Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
My Brother, the Alien: A Science Fiction Coming of Age Story Kindle Edition
Maddy’s just started sixth grade and is the only child that’s always wanted a younger brother. Yes, a younger brother – why would she want a sister that would want to wear frilly dresses, special hair ties and fancy clothes? The closest she has to a brother is her neighbor Michael.
So when Maddy and Alfear meet, it's a perfect fit. But how will others react when they find out who Alfear really is?
About the Author
Venkatesh Krish hails from a city in Tamilnadu, India where he learned that being a successful Author Entrepreneur comes only with hard work. He lives with his Awesome Family in Chennai. Sports, Music & being honest and simple are his greatest passions. Though he is yet to encounter an Alien or UFO, he believes there is life out there outside Earth.
My Brother, the Alien is a science fiction coming of age story. Scroll up and click the buy button to start reading.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 26, 2014
- File size488 KB
Product details
- ASIN : B00I5X4UMS
- Publisher : TCK Publishing (January 26, 2014)
- Publication date : January 26, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 488 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 76 pages
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Venkatesh Krish is the Author of 'My Brother, The Alien'. He hails from a city in Tamilnadu, India with his Awesome Family in Chennai. Sports & Music are some of his greatest passions.
Though he is yet to encounter an Alien or UFO, he believes there is life out there outside Earth.
Customer reviews
- 5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star5 star33%33%33%0%0%33%
- 5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star4 star33%33%33%0%0%33%
- 5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star3 star33%33%33%0%0%33%
- 5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star2 star33%33%33%0%0%0%
- 5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star1 star33%33%33%0%0%0%
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014Venkatesh Krish's MY BROTHER THE ALIEN is a cute story for elementary readers. It focuses on 6th grader Maddy Jenkins who discovers a strange little boy hiding in the feeding shed at the local zoo, eating hay. They boy's name is Alfear, and he tells Maddy that he hasn't seen his parents in two weeks. She is determined to take him home with her, and since her father works for social services, that's exactly what happens. But it doesn't take too long for Maddy to discover that Alfear isn't an ordinary little boy - he has a three foot tongue, which he uses to eat leaves from trees in Maddy's backyard, he's telepathic, and he really looks like a giant lizard (his human form is only a projection he uses to disguise his true self). In fact, he's an alien, and his parents accidently left him on Earth when they set off on their latest three-year mission. So the Jenkins family decides to take care of him until his birth parents can return.
This is all very interesting, and Alfear is a great character - his reactions to some of the things he encounters with his foster family are quite amusing (he loves Animal Planet (especially "Dog Whisperer" - he even speaks dog!), bubble baths, and maple leaves, which he says taste a little bit like maple syrup. But the central conflict in the story - an evil man named Mr. Cooper wants to get his hands on Alfear so he can experiment on him and make a ton of money - doesn't really work. Mr. Cooper tries to get social services to transfer guardianship of Alfear from the Jenkins family to him, but his wife has been diagnosed with serious depression and his son, Zach, has a reputation as the school bully, so his efforts do not succeed. This doesn't stop Cooper, of course, and by the end of the novel his efforts to get his hands on Alfear become downright psychopathic.
So what begins as a lighthearted children's novel about accepting differences becomes an overwrought thriller about a mad scientist who delights in torturing children and animals. It's a rather creepy mix, and the novel would have been much more successful had the conflict involved the children rather than a psychotic adult. Zach Cooper, who is introduced early in the story as a bully who torments Maddy, could easily have become the antagonist here, causing problems for Alfear. But with Zach's father as the villain, the situation becomes something much more sinister and much more frightening.
Additionally, MY BROTHER THE ALIEN needs a good editor. There are formatting errors that make it difficult to read (line spacing is inconsistent, as is the use of italics to indicate telepathic communication). Children, especially, might have problems with pages of dense type. An editor would also catch dialogue formatting errors and awkward phrasing.
Bottom line, I really like the premise of this book, and I think the relationship between Alfear and Maddy (and her family) is heartwarming and charming. But once crazy psycho Mr. Cooper starts stirring up trouble, the story loses its heart and takes an unnecessarily dark turn. Krish has indicated that there will be future Alfear stories, and I do think there's plenty of room for more adventures starring this cute little alien and his human foster family. I just hope those future stores are more child-centered and less dependent on evil adults.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
- Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2014"My Brother, the Alien: A Science Fiction Coming of Age Story," written by a first time author, is an entertaining science fiction chapter book aimed at grade school readers.
Alfear, a young alien, was left behind when he chose to ignore his mother's instructions to stay on the ship. He found himself alone on Earth & had been staying in a zoo when Maddy discovered him & decided to take him home with her. Alfear has many talents from becoming invisible to telekinesis and loves to eat leaves. This story has some suspense thrown in, some bullying, some mean characters & loving characters. It can teach children to keep an open mind when they meet someone who is 'different'. Just about every other chapter is told from Alfear, the alien's viewpoint. I think the chapters should be labeled to make it clear Alfear was relaying his view of what happened. Otherwise, young readers might get confused.
This is a well-rounded book that left me with a good feeling, and is the first book in a series. The author, Venkatesh Krish, did a good job on his first book.
If your child loves science fiction & loves to read, I think he/she would enjoy this book.
review copy provided
- Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2014As usual I received this book for free in exchange for a review. This time it was directly from the author and despite that kind consideration I give my candid opinions below.
Firstly, I should note that I'm reviewing this as a children's book. None of the listings I have found are specific on that fact but I'm judging based on the content and the previous reviews of the title. If you are looking at this book for an adult audience, please note that the themes and writing are very much for that of a young audience.
When looking at a children's book I look at three basic questions. The first is whether or not the book has anything which would be inappropriate for children. Sadly, more and more one has to be on the lookout for such things in books marketed to younger readers. Luckily, this book is free from all negative influences with no references to sex, drugs or violence. So no worries in that category.
The second question is the inverse of the first asking whether children will learn anything positive from the book. In this case, I think they will. Without giving too much away, an alien creature has come to Earth and is forced to fit in with human culture. The uniqueness of this book is that it views the Human race from a distinctly different viewpoint and gives kids a new twist on how their culture and society might be viewed from the outside. That's a nicely circumspect viewpoint to convey to a child.
The last question is whether young readers will be entertained by the book. I'd say that's highly probable as well. The plot is quirky and fun and would likely engage readers in the question of what will happen next to this odd visitor from another world. The only down side I see is that the text is completely unadorned by pictures of any kind. Any child loves an illustration or two and in this case especially it might help their ability to engage with the story if they saw a drawing of this strange visitor. Adding that aspect to the story would improve it significantly.
In summary, I think Krish's story for young people would be a great choice for any young reader. It should be noted that especially sophisticated readers may poo-poo the idea but the 8-12 age range should be thoroughly engaged.
---
As always I endeavor to make my reviews as helpful as possible. If I've accomplished that goal then I'm very glad! If I haven't or if there's something else you think I should be telling you then don't hesitate to leave me a comment so I can do better with the next review.