alien.
Even worse, one who plans to kidnap 5 kids, the best, the worst, and most average and she must team up with local nerd Peter to stop him. So criticisms up front. Some parts can feel forced, like how it is discover Smith is an alien. Susan is a blank slate for most of it, especially compared to others. The ending kinda works but feels very abrupt and rushed. While the gap in release (1989 and 1991) makes it seem like a regular book that got a sequel by chance, this basically has a cliffhanger setting up for a sequel. I suppose it just took a bit to prepare. Book 3 came out in 1991 as well and 4 was just a year later, so yeah, that time was to work on all the rest so yeah, thought of ahead of time.
But it still could have been slightly less rushed an ending. We don't find really enough about what is going aside from the basics. It is hinted that he may not be so evil which is good, and the sequels do go further, I know that. So it's not a big deal. There's a few "kids don't say that moments" and I think that's it.
The rest is solid. The story itself is nothing too new or deep (mostly) but it works well. It's well paced, making it clear he's an alien early on as we can have fun wondering what to do, building up what he wants to do and such. Pacing is steady and it escalates well once other kids get involved. Climax is alright with good setup and payoff, just rushed to the finish.
The writing is decent with some vocabulary words. Another theme to add to the Spongey Review Bingo. Susan does have a good "Voice" leading to some funny moments. There's some wild moments here, which you will see on Twitter after this goes on. Susan is a bit blank but they make up for it a bit later and with others.
There's a typical bully kid named Duncan who ends up getting a bit nicer later on. The nerd Peter is pretty interesting, very likable and sympathetic as we get hints his home life isn't perfect. This leads to an interesting moment at the end that was an interesting way to end this for him. He's got Watch/Tobias energy going on. The kids make a good team, and they're self aware enough to know no adult will beleive them, so they don't try. Geez even pre Goosebumps Bruce knew what to do.
There's interesting commentary with Mrs. Schwartz. She goes against the usual curriculum so making things more fun, and letting them read what they want and showing more fun classics and even saying the book the school assigned them isn't actually good. The principal didn't like this and the new guy gives him a chance to force them into all work and no play. A bit of a stab at the public school thing here and the Western canon which I can certainly appreciate.
It's not super deep or anything but it's there. So this mostly was a good mix, with a touch of that stuff, good pacing, mostly solid characters that can have a bit of depth and fine writing with decent humor that makes up for some forced moments and a rushed ending. And hey it still delivers an interesting final note that makes me interested in the sequels.
It's not the next YA classic (yet) but it does manage to do what it does well while at times offering a bit more. It's a fun read and I'm hoping for big things out of the rest as this showed me plenty of potential. This Bruce guy seems like a fine fellow.
And that's about it. I wanted to do this early and fit in something else too but I wasn't up for it so this is it. December I have at least a couple Christmas read ideas and they may be it, but we'll see. See ya then.
I wanted to get one more casual read in before December comes so and this was my choice. No idea how fast I'll get through these, but either way this was a solid start. I was gonna say this was a nice shift but Animorphs already gives me secret alien action but whatever. Anyway, the story is pretty simple.
Susan Simmons get a new teacher at the start of the new semester, and the old teacher mysteriously seemed to quick. The kids loved Mrs. Shwartz but Mr. Smith is another story. He's not horrible but he is fairly strict, mostly on orders from the principal and oh boy we'll touch on that. One day he takes a note Susan wrote and basically she sneaks into his house to get it back, assuming he brought it with him I guess, and through sneaking is how it discovered that her teacher is indeed an alien.
Even worse, one who plans to kidnap 5 kids, the best, the worst, and most average and she must team up with local nerd Peter to stop him. So criticisms up front. Some parts can feel forced, like how it is discover Smith is an alien. Susan is a blank slate for most of it, especially compared to others. The ending kinda works but feels very abrupt and rushed. While the gap in release (1989 and 1991) makes it seem like a regular book that got a sequel by chance, this basically has a cliffhanger setting up for a sequel. I suppose it just took a bit to prepare. Book 3 came out in 1991 as well and 4 was just a year later, so yeah, that time was to work on all the rest so yeah, thought of ahead of time.
But it still could have been slightly less rushed an ending. We don't find really enough about what is going aside from the basics. It is hinted that he may not be so evil which is good, and the sequels do go further, I know that. So it's not a big deal. There's a few "kids don't say that moments" and I think that's it.
The rest is solid. The story itself is nothing too new or deep (mostly) but it works well. It's well paced, making it clear he's an alien early on as we can have fun wondering what to do, building up what he wants to do and such. Pacing is steady and it escalates well once other kids get involved. Climax is alright with good setup and payoff, just rushed to the finish.
The writing is decent with some vocabulary words. Another theme to add to the Spongey Review Bingo. Susan does have a good "Voice" leading to some funny moments. There's some wild moments here, which you will see on Twitter after this goes on. Susan is a bit blank but they make up for it a bit later and with others.
There's a typical bully kid named Duncan who ends up getting a bit nicer later on. The nerd Peter is pretty interesting, very likable and sympathetic as we get hints his home life isn't perfect. This leads to an interesting moment at the end that was an interesting way to end this for him. He's got Watch/Tobias energy going on. The kids make a good team, and they're self aware enough to know no adult will beleive them, so they don't try. Geez even pre Goosebumps Bruce knew what to do.
There's interesting commentary with Mrs. Schwartz. She goes against the usual curriculum so making things more fun, and letting them read what they want and showing more fun classics and even saying the book the school assigned them isn't actually good. The principal didn't like this and the new guy gives him a chance to force them into all work and no play. A bit of a stab at the public school thing here and the Western canon which I can certainly appreciate.
It's not super deep or anything but it's there. So this mostly was a good mix, with a touch of that stuff, good pacing, mostly solid characters that can have a bit of depth and fine writing with decent humor that makes up for some forced moments and a rushed ending. And hey it still delivers an interesting final note that makes me interested in the sequels.
It's not the next YA classic (yet) but it does manage to do what it does well while at times offering a bit more. It's a fun read and I'm hoping for big things out of the rest as this showed me plenty of potential. This Bruce guy seems like a fine fellow.
And that's about it. I wanted to do this early and fit in something else too but I wasn't up for it so this is it. December I have at least a couple Christmas read ideas and they may be it, but we'll see. See ya then.
February 10, 2017
I've had to fight my now 1st grade son for two years about reading this book. Ever since he came across it in a box he's been on me to read it too him. I told him last summer that in 2017 we could read it. On January 1st he brought it up and I agreed. My main concern was that he wouldn't understand much of the 6th grade setting or storyline. It was no problem, he loved it but 3rd grade age would probably be the sweet spot. This is the first book in awhile, other than Spider-Man that he brought up to other family and classmates on a regular basis. His excitement was heartwarming.
Now to the book. There are three main characters, Susan(smart girl), Peter(skinny, sci-fi lover), and Duncan(bully). Each character feels incredibly real for a grade school level story. I remember loving Peter when reading as a child but Susan is the star. The story is told from her perspective. Duncan is a good character but not really a focus until later books. Lots of fun mystery and light suspense. I had forgotten the ending so I got to enjoy that a second time. What a fun story.
I loved this series as a child and my son loved this book now. I give My Teacher is an Alien a full 5 substitute teachers rating for any grade school age kid.
Now to the book. There are three main characters, Susan(smart girl), Peter(skinny, sci-fi lover), and Duncan(bully). Each character feels incredibly real for a grade school level story. I remember loving Peter when reading as a child but Susan is the star. The story is told from her perspective. Duncan is a good character but not really a focus until later books. Lots of fun mystery and light suspense. I had forgotten the ending so I got to enjoy that a second time. What a fun story.
I loved this series as a child and my son loved this book now. I give My Teacher is an Alien a full 5 substitute teachers rating for any grade school age kid.
May 16, 2021
Bruce Coville is the author we all agree on in our house. Parents, four year old and six year old all agree that his books are great. Last year we went through the Space Brat series and Monster of the Year and the boys had fun. They are WAY more into this book though, with them begging for us to keep reading at the end of each chapter and making all sorts of wild guessed about where the story is going.
The story is about a girl named Susan who accidentally finds out her teacher is an alien who will be stealing five children from his class and taking them back to his home planet with him. She teams up with smart kid Peter (and occasionally class bully Duncan) to figure out a way to stop the alien. There is crazy sci fi, music education and tons of suspense in this story.
I read this book several times as a kid, and it totally holds up on reread. We immediately started My Teacher Fried my Brains (the next book in the series) upon finishing this one. The pictures are fun but my kids do wish they were in color (those savages!). Can't wait to read the rest of this series with them.
The story is about a girl named Susan who accidentally finds out her teacher is an alien who will be stealing five children from his class and taking them back to his home planet with him. She teams up with smart kid Peter (and occasionally class bully Duncan) to figure out a way to stop the alien. There is crazy sci fi, music education and tons of suspense in this story.
I read this book several times as a kid, and it totally holds up on reread. We immediately started My Teacher Fried my Brains (the next book in the series) upon finishing this one. The pictures are fun but my kids do wish they were in color (those savages!). Can't wait to read the rest of this series with them.
February 23, 2026
There’s a part in this book where Susan talks about how weird the brain is when you really think about it, and damn if she isn’t right. Because I haven’t read this thing since I was back in elementary school, but it was wild how much of it felt SO familiar to me as I re-read it tonight. Weird to think how all of this was just tucked away deep inside my brain all these years, just waiting to be reminded and reactivated. I’ll tell you one thing, though, when I was a kid reading this, I certainly didn’t pick up on how much of the book is clearly Coville expressing his ideas on what type of teaching/education is best suited for young students. Nor did I probably think too much about how uncomfortable it is that the book keeps insinuating Peter has a neglectful, potentially abusive single father.
That aside, still a very fun kids book!
That aside, still a very fun kids book!
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May 5, 2019Lu quand j’étais en primaire, et retrouvé il y a peu dans mes affaires, je me suis fait un plaisir de relire ce livre qui m’avait fait découvrir et adorer la science-fiction quand j’avais 8 ou 9 ans !
August 2, 2022
Coville is one of the many writers i can credit my early love of reading to, especially sci-fi and fantasy. Even 30 some odd years later, i still get a kick from his easy, yet entertaining prose. this was a real fun trip down memory lane.
July 2, 2025
loved it
I remember this book cover as a kid. I've never got a chance to read it till now. It is a really good book for a 5th and 6th grade book.
I remember this book cover as a kid. I've never got a chance to read it till now. It is a really good book for a 5th and 6th grade book.
September 17, 2020
It may be partly due to nostalgia, but this was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I had a lot of fun now reading it to my son. I think it still holds up well. Highly recommend!
July 21, 2022
The audiobook has a really fun, terrible song at the end. Highly recommended for my fellow end-stage Gen-Xers.
November 5, 2025
Used as a read aloud for my students and they begged to hear the story each day!
September 27, 2023
Read this book with my students. I love a good light read. This book was HILARIOUS and we had such a good time reading it. The plot twist at the end was BEYOND predictable. Amazing! The character development?? AMAZING. I CRIED at the end.
5/5!!!
5/5!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews