I'm hosting today's blog tour stop for
Summer on Earth by Peter Thompson!
Summer on Earth
by Peter Thompson
Published by
Persnickety Press • August 1, 2017
293 Pages • ISBN 978-1943978304 • Hardcover
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Book description:
The night that eleven-year-old Grady Johnson looked out his window and wished upon a shooting star, his life changed forever.
Grady, his Ma, and younger sister Luanne are having a hard summer. Dad has died and the family isn’t the same. Though Ma is trying her best, Grady knows they don’t have enough money to get by.
The shooting star he saw was a space craft plunging to Earth, and landing at the back of their farm. Extraterrestrial engineer Ralwil Turth has one goal, to fix his power drive and go back home. But things don’t go as planned. Stuck in human form, he gets to know Grady and his family as he works on their farm. He starts to learn about what it means to be human, and the exotic charms of this planet like the taste of potatoes, and how amazing bugs are.
As Ralwil grows to care for Grady and his family, he comes up with a plan to help them, sure it will solve all their problems. But when trouble comes, the family’s survival and Ralwil’s very life are on the line.
Can Grady find the courage to help his family and save his friend?
Grady, 11 years old, is trying to figure out how to navigate his life after the death of his father, and one night wishes on a shooting star. That star, however, was not what it seems.
Ralwil, who is not of this Earth, is trying desperately to navigate his malfunctioning spaceship to Earth and not crash land in the process.
These two strangers form an unlikely friendship as Ralwil takes on a human form to help Grady and his family around their farm. Of course, as with most extraterrestrial stories, things don't always go according to Ralwil and Grady's plans. In trying to help Grady and his family out of their financial troubles (through some truly extraterrestrial thinking!), Ralwil has forgone his own mission of trying to return home, and unwittingly puts Grady and his family in an awkward situation, while also putting his life on the line. It comes down to Grady to find a way to save the day.
This was a fairly quick read for me, but it was poignant and written with heart. The alternating POVs between Grady and Ralwil were interesting, especially Ralwil's as we got insight into his thoughts on such a foreign world as our is to him. While there isn't a whole lot of alien action, it's more about the friends and their growing relationship, and this is what really makes the book. I think this would be an excellent book for any younger reader who likes a little bit of science fiction in their reading.
I received a finished print copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.
Sound interesting?
Read on for more information about Summer on Earth!
Title: SUMMER ON EARTH
Author: Peter Thompson
Publisher: Persnickety Press
Pages: 293
Genre: Sci-fi / Middle Grade
The night that eleven-year-old Grady Johnson looked out his window and wished upon a shooting star, his life changed forever.
Grady, his Ma, and younger sister Luanne are having a hard summer. Dad has died and the family isn’t the same. Though Ma is trying her best, Grady knows they don’t have enough money to get by.
The shooting star he saw was a space craft plunging to Earth, and landing at the back of their farm. Extraterrestrial engineer Ralwil Turth has one goal, to fix his power drive and go back home. But things don’t go as planned. Stuck in human form, he gets to know Grady and his family as he works on their farm. He starts to learn about what it means to be human, and the exotic charms of this planet like the taste of potatoes, and how amazing bugs are.
Ralwil grows to care for Grady and his family. On a trip to town, he realizes that money is what matters to humans, and is the cause of the family’s trouble. That night, he uses his technology to combine a twenty-dollar bill with an oak twig. Over the next week this grows to a towering tree, every leaf a twenty-dollar bill. This, Ralwil is sure, will solve all the family’s problems.
But the family’s wealth raises suspicion in this small town, and this soon leads to more trouble. With the family’s fate, and Ralwil’s life, on the line, Grady has to find the courage to help his family and save his friend.
Summer on Earth blends humor, adventure and poignancy to create an unforgettable story about finding home.
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Before
It was hotter than usual that night, and Grady couldn’t get comfortable, even with the fan on high. The June bugs thumped against the window screen, and the crickets chirped so loudly it sounded like they were right there in the room. He could hear the TV on downstairs, so he knew Ma was still awake. Ever since Dad died she’d stayed up late most every night.
Grady just stared out the window and looked at the night sky. Where they lived, out in the country, there wasn’t much light at night and the stars stood out more than they did in the city. Grady tried to find the constellations his Dad had taught him, just letting his mind wander. At some point he started to get sleepy. But before he fell asleep, he saw a shooting star. And when he saw it, he made a wish.
This is the story of how that wish came true.
Peter Thompson grew up in Illinois, and lives near Chicago. He remembers how excited he was when the first astronaut stepped on to the moon. He has had an appreciation of space, and all its possibilities ever since. His love of children’s books developed while reading to his three sons. His first novel, Living Proof, was a thriller published by Berkeley Books. Summer on Earth is his first book for younger readers. It will be released in August of this year.
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