My Teacher Flunked the Planet

This was an incredible ending to a fun series that was started with My Teacher is an Alien. While it remained fun, it was also much more intense, like ice water suddenly dumped on you unexpectedly. But I think it's "kid safe." As a child I saw Return to Oz and had horrid nightmares; by the age of 10 I read a short horror story for adults where I find out that the man telling the story is insane and his family is dead and I broke out in tears. Yet as sensitive as I was, this book did not cause a severe reaction, but pulled me in with its shocking surprises, both hopeful and horrid. Bruce Coville has done a truly amazing job at making the horrors of the world accessible to kids (though probably not younger than 10) without being either traumatizing or patronizing about it, though he did (thankfully) gloss over some of the worse parts. (Example: "What had already been done to those people was so ugly I cannot bring myself to describe it, even though the memory of it remains like a scar burned into my brain with a hot iron.") Furthermore, I would add that this is not a book promoting any ideology. This doesn't encourage your children to grow up and vote Democrat or Republican, or embrace socialism or libertarianism. This is a book promoting VALUES. And contrary to the propaganda of many ideologues and Party Pushers, values and ideology are two completely different things. All ideologies, to my knowledge, explain the ways that they think are best for solving the problems Coville brings up. But values determine what gets done; ideology detemines how it gets done. A revolution that changes ideology but not values will only change the HOW things get done, not WHAT gets done. Even functioning anarchies (communes, tribal, even regions like Barcelona in the Spanish Civil War) show that the values that are shared by a community will be displayed, no matter what system is in place. If I get into an ideological debate with someone who shares the same values as I do, then what we're debating is the best way to solve the same problem, not debating if the problem exists or how important it is. I also find that I much prefer the company of people who have different political leanings from myself but share my values to those who share my political leanings but not my values. I think that Bruce Coville, intentionally or unintentionally, has also expressed this view ("...not the leaders, not the government, just the people..."). Which is to say, don't fear that your child will be brainwashed into serving some political agenda, though Coville might get help your child to care in the first place. Finally, the book does show much that is noble and good about humanity, too. I found it to be ultimately hopeful, if sobering. In many ways, it's a child's version of Carl Sagan's Contact. While Contact has a credible alien society, IMO, My Teacher Flunked the Planet has entertaining aliens. But both books help us, kid or adult, look seriously at the insa

THIS BOOK IS KIND This is really the climax of the series, the other three being just a build-up. I consider all four part of the same book, like Stephen King's Green Mile series. But although I think thr book was very good and makes a SHARP point, it is kind of political and a lot of the stuff is basic propaganda. But I still give it five stars because the other people that rated it would give it more than five if it was possible.

This book has been great to read and has lots of adventure in it. When Peter and the gang traveled through time they became invisible. The aliens, who are friends of Peter,Susan and Duncan, are not sure they want to blow up earth. If all the aliens were enemies of earth they would want to end human life. Then it wouldn't be much of a story. I liked the chapter when the Poots keep coming from all directions and they were shouting "Poot!" This is a great book!

This the climactic, heart-wrenching, chilling story in the "My teacher is an Alien" series is the most biting one. An unfogiving suspenseful look on how life is, and how the human race can be downright inhumane with eachother. This book gives you the downright truthful message to "Wake up" and do something. The minutes count down to the fate of Earth, as three earth students Peter thompson, Susan Simmons and Duncan Dougal are brought in to speak for their planet... to keep it from destruction. The Aliens point out the Earth's self destructing ways, so why not destroy it? Read the book and find out... the Spine tingling, cataclysmic, enjoyable and extremely intelligent final part to the series.. trust me read the three predecessors (My teacher is an alien/ My teacher fried my brains/ My teacher glows in the dark.) before this one. A book that does not treat its' readers as fools. It is all worth it. I recommend to everyone! -Alex M.

I have all four books in the My Teacher Is An Alien series, and all of them are great, but this climactic conclusion to the series is the most deep, touching, and downright SCARY of the series. In it, the aliens take down the three kids on an expedition to Earth to check out what should be done about the planet, which is the only planet EVER to be smart enough to achieve space travel, but dumb enough to have wars. Some of the places where they go chilled me to the bone, learning more about the evils of human nature. In short, this is not the book to read if you're looking for a nice, cheerful book. In fact, it shouldn't be read at all without first reading the first three books in the series, which start out much simpler, and eventually build up to this one. However, it's still a great book, it's just that you'll be halfway through it and you'll say out loud "Geez, the human race sucks!"