Nerds vs aliens! by Barry Jonsberg

Three friends, self-identified as ‘nerds’, may in fact be the ones who might save the world. Aitch (actually Harrison Harrison) is telling the story and his style is unique and occasionally eccentric. His friends, Ally and Mo, have more ‘smarts’, but Mo seems to also have a weird connection to aliens. Together the three friends must confront the strange path of connection with extra-terrestrials and then work out why they have been chosen by them. With charm and humour, Aitch delivers a remarkable account  of this journey and this book is a wild ride. 

This is a humorous story that is a delight from beginning to end. Aitch tells the story, with numerous asides to the reader, and his tone is light-hearted and intriguing. He shares details about narrative writing that are very kid-friendly, but mostly this is a story about aliens and saving the world from human influence and climate change. The aliens are far from home, far from the stereotypical alien in description and have also shared the joy of watching ‘Home and Away’! Kids aged 9-12 will love this brightly positive story and the characters within (including the snoring and indolent dog, named Oddjob).

Themes: Friendship, Aliens, Saving the planet, Humour, Narrative writing.

Carolyn Hull