Dancing with an Alien

by Mary Logue

Branko has come to Earth on a grave He must find a female and bring her home. What will happen to her on his planet isn't quite clear. But without her, his planet could die. Tonia has always loved summer, but this one is different. Her best friend is changing and her family seems to be falling apart. Then she meets someone unlike anyone she's ever met before, and she knows that this summer, everything will change. When their worlds collide, it's like nothing Branko and Tonia could have ever imagined.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Aliens, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2000

Reviews

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about a teenage girl and an alien boy looking for females to help repopulate his planet.

One of my favorite books as a teenager, probably because of all the stereotypes that, as an adult, I now find unrealistic. Like how you can find your true love over the course of one magical summer, because no one else understands you except someone who is literally an alien who has never been in love before.

Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to angsty teenagers and pre-teens who may like it as much as I did. Although *spoiler alert* he leaves without her in the end and it broke my pre-teen heart. Giving it five stars because at the time I read it, I was obsessed.

[MsAprilVincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

So there's this guy who's an alien, and he is sent to Earth to find a woman, because all the female aliens on his planet died so they have to co-opt Earth-girls to be babymakers so their alien species can continue to exist.

And there's this girl who does her own thing and is really kind of together and cool and then this alien-boy comes around and she stops being so confident and gets whiny and needy and totally dependent on this person she met, like, two hours ago.

Yay! Another book that perpetuates the teenage fantasy that you can totally identify your soulmate in a matter of days! When you're seventeen!

There was some funny/lame culture clash stuff, but ... look, the best comparison I can come up with is Balki from Perfect Strangers. You can take that however you want.

Even though I didn't exactly like this book, I'd bet romance-starved, in-love-with-love, "outsider" types will love it.

[reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 I just read this in one sitting. Its very short and cute. Its so funny because its this alien who has no filter so he’s talking to humans and just saying oooo nice titties it was so funny the ending was upsetting because things happened so fast but the last page was cute and made sense. I would read this if you want a very fast read to feel accomplished.

[Chloe Holten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mixture of sci-fi and romance. Tonia is a girl that is very different from the rest and she was never comfortable in her body. Her mom always told her that she was just going to be a late bloomer and eventually guys would notice her. Branko came to town and she noticed that he was also different from other people. Eventually they noticed each other‘s differences and Branko knew that choosing her would be a good choice to take back to his planet. She was bigger than most girls and enjoyed swimming instead of tanning on the beach. Which was exactly what he wanted to do, but he couldn’t so we perfect idea to get them together was he would ask her to teach him how to swim. Eventually Tonia finds out the truth and chooses to be with him and go back, but he knew that it would not be best for her.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book that I had read was Dancing With An Alien by Mary Logue. The characters in the book are Branko, Tonia, Bernadette, Walter, Martha, Buzz, and Fred. This book was good but I wish that it ended the way that I hoped it would. In the book Tonia and her friend Bernadette, and Bernadette’s boyfriend Walter, were walking to the beach with Tonia’s little brother Buzz. However when they get there and after they had some fun and were getting ready to leave when, Tonia hears someone in trouble in the water and goes to find out that it’s a boy, who doesn’t look normal. I liked that part of the book because it is when Branko realized that there are pretty girls out there.

However as I kept reading it I like it until it got to the part where it says that Women are only good for making babies, since on Branko’s planet all of the females are dying out and the men need to bring back more females to make babies with them. I thought that it was rude and demeaning to the female species. But Tonia agreed with Branko about going to his planet, with him since she loves him, and wants to be with him that she is willing to leave everything she has on earth behind. When she gets to the house that Branko is staying at she finds out that he loves her behind with nothing but a note, which states and I quote “ Tonia I love you too much to take you away from your human life, so I leave you with nothing but a note and you knowing that I love you with my whole heart, Love Branko”. I thought that it was cute what he said but it was also heartbreaking at the same time, since he left Tonia, and she is crying about him leaving her.

I highly recommend this book if you are into Science fiction, fantasy books. This book was good and weird at the same time, so go check out Dancing with and Alien by Mary Logue.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

UG.
So lame.

The voice wasn't a convincing 17 year old. Sounded like an old person trying to write a teen, or what a teen in a book from the 70s might sound like. The slang was forced, there was ZERO usage of contractions ( I mean, who doesn't use contractions?) and 17 year old getting all bent out of shape because her BFF gets to make out with a guy? It just didn't make any sense. For a 12 year old, yes, but not for a 17 year old.

ALSO the plot was dumb. By the end, nothing had really changed or happened.

And the way she "fell in love" with the alien was so dumb. He never did anything to make me fall in love with him, so I did not see why SHE was in love with him. It all happened in like 3 days. Just not convincing or realistic in any sense of the word.

Totally disappointing.

[J. Kirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, touching romance about a girl and an alien boy who fall in love despite very different cultural views. It's a little cheesy, yes - but if you don't overthink it, this book will leave a lasting impression. If you believe in the power of love at all and what it can accomplish, (or the sacrifices we make because of it), then I think you'll find this to be a story well worth getting into and enjoying.

[Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gem hiding in the high school library. Initially amused at the cheesiness, I found the story quickly growing on me. This was an endearing alien love tale that had me smiling and remembering for years afterward.

[Stephanie Jefferson]

I found it to be interesting. Has a really good hook.

[Bre Leora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ate this book up in a few hours. It really is a fantastic read, with some minor problems.
First off, I was so excited to read an alien romance. There are very few out there and when I found this one, I was more than elated to read it. The plot seemed strong, it had a handful of good reviews, and I thought the title was sweet.
The writing, right off the bat, is sort of bland. I found myself sort of looking at the pages funny, because the characters will talk like robots at random times. The two teenage girls only sounded like actual teenagers a few times. At other times, they spoke in quick, robotic sentences or like old women. I thought the inner monologue of Branko was good, since he's an alien, it was quick and robotic-like, but I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, considering everyone else sounded the same.
The romance between Branko and Tonia was really sweet. It wasn't too rushed and it was nice to see that Branko actually fell for Tonia, instead of just using her as a baby machine.
The book could have been so much better, and I'm hoping that Logue has other works I can read, to see if her skills improve. I feel like if the plot was lengthened, the characters had better voices, and the vocabulary was strengthened (words were used multiple times, sometimes on the same page. It felt weird to read, as if the writer had been rushing) the book would be so much more popular and loved.
Overall, I'll definitely re-read this. It's a quick, sweet read with a sad ending.

[Yuna Leek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I think this may have been the dumbest book I have ever read. All of the characters reminded me of robots with the way they talked and acted. I might understand the alien acting robot-like, but Tonia, at least, should be acting like a human. The romance was one of the worst I have ever read. I believe that the story took place over a few weeks- but the characters fell in love in about half of that time- how? And they definitely didn't talk to one another enough to have that kind of a romance.
Also, the main character Tonia is essentially the "I'm not like other girls" trope. She says that all the girls except for her are petite and perfect and cover themselves in suntan oil instead of actually swimming, and she acts as if she is the only girl in the world that actually likes to swim. Trust me when I say there are many girls that go to the beach to actually swim.
The ending was mediocre at best, and incredibly predictable.
This book just had me repeatedly cringing and setting the book down because of how terrible it was. I personally believe that this book is a disgrace to the YA genre.

[Bre Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is definitely aimed at middle school aged children based on the length and the way it was written. My brother gave it to me for Christmas because I like alien books/shows. It’s a short book and moves really fast. It’s basically about an alien boy that has came from another planet to find a female to take back to his planet to make babies. There isn’t a lot of depth to the characters and the whole constantly being pregnant part for the females on the other planet kind of grosses me out.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A male alien from somewhere in outer space travels to earth on a mission to help save his planet from dying. He ultimately falls in love, causing his mission to fail because god the female he has found and love to deeply to take back her back to help save his planet from dying. This book makes me think of you truly love someone you will do what’s best for them. I loved this book I don’t ever read but this book was so good I got thought the hole book and I never do.

[Greer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story line, felt the story was a bit short and could have been expanded into a larger story.
Aliens coming to earth to retrieve young girls to repopulate their planet. Yep that is a good concept.
This book was a very good outline of what could be a very very interesting book.

[Eleanor yarbrough · Rating 1 out of 5]

💀💀

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently heard the author read the first chapter of this book aloud and I knew I would have to find the book to finish it! It is a romantic science fiction that girls in grades 6-9 will probably enjoy. Branko is a 6'4" alien who has been sent on a mission to find a female to bring back with him to his home planet. A plague on his planet has killed all the women and they desperately need to find more women so that the planet can be repopulated. He meets Tonia who he believes will make the perfect mate. She is 6' tall and strong. She even saved him one day from drowning at the lake. Tonia and Branko fall in love as she teaches him to swim. She believes he is visiting from Romania for the summer, but when she learns of his real identity and intentions she must make a decision to either go to Branko's planet or stay on Earth. Which will she choose?

[Scott Geddes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting young adult Sci-fi story told from the two perspectives of the main characters. A story of first love and loss. Well written quick read.

[Trevor Miller]

This story is told in 2 voices: Branko - an alien come to earth seeking females to return to his planet and Tonia - a high school girl who's never been in love before. Branko comes to the planet Earth to find females and bring them back home. He needs to find a girl, and he finds needs Tonia. Tonia saves Branko from drowning and quickly falls in love with him. He thinks he likes her but of course he has never "loved" someone before. She finds this unusual because there has never been a guy that has taken a interest in her. They started talking and spent every second together. When she finally discovers what his main purpose here is and to his surprise she wants to go with him. But then, Branko decides to risk everything for the girl he has started to care about very much. He returns home without Tonia. Tonia, of course, is devastated. However, he leaves her a note explaining that she will only be kept to breed an uncomfortable amount of children in her short, human lifetime. She accepts this, and realizes she has to hold onto the memory of Branko and move on with her life. This book would best fit kids in middle school I believe there were parts that were good and then there were parts that were kind of expected to happen through out the book. Its a simple easy to read book. I would rate it a 3. :)

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told in 2 voices: Branko - an alien come to earth seeking females to return to his planet - and Tonia - a high school girl who's never been in love before. It is short (at 133 pages) and much more poingant by being simple in it's telling.

Branko looks human enough and is on earth only a short while to find his female. He meets Tonia and thinks she is perfect (probably helped by the fact that she saved him from drowning). Tonia doesn't quite know what to make of Branko who is kind and polite, but always asks odd questions. Naturally, they end up falling for each other, and Branko decides to ask her to come with him (they arn't allowed to take people against their will). However, Branko isn't allowed to say what will happen to Tonia if she decides to go with him, with good reason.

[Beto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with very good expectatives.I like it so much because the author narate the book if she was in the book like real life, thats why it it takes my atenttion so much. The book is about an alien is in the earth on a mision and now he is traing to acostumbrate to earth"s life. This book make me have a lot of predictions because the author explain it so good so I can predict a lot of things like when the alien Brankd, for first time he saw a lake it was so rear for him and she explain if she was the alien when he get in the water. I will recomend this book to all the people who ask me if it is a good book I will say yes. Thats why I like it so much.

[SBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the alien Branko, and the burgeoning love between him and Tonia was quite sweet. But on Branko's planet, all the women died of a virus, so they come to Earth to find women to mate with and take them back. It is only towards the end that we find out that they don't tell them that when they get there they will have to have fifty children every couple of years (5 or 6 at a time), and can only keep three overall. They will be kept in seclusion and given drugs if they get depressed. I found this disturbing and chilling, so while I enjoyed the story up until the end, the ending shadows the story.

[Carola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend these book to people who like love stories.A alien comes from mars and his mission is to get a human female and take her home. He does not know much about this civilization. He learns by watching otter people act and reading books. A girl who loved swimming, notice that the summer was chaining her best friend has a boy friend, and her parents are splitting. But when the alien and she gets to know each otter a magical love story happens. but what will happen will she go to mars or will she stay at her home earth?

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Branko has been sent to earth to find a mate ... someone who will return to his planet and help repopulate it. All the women have been killed by a mysterious disease. When Tonia saves him from drowning, he knows he has found the one. But as he continues to see her and falls in love, he knows how miserable she will be on his planet. Can he put her through it? Or should he return to his planet in shame? Tonia is strong willed and has never has a boyfriend before. Close to her family, well she leave them behind to join Branko?

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who is really tall and boys dont like her. But one day she goes to the beach and meets a boy who is taller than her and she falls in love with him and finds out hes not what he said he was.
This is a very good book i loved it! it keept me on the edge of my seat and i just couldnt put it down, i read it all in one night! I recommend this book to all girls in high school who like mysterious love stories.
This book Rocked!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book even though it has a pretty sad ending. One of the reasons that I liked this book is for being funny because Branko usually says some awkward things that he learned from his own planet about Earth and the relationship's of people. This book is entertaining to me because there are two perspectives to the story; one from a girl names Antonia(Tonia) and Branko(an alien from another planet).

[Yakari · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance I thought this book would be stupid but OMG I really liked it. It was such a neat little story that I recommend this to any girl who feels awkward around other people and guys to the point where you think you will never find no one special for yourself...it makes you think that, you know, that there may be hope yet for yourself for someone to love you in this world.

[Kristin Aker Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logue's dry sense of humor makes this dual point of view novel a fun read in addition to an honest look at the depth of feeling between teens falling quickly in love.The relationship between the two main characters is funny, unique and genuine. The fact that one of them is an alien seems to make him even more human. Memorable.

[Delaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this many years ago, and wasn't terribly impressed. It was well-written, as I recall, but I had a hard time identifying with the lead girl. But take this with a grain of salt, as I may have just been the wrong audience.

[Donna Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adding this years after I read the book. I liked it for the same reasons others have mentioned: unique premise with interesting characters. I just want to add that it is set in the Twin Cities, so Minnesotans may get an extra kick out of reading it.

[Claudia Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when all women die out? Can there be life? Can the planet even survive? Your mission is to bring a female from earth, who will help us have more women. We do not believe in violence so she has to agree to come with you.