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Weird Stories Gone Wrong #4
Alex and The Other: Weird Stories Gone Wrong
Book 4 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series!
Beware the haunted bathroom mirror at school. Beware strangers in overcoats and dark glasses, whispering in the trees. But most of all, Beware The Other …
Alex is the loneliest boy at school. Not only are his parents away (again), but his beloved cat is missing. Plus, one morning his reflection in the haunted bathroom mirror at school starts talking to him. Then two mysterious strangers in overcoats and sunglasses appear, whispering the same message, over and over: Beware The Other …
But, worse than all that, is the girl with the braid. She looks just like Alex. She’s better than him at everything, and they even share the same name. Soon, she’s the only Alex anyone can see, at school, at work, even at home. In no time, it’s almost as though the real Alex never existed at all.
Can the real Alex outsmart his evil twin and get his life back before she replaces him for good? And more importantly, who is the real Alex, anyway?
Beware the haunted bathroom mirror at school. Beware strangers in overcoats and dark glasses, whispering in the trees. But most of all, Beware The Other …
Alex is the loneliest boy at school. Not only are his parents away (again), but his beloved cat is missing. Plus, one morning his reflection in the haunted bathroom mirror at school starts talking to him. Then two mysterious strangers in overcoats and sunglasses appear, whispering the same message, over and over: Beware The Other …
But, worse than all that, is the girl with the braid. She looks just like Alex. She’s better than him at everything, and they even share the same name. Soon, she’s the only Alex anyone can see, at school, at work, even at home. In no time, it’s almost as though the real Alex never existed at all.
Can the real Alex outsmart his evil twin and get his life back before she replaces him for good? And more importantly, who is the real Alex, anyway?
- GenresMiddle Grade
144 pages, ebook
Published March 31, 2018
278 people want to read
About the author
Philippa Dowding
21 books68 followersPhilippa Dowding is an author, poet, and composer/musician based in Toronto. She is the winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature, Text, and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, for her book FIREFLY.
Philippa was a writer early in life, and began writing poetry and short stories at age nine. She studied English Language & Literature at Western University in London, Ontario, and completed an M.A. in English at The University of Toronto. Soon after graduating, she began her professional writing life as a copywriter in the magazine and newspaper industry, where she won many industry awards.
When she had a family, she began telling bedtime stories to her children. One story, about a lost gargoyle living in a child's backyard in downtown Toronto, became her first published book in The Lost Gargoyle series.
Philippa has won literary nominations across Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including the Diamond Willow, Hackmatack, Silver Birch, Red Cedar and Red Maple awards. Her third book, The Gargoyle at the Gates, was named a White Raven Book by the International Youth Library in Munich.
NEW BOOK: The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is coming this fall!
Visit Philippa's website for more about her books, poetry, and music: http://pdowding.com/
Philippa was a writer early in life, and began writing poetry and short stories at age nine. She studied English Language & Literature at Western University in London, Ontario, and completed an M.A. in English at The University of Toronto. Soon after graduating, she began her professional writing life as a copywriter in the magazine and newspaper industry, where she won many industry awards.
When she had a family, she began telling bedtime stories to her children. One story, about a lost gargoyle living in a child's backyard in downtown Toronto, became her first published book in The Lost Gargoyle series.
Philippa has won literary nominations across Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including the Diamond Willow, Hackmatack, Silver Birch, Red Cedar and Red Maple awards. Her third book, The Gargoyle at the Gates, was named a White Raven Book by the International Youth Library in Munich.
NEW BOOK: The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is coming this fall!
Visit Philippa's website for more about her books, poetry, and music: http://pdowding.com/
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 2, 2018
This is billed as "weird" so you're not in for any surprises when outlandish beings show up and life gets odd. If you like books with weirdness, then this is totally you. It's well written, and definitely for younger readers.
This isn't my usual genre - weirdness, but it was OK, and nowhere near absolute creepout. I really liked the way it ended tho.
I recommend this for goosebumps fans, and anyone looking for a not-so-scary horror children's book.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This isn't my usual genre - weirdness, but it was OK, and nowhere near absolute creepout. I really liked the way it ended tho.
I recommend this for goosebumps fans, and anyone looking for a not-so-scary horror children's book.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2018
An engaging read for middle school grades.
Alex is a lonely boy who already feels invisible most of the time. After a mysterious green fog rolls in, it seems Alex may turn invisible for real. Someone is trying to take over his life, but help may come from the strangest of places. Mildly creepy, with cute illustrations, and a true life lesson to be yourself.
I received an advance copy for review.
Alex is a lonely boy who already feels invisible most of the time. After a mysterious green fog rolls in, it seems Alex may turn invisible for real. Someone is trying to take over his life, but help may come from the strangest of places. Mildly creepy, with cute illustrations, and a true life lesson to be yourself.
I received an advance copy for review.
January 18, 2018
*thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
4 stars.
This was very good for a middle grade book! Usually the creepiness and horror themes in middle grade books are watered down but this one was pretty creepy! Not overly so but along the lines of the old popular "Goosebumps" series. It's been awhile since I've enjoyed reading a decent middle grade that had horror theme and this one does nicely. Also there is a bonus to this. Along with it being a great scary read, it also sends the message that who you are is the best person you could ever want to be. To have self confidence is a pure gift. Ohh and I can't not mention that the main character is best friends with his cat. I think that's adorable and what a perfect best friend! Such a great book! Definitely recommend!
4 stars.
This was very good for a middle grade book! Usually the creepiness and horror themes in middle grade books are watered down but this one was pretty creepy! Not overly so but along the lines of the old popular "Goosebumps" series. It's been awhile since I've enjoyed reading a decent middle grade that had horror theme and this one does nicely. Also there is a bonus to this. Along with it being a great scary read, it also sends the message that who you are is the best person you could ever want to be. To have self confidence is a pure gift. Ohh and I can't not mention that the main character is best friends with his cat. I think that's adorable and what a perfect best friend! Such a great book! Definitely recommend!
May 2, 2018
Author Philppa Dowding has created a narrative that is gripping page-turner where readers will be engaged and mesmerized from beginning to end!
Every school library should have this series and reluctant readers will vanish!
Highly Recommended for grades 4-7!!
Every school library should have this series and reluctant readers will vanish!
Highly Recommended for grades 4-7!!
March 26, 2018
Alex is invisible. Well, not really to begin with, just not really noticed or memorable. Then he decides to take a detour before heading. He comes across some possessed pigs who ask him about the other and his cat starts talking to him. The following days are filled with strange things until another Alex has taken his place and gradually no one can see him anymore. This is when real Alex is faced with the choice of fading away and letting other Alex take over or fighting back.
Real Alex is an emotionally strong character but he is used to living in the background so he does not have much in the way of social confidence or friends. During this story, real Alex experiences up and downs which have the ability to tug at the heartstrings but ultimately he learns his individual worth and how being himself is important.
Other Alex is kind of creepy from start to finish and is the one thing I did not like about the book, but only because other Alex made me angry. How dare the other come in and try to take over the life of an innocent boy. Of course, the other is a major element of the story and responsible for teaching real Alex a valuable life lesson.
There are a few characters besides the Alex's but the most important, in my opinion, are the aliens using piglets as their Earth vessels. They seem to have no idea how to interact with real Alex without giving the poor kid the creeps. However, they play a very important part of this story and are not quite what they seem.
The story packs a powerful message in a slightly creepy story with aliens. It was an interesting concept, fast passed and continuously intriguing which made it a very enjoyable read. It was also well written for younger audiences by not using complicated language and staying focused on the main story.
This is a great book that I would recommend to children aged 8+, depending on their maturity, especially if they like aliens.
Real Alex is an emotionally strong character but he is used to living in the background so he does not have much in the way of social confidence or friends. During this story, real Alex experiences up and downs which have the ability to tug at the heartstrings but ultimately he learns his individual worth and how being himself is important.
Other Alex is kind of creepy from start to finish and is the one thing I did not like about the book, but only because other Alex made me angry. How dare the other come in and try to take over the life of an innocent boy. Of course, the other is a major element of the story and responsible for teaching real Alex a valuable life lesson.
There are a few characters besides the Alex's but the most important, in my opinion, are the aliens using piglets as their Earth vessels. They seem to have no idea how to interact with real Alex without giving the poor kid the creeps. However, they play a very important part of this story and are not quite what they seem.
The story packs a powerful message in a slightly creepy story with aliens. It was an interesting concept, fast passed and continuously intriguing which made it a very enjoyable read. It was also well written for younger audiences by not using complicated language and staying focused on the main story.
This is a great book that I would recommend to children aged 8+, depending on their maturity, especially if they like aliens.
May 8, 2018
I loved this story!
It’s a very short middle grade book. I read it in about an hour. It is part of a series of weird stories, but I believe they can each be read on their own. I haven’t read the previous books, and I wasn’t missing anything.
This story was really creepy. Pigs can be strange creatures, and after reading this book, I’ll never look at them the same way! (You never know if an alien has taken over the pig’s body!) It really was a spooky, weird story, but it was very entertaining because I didn’t know what was going to happen.
Alex learns a lot throughout the story. People who he thought were bad at first sight ended up helping him, and the ones he thought would help ended up trying to harm him. He also learned that it’s okay to ask for help. Sometimes you can’t do everything on your own, and it’s good to ask for help. These are both important lessons for kids to learn too.
I loved this story! It is great for young readers and adults!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher on NetGalley.
It’s a very short middle grade book. I read it in about an hour. It is part of a series of weird stories, but I believe they can each be read on their own. I haven’t read the previous books, and I wasn’t missing anything.
This story was really creepy. Pigs can be strange creatures, and after reading this book, I’ll never look at them the same way! (You never know if an alien has taken over the pig’s body!) It really was a spooky, weird story, but it was very entertaining because I didn’t know what was going to happen.
Alex learns a lot throughout the story. People who he thought were bad at first sight ended up helping him, and the ones he thought would help ended up trying to harm him. He also learned that it’s okay to ask for help. Sometimes you can’t do everything on your own, and it’s good to ask for help. These are both important lessons for kids to learn too.
I loved this story! It is great for young readers and adults!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher on NetGalley.
January 27, 2018
"Alex and the Other" is exactly what I expected it to be- a simple and short story with a slightly creepy back hit. It reminds me of the collections of short horror stories that I loved so much as a kid. This wasn't quite as creepy or spooky as I would have liked, and at times the dialogue feels very unnatural, but it's a decent book and a very breezy read.
January 20, 2018
This was the first book I'd read of this series. I'm looking forward to reading the earlier books now. The story moves along quickly but develops well into a complete story.
I received this from NetGalley for my honest opinion.
I received this from NetGalley for my honest opinion.
February 17, 2018
This book was a very quick, fun read. I would buy this book for my middle school aged nephews and would recommend it for that age. It had a mildish creepy factor that was kind of reminiscent of the Goosebumps series. I would definitely recommend this book!
March 8, 2018
Kids who enjoy Goosebump and similar books will enjoy this book! It's a fun, enjoyable story; quirky and weird. The main characters were fun, too!
received a Kindle ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair review.
received a Kindle ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair review.
April 16, 2020
Don't read this book at night! A very creepy story about a boy that finds himself turning invisible after witnessing something in the forest. Will he able to be visible again?
August 17, 2018
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
Not since the Goosebumps series have we had good 'weird' stories for young readers until Philippa Dowding began her Weird Stories Gone Wrong series. Alex and the Other is the fourth in this series, and though I've only previously read the first book in the collection, it's definitely a series to consider - especially if your younger reader enjoys stories that are slightly, well, weird.
Alex tends to feel a bit invisible. He's very lonely at school, his parents are gone, and to make it all worse - his cat is missing. Could things get any worse for a young boy? Well...yes, it could. In the haunted bathroom mirror at school his reflection talks back to him and he is visited by strangers who whisper "Beware the other" over and over.
Over the next few days, his sense of being invisible becomes more and more real to him as the other students and then the teachers look right through him. Soon it's as though he didn't exist at all. But when he wonders why no one is even concerned that he's disappeared he realizes that there is another Alex that has taken his place. Not just another Alex, but an out-going, popular Alex. An Alex who becomes the star basketball player. An Alex who is greeted and smiled at in the school halls.
This Other Alex is the only one who can see Real Alex, and he let's Real Alex know that he has no intention of giving up being Alex, so Real Alex has to find a way to get his life back, or give it up altogether.
Philippa Dowding has perfectly captured the middle school students' fears and dreams. The sense of identity and discovering ones limitations and dreams takes shape about this time in a child's life and this book actually helps a child realize that such fears and fantasies aren't unusual and that one can take control of his or her own life at this point.
Looking for a good book? Alex and the Other by Philippa Dowding is a charming 'weird' story with a message subtle enough to not make the reading feel didactic. It's great to have this series available!
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Not since the Goosebumps series have we had good 'weird' stories for young readers until Philippa Dowding began her Weird Stories Gone Wrong series. Alex and the Other is the fourth in this series, and though I've only previously read the first book in the collection, it's definitely a series to consider - especially if your younger reader enjoys stories that are slightly, well, weird.
Alex tends to feel a bit invisible. He's very lonely at school, his parents are gone, and to make it all worse - his cat is missing. Could things get any worse for a young boy? Well...yes, it could. In the haunted bathroom mirror at school his reflection talks back to him and he is visited by strangers who whisper "Beware the other" over and over.
Over the next few days, his sense of being invisible becomes more and more real to him as the other students and then the teachers look right through him. Soon it's as though he didn't exist at all. But when he wonders why no one is even concerned that he's disappeared he realizes that there is another Alex that has taken his place. Not just another Alex, but an out-going, popular Alex. An Alex who becomes the star basketball player. An Alex who is greeted and smiled at in the school halls.
This Other Alex is the only one who can see Real Alex, and he let's Real Alex know that he has no intention of giving up being Alex, so Real Alex has to find a way to get his life back, or give it up altogether.
Philippa Dowding has perfectly captured the middle school students' fears and dreams. The sense of identity and discovering ones limitations and dreams takes shape about this time in a child's life and this book actually helps a child realize that such fears and fantasies aren't unusual and that one can take control of his or her own life at this point.
Looking for a good book? Alex and the Other by Philippa Dowding is a charming 'weird' story with a message subtle enough to not make the reading feel didactic. It's great to have this series available!
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2017
A good chapter book with some lasting truths. Not every generation has Danny Dunn and Encyclopedia Brown.
October 26, 2021
📖 Book Review 📖
• Alex and the Other by Philippa Dowding
• Middle grade horror
• 4 🌟
• Gifted by @dundurnpress
This book is a quick spooky and eerie read.
One night when walking through the forest, after seeing ominous fog and a green glow, Alex's life turns upside down. Walking around, talking to his friends and family, is a person who looks exactly like him, claims to be him, but isn't him. Will Alex overcome the mystery behind the doppelganger alien and reclaim his life?
I really enjoyed Philippa Dowding's writing. It is almost poetic in a way. While it is simple for middle grade readers, the description is still effective, painting an ominous atmosphere and image.
Right from the first page I was pulled in. I enjoyed all the characters, even the supporting ones. I also believe the plot held an even, consistent pace throughout.
If you like chills and weirdness, definitely read this book.
• Alex and the Other by Philippa Dowding
• Middle grade horror
• 4 🌟
• Gifted by @dundurnpress
This book is a quick spooky and eerie read.
One night when walking through the forest, after seeing ominous fog and a green glow, Alex's life turns upside down. Walking around, talking to his friends and family, is a person who looks exactly like him, claims to be him, but isn't him. Will Alex overcome the mystery behind the doppelganger alien and reclaim his life?
I really enjoyed Philippa Dowding's writing. It is almost poetic in a way. While it is simple for middle grade readers, the description is still effective, painting an ominous atmosphere and image.
Right from the first page I was pulled in. I enjoyed all the characters, even the supporting ones. I also believe the plot held an even, consistent pace throughout.
If you like chills and weirdness, definitely read this book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews