But We Are Not of Earth

by Jean E. Karl

Four students from Meniscus F on a mission to the far-away Sector 22 delight in the habitable but uninhabited planet they discover until they realize their pod mentor has plans he has not shared with them.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade

170 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Jean Edna Karl was an American book editor and writer who specialized in children's and science fiction titles. She founded and led the children's division and young adult and science fiction imprints at Atheneum Books.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I did not know this book when I was young. I'm a older adult now, with thousands of SF books read, and I still enjoyed this very much. It is written to appeal to youth/ tweens, but it has some surprisingly interesting What Ifs and if I were young (less jaded) I absolutely would have gotten a full-on Sense of Wonder from it.

If you do read it, be patient. At first things seem off... but it includes a mystery and revelation, and by the end it all works together.

Thanks to another reviewer, I have learned about and will have to try hunt down the companion books by the author.

There's not a whole lot of good SF for children. Tons of fantasy, and some notable dystopias, and some Heinlein that is fairly unreadable nowadays, and Monica Hughes, and this Listopia that I just now discovered: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Please comment below (and add to the Listopia if the book is from the 1980s) any titles you remember!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was briefly obsesssed with this book as a preteen. I wanted to live on a giant spaceship, and discover a new planet! Of course, it would kind of suck if someone you relied on betrayed you, and you nearly died on that planet . . . but space, YAY! I also used to get a giggle out of the dessert-energy bars, which they discover are used as, ahem, population control by basically making you uninterested in the opposite sex. Awesome!

[LauraW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a relatively quick read and I enjoyed it. I like science fiction for younger teens and this fits the bill, with some deeper self-reflecting things to think about.

[Christopher Brehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered getting this book from the library and remembered some aspects of the story but not the author or title.

After a lot of research and asking around online message boards someone gave me the title and I bought a copy from Amazon.

This was a great little story and I enjoyed it a lot as a teenager.

[jen8998 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reread this intriguing sci fi novel. I've always been sorry this author didn't write more books.

[Douglas Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of several books written by Jean Karl, that are loosely related. They are not a series per se but all have elements in common, i.e. take place in the aftermath of the Clordian Sweep, which is the name people on earth give to an attack of sorts from the beings of the planet Clord. It's not clear what the intent of the Clordians was but the sweep killed a lot of life on earth. After the sweep some of the remaining people had powers. I believe teleportation was one of the powers conferred by the sweep. Strange Tomorrow and The Turning Place were two of the other titles but I don't recall now the title of the other book.

[Kristy Halseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in High School (middle to late 80's), I read this book many times. I always checked it out from the public library and never owned my own copy. I have been trying to find this book for years now and someone knew the title. Now I just need to find a copy of it so I can reread it again. So yes, I would highly recommend it.

I'm putting my date finished as around the end of my senior year since that was probably the last time I had access to the book. I'm still thinking of that book 25 years later. It made an impression.

[Charlene Lassig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in 7th grade then again in 1994. Guess what I found for sale???

[SBC · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable science fiction for teens. In the aftermath of the Clordian Sweep (an alien invasion of Earth) several hundred years ago, Earth has become quite isolationist. Humans that choose to leave Earth to travel in space aren't allowed back, and nor are their descendants. If I've remembered correctly, there is a group of people called Discoverers (or something similar) who are (?) essential to Earth's operations but aren't allowed back there. Nor are they permitted to colonise other planets.

This book is about 4 orphans who grow up in a home for the children of Discoverers. Their parents either died or disappeared mysteriously, but not all the children at the home are orphans - most are just raised there while their parents are out working, discovering. The 4 kids this book is about have grown up together and are all geniuses in their own way. Because of this, they tend to be bored at school and get into a lot of trouble. After one memorable incident where they humiliate an adult who's not as clever as them, they get offered the chance to take a spaceship on an excursion and prove their worth by surviving alone for a time. The male mentor who has lived with them for a time comes along to keep them safe, but he has an agenda.

They land on a beautiful planet and realise that the domed or underground lives they've been leading are less than ideal and unfair. They also learn that all the missing Discover adults have actually been opting out and finding beautiful planets to live on. On discovering this, rather than resenting her parents for leaving her alone as an infant so they could go off and live somewhere rural, the key protagonist of the story, Rom (named Romula by those who found her) is grateful that they gave her the chance to have a proper education (the tension being being technology and knowledge vs nature and subsistence). Any maybe Earth can be brought around...

This was an enjoyable read. I've read quite a few stories of teen survival on other planets as a rite of passage recently and this was a good one. I checked out the author's other books, as I enjoyed her style, but the story about the Clordian Sweep (set hundreds of years before this one) didn't appeal.

[Michael Dotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a couple of times in middle school. I loved it. I would like to revisit it and see if it has held up to the passing of time.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of YA science fiction in the mid-1980s. I know I read this in 1985 because I listed it in my journal, but I don't really remember it.

[Karen Boman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a child and loving it. I should reread this again sometime.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It makes you think of all the possible futures.

[Julie Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about four young adults, Rom, Waver, Bitsy and Gloust who were born and raised in outer space far from earth. They are not allowed to go to earth because they are from space so they go to a school where thye learn all the ins and outs of space travel, life, ship repairs, etc. These four children are the smartest children in the school and are always causing trouble. So the school board decides to send the four and their mentor on a trip to go discover new planets. But during their trip things go from bad to worse and the kids must learn how to survive on a planet that's much like earth. There's a diabolical plot underway that causes trouble that all must decide about and fix! The ending is super short, and it's not wrapped up eloquently, but for a scifi book, not bad! I actually enjoyed it more than I thought!

[Anna Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about four young adults, Rom, Waver, Bitsy and Gloust who were born and raised in outer space far from earth. They are not allowed to go to earth because they are from space so they have to work for this school called Inter-earth system school and Home for discoverers' children. These four children are the smartest children in the school and therefore, always causing trouble. So the school board decides to send the four and their mentor on a trip to go discover new planets. But during their trip things go from bad to worse and the kids must learn how to survive. I liked this book because I thought that it had a good plot but I don't think that it was very well written.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from childhood.

[M— · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm too old for this book. Maybe if I'd found it when I was ten.