How to Be a Hero on Earth 5

How to Be a Hero on Earth 5 #1

by Rob Payne

Canadian John Fitzgerald is less than thrilled when his eccentric father sends him to England to spend his summer with relatives he’s never met. Then on his way over his plane takes a wrong, and quite disturbing, turn over the Atlantic and drops into a parallel universe—Earth 5—where things are not quite the same: days have fifteen hours, distortion waves warp his brain, and a nefarious government agency decides that inter-dimensional visitors must be eliminated at all costs. Talk about your lousy vacation. But John is no wimp. Together with an unlikely band of fellow non-dimensionals—including Delores the Texan goth, Gus the cane toad–licking Australian, and a truly embarrassing Earth 5 version of his father—he sets off to a remote island that holds the key to their escape home. Like most journeys involving public transportation, this trek will not be easy. Evil scientists, killer cutlery, and nerds with big plans threaten to really ruin John’s summer. With time running out, the gang scrambles to save the day, the universe, and perhaps even their vacations...

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 20, 2006

Reviews

[Hope Dalvay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How to Be a Hero on Earth 5” is a hilarious and totally unpredictable MG/YA novel. It tells the story of how John Fitzgerald, an unassuming Everyteen from Canada, slips into another dimension known as Earth 5. He and five other teens must find their way back to our dimension (Earth 4!) with crucial intel necessary for saving our world from destruction. (You see, Earth 5 has been stealing our ozone and ice!) However, the journey is not easy: The teens must outwit an evil government organization, overcome reality distortions, and, perhaps hardest of all, learn to work together. I thoroughly enjoyed just how zany and wacky the plot was. I had no idea what would happen next. I also absolutely loved the weirdness, I mean, eccentricity, of the characters, which made them unique yet oddly relatable. I laughed out loud many times, and here are just a few quotes from the book that tickled my funny bone:
- “Trust me, John, once you get a real job, all you’ll want to do is go on vacation” (p. 16).
- “I’m Canadian,” I blurted.
“Yes, that is unfortunate” (p. 32).
- I had certainly felt self-conscious before—that was the whole point of high school, I figured—but this experiment topped everything” (p. 131).
- “The last subjects were badly damaged. One girl came out of the experiment convinced that she was a chicken—and she was the lucky one. Most of the others went on to join the civil service” (p. 185).
-“He doesn’t have the heart for true violence, other than to assault us with his poor taste in sweaters” (p. 242).

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to see what the kids were reading. They all say it is insane and confusing. Some are more confused than others, but we are having great discussions. I've been marking points in the book to discuss with them - making connections - and I think it has some merit. It definitely is weird like "The World According to Garp" but does give an humorous look at a bunch of kids trying to figure out who they are. It takes a number of fringe kids and put them in situations. The humor comes from what is going through their minds and how it affects their lives. It is not really my thing, but should be read by middle school teachers as it might appeal to some older kids. Basically, the book can be summed up by the quote (pg. 256) "In fact, the cost of life is chaos". I wonder how Sam is going to react to that.

[Samuel Proulx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely silly little book, aimed at the young adult audience. If you like silly, you'll like this. It has no pretensions to be anything more than it is: humour. It will never be a Canadian classic, but it does make for a quick afternoon read that will bring a brieff smile to your face.

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed as a teen.