Alien in the Mirror

An entertaining story with a positive message. Good for children as well as their parents. A great set-up for the next in the series.

Maybe we're reading too much into this, but like the old 1950's Sci-Fi movies which used Science Fiction themes to discuss deeper social issues, Casey Lytle's "Alien in the Mirror" takes a Sci-Fi adventure and holds the mirror up to the reader.The parents are aliens, ordered back to the Homeworld, instead they take the family and go on the run. Around this simple theme are woven unmentioned parallels to everything from divorce to substance abuse, dysfunctional families to self-esteem.The other reviews posted here say all that needs said, and that is why SmallPressBooks highly recommends "Alien in the Mirror" to early and pre-teens as well as their parents.

As I read it I thought it was a nice little book. But then the last couple chapters totally bowled me over, and now I'd have to say it's one of my favorites (as a parent of a teenager).When the teenage son bonds telepathically with his parents, and for the first time sees himself through their eyes. Sees the infant, the toddler, the first day of school. Feels the pride his parents feel as he's grown up, but also the prolonged pain of separation, realizing that growing up means growing apart. He finally understands what it's like to be on their side of the parent/child relationship. He understands their protectiveness, and their fears.It is a depth which I rarely see in Juvenile Fiction, and it will probably be lost on most kids who read it. But if even one kid remembers that chapter as they enter their teen years, there will be one happy set of parents out there.If every teen could see in their own parents the things Carl was seeing in his ... oh what a wonderful world it would be. I wish I had read this book when I was 10.I was surprised that a little science-fiction story would say so much. And not just to kids, who will probably like the story, but to the parents too. Yes, earlier in the story when the teenager bonds with his grandmother, and feels the pain she felt when her daughter left, and the loneliness from not having heard from her, I'll admit it, I called my mother.I look forward to the next book.

There's nothing better than a book that surprises you by being more than you expected. I like this book for two main reasons; one, because I wasn't looking for it. I found it while I was browsing for bedtime books for my kids (they like anything with "Alien" in the title), and two, because the two primary young people, Candy and Carl Tennison, aren't just cardboard cut-outs reacting to the plot. They grow and learn with each turn of the page.They struck a chord with me because they were me and my brother when we were that age. Their feelings and world are real. Their maturing is real. Reading about Candy's newfound appreciation for her brother "her protector" found me wiping a tear from my eye unexpectedly, remembering that same moment in my teen years.That gradual, golden transition, when a sibling evolves from adversary to best friend, is put under a magnifying glass when Candy and Carl are thrust together into a family crisis which is as important to them as any "real" family crisis anyone could be going through.In kids books, parents are usually seen as either buffoons who don't see what's right in front of their noses, or all-knowing, all-seeing, omnipotent beings who always know the right thing to say or do. In this book, as in real life, they're neither. Just as Candy and Carl begin to see each other differently, they also see their parents differently. The parents, who always seemed to know the right thing to do, are gradually seen as real people who are just as fallible and just as afraid as anyone else. And there lies a key to the story. It's okay to be afraid.Early in the book, Candy remembers how brave Carl was during a lightning storm when they were little. Later he confesses he was afraid he'd wet his pants, but wanted to act brave so she wouldn't be so afraid. After this confession he fears she'll think less of him, but her summary says it all. "Isn't that what bravery is? Acting calm when you're actually terrified? People who have no fear to begin with aren't brave ... they're crazy."The story touches on dysfunctional families (Amy Nottingham and her Uncle), self-esteem, and fear. It says something I don't see said often, but which needs to be said more. It's okay to be afraid. Everyone is afraid sometimes. It doesn't mean you're weak, or a coward. It means you have a brain, and feelings.If this book has an obvious flaw, it's that it ends too quickly. But at the same time, I can understand why it does. It's a trilogy, so there needs to be a hook for the second book, although this one stands alone nicely as a complete work. It also hurts from being a small-press release. There are a couple typos and format errors which made it to the final cut, but nothing to detract from the quality of the presentation.The synopsis may look like cookie-cutter fluff on the surface. But when you take a bite you find gold. It's a shame books like this are relegated to small presses. If

If you've read other sci-fi books, this is going to blow you out of the water. It's good for almost all ages of people, kids and adults which makes the book even better!