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Aliens For Lunch
Richard Bickerstaff and his friend Henry are prisoners on Grax, a hostile planet. Aric, their tiny alien friend, has been taken from them--perhaps forever. And now they're eating lunch in a Graxian jail, face to face with a Turinga Death Machine! Can life get any more dangerous? Kids will love this very funny Stepping Stones HUMOR title!
64 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
26 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Spinner
54 books33 followersI 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 14, 2009
This was one of those books that shaped my childhood, made me dream about little spacemen coming out of my afternoon snacks and taking me on wild intergallactic space adventures. Basic premise? Kids fight aliens. Need I say more?
Very tongue and cheek (and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible). I remember really liking the pictures (those black and white sketches that take up a page). Whoever did the artwork gave the characters a lot of personality and life, and I probably wouldn't have picked the book up had the cover not caught my attention. I'd pick it up again just to go back through those.
There are two more to the series, Aliens for Dinner and Aliens for Breakfast (surprise, surprise) but this was the best of the three. Unfortunately there is no Aliens for Brunch, Aliens for Snack, Aliens for Dessert, or Aliens for Second Tea. If there had been, I would have read them.
The pic displayed here was not the original cover that I read from when I was like 8, so I'm a little biased against the new design. But it still works.
Very tongue and cheek (and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible). I remember really liking the pictures (those black and white sketches that take up a page). Whoever did the artwork gave the characters a lot of personality and life, and I probably wouldn't have picked the book up had the cover not caught my attention. I'd pick it up again just to go back through those.
There are two more to the series, Aliens for Dinner and Aliens for Breakfast (surprise, surprise) but this was the best of the three. Unfortunately there is no Aliens for Brunch, Aliens for Snack, Aliens for Dessert, or Aliens for Second Tea. If there had been, I would have read them.
The pic displayed here was not the original cover that I read from when I was like 8, so I'm a little biased against the new design. But it still works.
September 9, 2017
After reading the science fiction short children's novel"Aliens for lunch" by authors Stephine Spencer & Johnathan Etra, I feel in love with the two main characters friendship. This book is for age groups 7 and up. To summarize this book , this book is about a relationship between two friend named Henry and Richard. Richard and Henry help an alien friend named Aric save the world. They also go to another galaxy on a wacky wild adventure. I rated this book five stars. The plot and the characters of the friends saving the world keep me interested.The illustrations and the color of the cover of the book were wonderful. Even though the illustrations of the pages were quite dull I still enjoyed reading this book. This book would be appealing to young readers because of how interesting the story is. When working with children I would use this book as a assignment with questions coming directly from the text.
February 7, 2018
Impression: Creates imagination for kids, like aliens coming out of sandwiches.
Impact: Perfect easy reading for 3rd who are beginning to immature especially boy, but perfect for anyone to read, also loving friendship of two friends.
Constructive Opinion: The sense of a stomach ace when reading the crazy adventures two friwnds face in a disgusting world of aliens in your stomach.
Two Literary Elements: Beginning chapter readers:easy, humorous and interactive with readers.
Two Designed Elements: Pencil and black and white water color, images present the meaning of the passage.
Quick, short chapter book great for transitional readers. Very tongue and cheek meaning the most complimentary way possible. Great for introducing science fiction genre to students. Very cute saving Earth food and creates morals.
Impact: Perfect easy reading for 3rd who are beginning to immature especially boy, but perfect for anyone to read, also loving friendship of two friends.
Constructive Opinion: The sense of a stomach ace when reading the crazy adventures two friwnds face in a disgusting world of aliens in your stomach.
Two Literary Elements: Beginning chapter readers:easy, humorous and interactive with readers.
Two Designed Elements: Pencil and black and white water color, images present the meaning of the passage.
Quick, short chapter book great for transitional readers. Very tongue and cheek meaning the most complimentary way possible. Great for introducing science fiction genre to students. Very cute saving Earth food and creates morals.
September 21, 2020
"Aliens for Lunch," is a science-fiction chapter book about these two boys just having a boring day, until an alien pops out of a popcorn bag. It’s very interesting story, where it has the characters saving the universe from these dessert-loving aliens, whom try to steal the ingredients to make desserts tasty. Unique, yet not tiring as you keep reading you will have to stop giggling from the silliness of the characters. Its creativity makes one want to go on these adventures, so you can explore the other worlds. Although, it doesn’t have many illustrations the writing makes up for it. Very exciting series where it talks about foods and its secret powers against aliens. In the end of the book, the children will learn about how vegetables are good for you and if you indulge into too sweets, then you’ll regret it in the end.
April 30, 2019
1. N/A
2. 2nd-3rd
3. This story is about two boys named Richard and Henry who journey to a intergalactic planet in the second book to this three book series. In "Aliens for Breakfast" they meet an alien named Aric who takes them on new journeys and adventures each book. With so many cool scenes and fun imagination all students are sure to love these books.
4. I think this series is super fun and creative. I believe books like these foster a lot of imagination from kids and still teach goods lessons, use great vocabulary and the kids really engage with them.
5. With any type of children'a chapter books, like these, making inference and predictions is great to work on so any worksheets or activities that work on this are great.
2. 2nd-3rd
3. This story is about two boys named Richard and Henry who journey to a intergalactic planet in the second book to this three book series. In "Aliens for Breakfast" they meet an alien named Aric who takes them on new journeys and adventures each book. With so many cool scenes and fun imagination all students are sure to love these books.
4. I think this series is super fun and creative. I believe books like these foster a lot of imagination from kids and still teach goods lessons, use great vocabulary and the kids really engage with them.
5. With any type of children'a chapter books, like these, making inference and predictions is great to work on so any worksheets or activities that work on this are great.
December 24, 2007
This is a sequel of Aliens for Breakfast.
The title suggests rooms for imagination for kids - like aliens coming out of sandwiches and drink and take them on a journey to the universe. Yet I am too old to be into the story. I can hardly find it funny.
Why do I read it? I read it for the classroom.
I guess we can ask students to write another sequel for the story - like Aliens for Brunch, Aliens for teatime, Aliens for appetizer, Aliens on the Menu, Aliens for Snacks, Aliens for Tea At Midnight, Aliens for Tuckshop, ET for lunchboxes, and a thousand more...
Easy reading, but not appealing with its predictable plot.
The title suggests rooms for imagination for kids - like aliens coming out of sandwiches and drink and take them on a journey to the universe. Yet I am too old to be into the story. I can hardly find it funny.
Why do I read it? I read it for the classroom.
I guess we can ask students to write another sequel for the story - like Aliens for Brunch, Aliens for teatime, Aliens for appetizer, Aliens on the Menu, Aliens for Snacks, Aliens for Tea At Midnight, Aliens for Tuckshop, ET for lunchboxes, and a thousand more...
Easy reading, but not appealing with its predictable plot.
April 17, 2012
Grade Level: 3rd to 5th
This was a very easy read. The plot is simple; two young boys help an alien save dessert which in turn prevents Earth from being attacked. The book has some humor and interesting one-liners. I can see this book keeping students interest.
There is not much to the book, but I could use it to cover the components of a story: setting, characters, plot, and theme. The book contains dialogue as well. I could integrate the concepts of science fiction into teaching about the components of a story and discuss different ways to create a story. Other than that, I can not think of many other uses for the book in a lesson plan.
This was a very easy read. The plot is simple; two young boys help an alien save dessert which in turn prevents Earth from being attacked. The book has some humor and interesting one-liners. I can see this book keeping students interest.
There is not much to the book, but I could use it to cover the components of a story: setting, characters, plot, and theme. The book contains dialogue as well. I could integrate the concepts of science fiction into teaching about the components of a story and discuss different ways to create a story. Other than that, I can not think of many other uses for the book in a lesson plan.
May 11, 2012
This is a really cute book for second or third grade students. It is a great book for introducing the Science Fiction genre. For a classroom lesson I would do a character analysis because a lot of detail is given about the characters in the book. I would have students complete a Venn Diagram, comparing and contrasting the characters. Then, I would have them write a short descriptive essay about a character of their choice.
January 27, 2014
In this quick, short chapter book great for transitional readers, Richard Bickerstaff and his alien friend Aric, along with Richard's human friend Henry, are back to save the Earth, this time from an eternity of bad desserts. After the boys are taken prisoners on another planet and forced to eat a disgusting lunch in the alien jail, they must escape and thwart the greedy, hostile Graxians foul plan for intergalactic war. Illustrated.
May 12, 2012
This fun book about saving the Earth's desserts, is a funny and very entertaining story about a human family stuck in an alien world. The main characters are stuck in an alien jail, forced to eat bad desserts that is alien food. This is a charming story that children will love.
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January 31, 2009A fun adventure. A really easy read. A good one for book reports.
July 28, 2012
My 7 year old enjoyed this series (breakfast lunch and dinner).
August 12, 2013
super fun read-aloud with the kids!
April 27, 2016
There were some 5-star humor moments, but overall a 3-star story. I was impressed that it kept my 4-year-old grandson's attention for all 60 pages; a great story for young boys.
January 19, 2017
In the second episode of what I think of as the Aliens for Sustenance series, Richard Bickerstaff and his friend Henry have been taken prisoner on the planet Grax. Can Aric save them?
March 26, 2025
It was great!
June 8, 2013
Why did I read this. It's as stupid as it sounds.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews