Alienated

by Andrew Auseon

Aliens are among us, and eighth-graders Gene and Vince regularly report on their existence via the Globe, their weekly tabloid. Most readers don’t take the articles seriously, but when the pair outs the school guidance counselor as a closet alien, their story gets a lot of attention—of the wrong kind. Gene and Vince are suddenly at the center of an intergalactic conflict, one that could be the death of their friendship—and of the boys themselves.

Ample humor and inventive storytelling make for a hilarious, surprising adventure that will keep readers glued to every page.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2009

About the author

Andrew Auseon is a writer of novels for young people, and a designer of video games. He holds a B.A. from Ohio University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from the prestigious Vermont College.

He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife, Sarah Zogby, and their two daughters.

Reviews

[Linnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. No. No. Worst ever. Who edited this thing? Who allowed it to exist? It's so very FAKE. And every fiction book is fake, and seems fake, but there has to be some sort of reality. I was so fed up with forcing myself to read that I couldn't read the last chapter. Horrible writing. Horrible plot. Horrible editing. This book stinks. Don't read it.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this 2expecting I wouldn't like it so that probably didn't help

[Sherry]

Sci Fi for Breakfast Book Club?
per Amazon:
Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 - 7

Lexile Measure: 780L (What's this?)

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Aladdin; Reprint edition (October 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 141698299X
ISBN-13: 978-1416982999
From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Best friends Gene and Vince go on rollicking adventures to track down and interview aliens who are living on Earth incognito. Though no one believes that the stories they write for their self-published newsletter are true, the boys know that these unusual individuals—cleverly named for their physical characteristics (e.g., Mold Man)—are the real thing. When the teens discover that the aliens are disappearing, they find themselves embroiled in an intergalactic plot that involves Vargon, the universe's most evil and frightening warlord. After meeting a school guidance counselor named Walter, they discern that he is actually Vargon's peace-loving nephew. Gene's desire to boost the newsletter's credibility causes him to print an article exposing Walter's identity, bringing the boys to the attention of Vargon's most frightening henchman. Meanwhile, Gene has been exhibiting some very unusual physical characteristics. Wrapped up neatly at the end with a surprise twist, the book is brimming with humor (Gene's tender first kiss comes right when he first sprouts tentacles from his shoulders), compounded by the theme of adolescent self-discovery. Wonderfully refreshing is Gene's character growth as he learns to become more thoughtful and caring and redeems himself by helping Walter fight the alien thugs. Quirky and imbued with a touch of romance, Alienated should resonate well with middle school sci fi fans.—James K. Irwin, Evanston Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Booklist

In this quirky read, aliens and the misfit main characters find out they have a lot in common. Fourteen-year-olds Vince Haskell and Gene Brennick are best friends and co-workers who publish The Globe, a tabloid that reports on extraterrestrials disguised as humans in their community. They are labeled phonies, but Gene hopes The Globe will provide him fame and notoriety, while Vince worries that long hours at the news desk will hinder his grades. Despite Vince’s objections, Gene prints an article exposing the alien identity of a friendly guidance counselor. After Gene kisses Vince’s crush and Vince retaliates by publishing his own scathing article, the boys must put aside their differences to stop an intergalactic war. On the surface, the Men in Black–style aliens would seem a lure for reluctant readers, but this novel is really more about teenage alienation. As one alien says, “This is a tough planet. You’ve got to keep changing who you are. That’s the price of fitting in.” Hand this to those who feel like they’re from another planet. Grades 5-8. --Kimberly Garnick

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

By a 9 year old boy: "Alienated is a slow paced book but it keeps you predicting what will happen next. Its about a boy named Gene who tries to stop an alien's evil sister from destroying the Earth for the alien's uncle's birthday. The characters are well-developed and conversation was a bit contrived though entertaining. I think the book was overall a saisfactory read and I would recommend it. Do not try and rush through or you will miss the details."

By the adult mother: "I recommend this book to chapter loving intermediate readers,4th & 6th graders. My child read this book in a little over 4 days. Although it was slower paced then other series he has read like The Awfully Beastly Business books or the G'Hooley books-- he was entertained and enjoyed it very much. If you are interested in reading about a young superhero boy, friendship and like science fiction-- this is a must read."

[Megan Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it pulls you right in to the story. When these two guys go searching for creatures that nobody knows of they get in a lot of trouble. They are the type of boys that always get in trouble and have a normal teenage life. When trying to prove any creature is real they always end up destroying something and nearly going to jail. This is their last chance they damaged many buildings and have to find a way to not go into jail. They get the alien creature to be seen in front of all the class and now everybody believes them. They write all about it in their newspaper they make and it now becomes really popular.

[morninglightmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book cracked me up, once I decided to pretend I was a 10 year old boy reading it. The preteen boy perspective isn't one that I can claim to understand, but I could recognize certain familiar traits in these characters. This story is as wild as the cover- aliens are all around us, blending in on our planet as an escape from the other-worldly terrors that we can't even imagine! From Mold Man to Crumble Bun to Arachnid Boy, the aliens have "powers" that are as funny as they are incredible. A great read for the 9-12 set!

[Barbra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of the most unpopular kids in school, Gene and Vince, produce a school newsletter about aliens. They interview weird beings like Mold Man, Crumble Bun and Hip Hop Sasquatch for fun, but when they reveal a little too much about the school guidance teacher, they find themselves in the middle of an intergalactic feud between a brother and sister. This adventure science fiction is good for lots of laughs.

An entertaining read for ages nine to 12.

[Jonathan K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting book. it was about two kids who studied and found this little alien. It had many gross things in it. I personally thought this book was ok but there really was no main problem in the story. I would only recommend this to certain people. It jumped right into a major part in the story and the ending was not so great.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! I totally recommend this book to people who like sci-fi. This book is about two kids named Gene and Vince who are reporters for their school magazine. The like to find and report about aliens. Some aliens are Hip-Hop Sasquatch, Arachnid Boy, Fish Foot, Crumble Bun and many more. I wont write any more because it would spoil the book.

[Max Ostrovsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to say that the tone of the book was Douglas Adams for kids. I'd like to say that. It really could have been that. It seemed that the seeds were all there for something truly fun - even if for YA readers, fun for adults, too.
I think this would only be fun for a very small number of YA readers. Skip and go straight to Douglas Adams - at any age.

[Brinlie Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the ending was dumb but I liked how he ended up being an alien.

[Emily Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the main character really, too annoying. The thought was good but the way the writers played it out wasn't the best.

[Carterkempgmail.Com · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple teenagers have a hobby writing about the extraterrestrials who live among us. This book is pretty squarely aimed at middle school boys, who will probably find it pretty funny.

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. I loved all the alien characters. This story is full of adventure and humor. Great for all ages. The ending was left open for more books. Hope there will be more.

[Arian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. (that's the only thing I have in mind)

[Micheal]

Gene and Vince wanted people to believe there strange but true stories in the newspaper ,but they soon discover that a local teacher has a dark secret that will git them to fame .So Gene and vince stated to stalk the teacher then the teacher caught them stalking and confess the secret.
The main characters are Gene and Vince the Antagonist is the teacher and the student.To me the main
characters say pretty weird stuff. They think of some of most cool stuff . The effect on others they get made fun of. The book dos not say what describe the characters . I can relate my imagination whit the people in the book I don't realy relate to anyone in the book it's to weird.
The thing I like about the book is the use of imagination. My favorite part is when moled man took over the school , because that's what I want to happen to the school .
the author was awsome at making people feel disgusted . The author could have made the story clearer.
Other than that I would have recommend this book to lil kid with a lot of time . People that like Si fi
wold like this book.