Where Are the Aliens?: The Search for Life Beyond Earth

by Stacy McAnulty, Nicole Miles (Illustrator)

A fun-filled, highly illustrated, science-based exploration into one of the universe’s greatest mysteries—does life exist beyond Earth?—from bestselling and award-winning author Stacy McAnulty.
 
 Scientists haven’t discovered life beyond Earth, not even a single teeny-tiny organism. But there’s a whole lot of outer space, and humans have searched only a fraction of a fraction of it. So do you believe in the possibility of life out there? Or do you think Earth is perfectly unique in its ability to grow organisms?

Where Are the Aliens? takes readers on a journey of theories and discoveries, from the big bang and primordial soup, to how the ancient Greeks considered the cosmos, to the technology used today to listen and (possibly!) communicate with far-off exoplanets. Packed with playful illustrations and fascinating factoids, this is the perfect book for anyone who has ever looked up and asked, "What's out there?"

 

Genres: Middle Grade, Nonfiction, Science, Space

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

Stacy McAnulty is a children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, who’s also qualified to be a paleontologist (NOT REALLY), a correspondent for The Daily Show (why not), and a Green Bay Packer coach (totally!). She is the 2017 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor Recipient for Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Her other picture books include Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, illustrated by David Litchfield; Brave and Beautiful, both illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite, illustrated by Edward Hemingway; and 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. She’s also authored the chapter book series Goldie Blox, based on the award-winning toys, and The Dino Files. Her debut middle grade novel, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, will publish in 2018. When not writing, Stacy likes to listen to NPR, bake triple-chocolate cupcakes, and eat triple-chocolate cupcakes. Originally from upstate NY, she now lives in Kernersville, NC with her 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 1 husband.

Reviews

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book on my FAVORITE topic!! Although I was feeling a bit meh when I finished it… the author’s first sentence in the acknowledgment made me realize how she felt was exactly how I felt. “ well this was a fun, frightening, and frustrating book to write.”

It was fun, because there are sooooo many cool things about space. It’s frightening because it can seem so overwhelming. And I think I was most frustrated by the lack of answers or the denial of what may be the next big scientific breakthrough. And I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified of being alone in the universe than when she talked about the math of how people try to prove we’re alone.

I am a BIG believer, so I appreciated her inclusion of both sides. I didn’t like her immediate denial of every alien encounter tho, but that’s the believer in me, not the scientist. I believe.

As far as accessibility, sometimes I thought the information was overwhelming (because space and big numbers and so much math), but the author did a great job of breaking it down into bite-size pieces and making it accessible. The last 50 pages are all back matter and notes, timelines, abbreviations, and citations - which is amazing! (also another great way to sell it to kids “hey guess what?! you don’t even have to read the last 50 pages, just reference them if you need to!)

I saw this as a fun non-fiction book with not a very heavy topic (finally a break from WWII!), but a lot of food for thought which I think is important. We need to be looking forward as well as behind. Learn from the past to benefit the future.

Also interesting, were all of the mentions of projects that were in the works or that should be launching this year, next year, or in 2027. With all of the budget cuts to so many things, I’m curious how this is going to set us back in the space race or even our goals to get back to the moon. I kept trying to look up some of them, but I wasn’t finding anything promising. We need NASA! We need education! We need each other.

I think this book would be a great fit for fifth grade and up (and a good fit for younger readers if you’re really interested in the topic). There’s not a ton of pictures, but there are some great graphs and charts, and the author is a big fan of bulleted lists (which I think help make things bite-sized and easy to absorb). The book had great flow and I think my favorite part was at the end where she listed off some fun “questions for a long road trip”. Highly recommend if you’re into anything space related.

[Hilary Margitich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read Stacy McAnulty's picture books before, but never any of her middle grade work. This was a fantastic introduction to space and the search for extraterrestrial life! She managed to take very complex material (cosmology, astrophysics, etc.) and boil it all down into a very entertaining and engaging book for middle grade readers. I would not consider myself a conoisseur of this subject matter at all, but I found this to be such an enjoyable read, and she made it all fun and understandable. Where I find she really shines is in helping the reader understand the (often conflicting and opposing) viewpoints on different matters that we do not have definitive answers to yet.

I would recommend this to any kid who enjoys reading about space.

[Lisa Yee Swope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stacy (local-to-me author!) is like the teacher who gets passionately excited about something and her enthusiasm drags the entire class into that geekdom. The kind that when you see a oddly specific kitschy item you know it has to belong to them so you buy it and gift it to them and they tell you a story about something you had no idea about in that item you are handing them. I am delighted that her Our Universe picture books have a middle grade book for their readers to grow into.

[kim baccellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What worked: Engaging fun-packed comprehension book filled with equally fun illustrations that explore and address the age-old question: is there life beyond Earth? I really enjoyed how the author takes the main question of whether there are in fact aliens and life on other planets and uses fun illustrations and facts. McAnulty uses scientific research and has a timeline of what has been accomplished in order to search the stars.

Some interesting facts:

The Fermi paradox. In 1950 physicist Enrico Fermi's question on 'Where is everyone' turned into 'Where are the aliens?'

History of the space race includes how the Soviets and Americans competed to be the first to land on the moon. And the animals that were sent into outer space in the name of science. Yes, the US sent animals too.

Discussion on exoplanets.

The Drake equation which attempts to examine the possibility of alien life.

And of course, a section that addresses if alien encounter stories are real.

At the back of the novel is a list of resources; a timeline of events; and acronyms.

An added bonus is McAnulty brings to life all the questions a young scientist might have on exploring life in outer space. While some might roll their eyes at the idea of little green men, there is shown research behind scientific exploration.

Perfect for those interested in searching the stars for life outside of Earth with easy-to-understand scientific research and questions that help future scientists in their search.

Original post: https://www.yabookscentral.com/where-...

[Janice Choi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book has taught me loads of information. There are countless facts about space that I hadn’t heard about. You might think that a non fiction book about space is boring if you don’t have a particular interest in space exploration. I do anyway. However, the author writes the book in an extremely interesting way, provoking my curiosity and interest in space. Although this is designed to be a child’s book, I believe that everyone of all ages should read it. I urge you to quickly buy this book or borrow it from your local library asap. It’s such a good read and no one can miss it out.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent middle grade nonfiction. McAnulty does an excellent job of briefly covering nearly every facet of the topic. The tone is conversational, and strikes a great balance between simplifying some complex things without talking down to the reader. There are a few passages that are very technical, and I appreciated how McAnulty broke it all down into more easily digested chunks. It also felt fairly balanced, not leaning too heavily on either side of the debate about extraterrestrial life. This is a book I would have been extremely eager to read when I was the target age, and I think a lot of young readers will be, too.

[Ari Damoulakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is suitable for kids, you don’t need to be one to enjoy this fun book, and, even as an adult, you will still find it fascinating.
Stacey also writes in a way that she doesn’t talk down to kids, which is also why adults will like this book.
Maybe younger kids should read it with an adult.
What I also liked, Stacey takes a subject and runs with it right to the end.
I hope she writes more books and I will read them.

[Rebecca Gatzlaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Middle Grade nonfiction about space. This book is packed full of information from exoplanets to stories of alien encounters. McAnulty explores the topic of aliens and if they exist. she shows us the history of space. She also talks about what planets could become habitable. I laughed at this book as well. I also enjoyed the art. This is great for the kids that love space.

[Jessica Ranallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students thoroughly enjoyed a “sneak peek” of the ARC of this book this spring- thank you! The balance of text, illustrations, and humor on each page is a great way to keep middle grade students engaged in informational text.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, captivating, and easy-to-read. However, sometimes the humor threw me off, though I guess it's because I'm not the target audience. Even after reading, I still catch myself theorizing about the probability of aliens, not to mention my newfound obsession with the Drake Equation.

[Elexndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!
Library borrow

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun-filled, highly illustrated, science-based exploration into one of the universe’s greatest mysteries—does life exist beyond Earth?

[Luke Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of details and a beautiful index. The layout might be a little distracting to some, including in the small breakout sections with darker backgrounds and smaller text.

[Swampscott Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book truly reveals all the UFOs, stars, mysteries, and history while also making an immersive and fun experience for the reader.

*4.7 stars

--Teen Volunteer Sang, 7th grade

[Nate Hipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

All around excellent overview of space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. It’s a bit broader and lighter on details than I’d like but still a top notch read for kiddos.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a great non-fiction middle grade book!
my partner and I even enjoyed and learned a new thing and WE ARE ADULTS
my conclusion: yes, there must be something out there, never give up.

[Summer R Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC! Also, thank you to the writer and publisher! The artwork I loved all of it!

This book is full of details, and the illustrations that go with it are wonderful. It teaches you not just about lifeforms but aliens and are they out there. It also goes onto detail about projects Nasa and other huge companies are getting into we will be seeing in the future.

This book certainly makes you think: Are there aliens out there? Are the stories true? What els is out there in the vast open space. The question are we really alone rings true for this book.

I just love how much this book teaches you. Plus, the ending is kinda like a wrap-up/ refresher just in case you forget what you already read, and that is something I need sometimes.

Thank you once again for the ARC!