Greetings from Planet Earth

Barbara Kerley's GREETINGS FROM PLANET EARTH is set in 1977 and tells of Theo and his class who are creating a greeting to be carried into space from Earth. In the course of composing a letter which will address the wider questions of who humans are, Theo must confront his own identity - including family secrets - in this story of war's aftermath and the meaning of humanity.

It's 1977 and twelve-year-old Theo is obsessed with space. So he's excited when his science teacher, Mr. Meyer, tells the class that the Voyager probes will "each...carry a golden record: a message, in pictures and sounds, from Earth to any aliens out there in space." Mr. Meyer charges the class to bring in one picture and one minute of sound conveying "what they thought was most important about Earth." Without getting into what an amazing teacher Mr. Meyer is, let me tell you that this project gets Theo thinking. And he has quite a bit to figure out. You see, Theo's father never came home from the Vietnam War and Theo's mother doesn't want to talk about it. In fact, she tears up whenever Theo asks a question. Fortunately, Theo's grandmother, JeeBee, recognizes that Theo wants answers and helps him by talking about Theo's father and sharing his letters from Vietnam. As Theo searches for the answer to what is most important about Earth, he becomes more and more frustrated because he doesn't know what's most important about himself and his family. He finds out his mother has hidden all his father's letters to her and to Theo and his sister. JeeBee knows the answers, but she's still not to the end of the story. Theo's frustration boils to such a point that he destroys his airplane and spacecraft model collection. Barbara Kerley skillfully weaves Theo's thoughts about space and space craft, told in first person, with Theo's story, told in third. Theo is a compelling character, thoughtful and bright, and we sympathize with his search for answers. The ending is a complete surprise, yet utterly plausible. The parallels between 1977 and 2007 are difficult to ignore, as is the thematic role of secrets in the novel. Secrets, no matter how well meaning, damage a family and a community. And they're particularly dangerous for a child like Theo. As Mr. Meyer tells him, "I've met a lot of people in my life, Theo. People who truly examine things--examine themselves, even. And people who don't. I see it in school all the time--the kids who memorize for the test and the kids who really want to understand." Theo wants to understand, even if it is more difficult. "Greetings from Planet Earth" is highly recommended for children ages nine to fourteen. It's the perfect Middle School novel--ideally suited for kids who are just beginning to question everything themselves.

Theo is seeking the meaning of life on Earth when his birthday arrives and his unspoken questions about his dad once again erupt inside of him. For each year on Theo's birthday, "JeeBee" (his paternal grandmother, Bernadette) gives him a model rocket or plane that is meant to be from his father. Theo and his dad built the first one together when Theo was five, shortly before his dad departed for Vietnam. The models all hang on Theo's ceiling. However, nobody in the family really talks about his dad, the dad who never came home: "Talking about it would be against the rules. Mom had never told Theo what the rules were, but he'd figured them out. Number One: If you pretend everything is fine, then everything is fine. And Number Two: Don't talk about Dad. Ever. 'It's like JeeBee wants me to remember him' -- he glanced at the red birthday card lying on his desk -- but my mom doesn't.' " But this is the year when Theo will begin outgrowing his previous coping mechanisms and will find himself taking a giant leap in order to learn about his dad and what really happened to him. As we read about Theo's quest and his family's dysfunction, we see how, years after the monthly body count ends, the effects of war continue to reverberate through the families of soldiers.

If you had one minute of sound and one picture to describe the very best thing about being a human on Earth, what would you do? That's Theo's assignment, and he has two weeks to figure it out. It's 1977 and the Voyager Probes are due to launch soon. They will be the most extensive space exploration mission yet. Aboard one of the probes is a golden record, full of sounds from earth, that will be broadcast into space, intended as a greeting toward alien life. At first Theo thinks the assignment will be simple. The more he thinks about it, the harder it becomes. He has some great ideas, but nothing seems quite good enough. How do you describe the very best thing about humans in one minute? Should it be something we've created? Should it avoid mention of anything bad? Who are we? One question leads to the next, and the biggest ones start to come from outside of school. Who is Theo's father, really? What happened to him in Vietnam? Why can't they talk about him? Does keeping a secret hurt someone or protect them? This is a story about much more than just space exploration, although I did learn quite a bit more about that than I ever did in a class. This is a story about exploring you family and yourself. It's about asking hard questions, even when you're not sure you want to know the answer. It's also about forgiveness and strength and understanding. All of these are ideas that transcend time, making GREETINGS FROM PLANET EARTH a great book to have now or ten years from now, and just as good for adults as it is for kids. Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman