The Fellowship for Alien Detection by Kevin Emerson is definitely a book that you do not want to judge by the cover. The light, cartoonish cover artwork and the title imply a humorous book with plenty of spoofing opportunities. Don’t be fooled. This is a fairly hard-core sci-fi book with a serious tone. The story-telling is initially split: the first section is in the first person voice of Haley and the second section is told in the first person voice of Dodger. The author really lays the background for the characters, which can feel a bit slow, but stick with it because it is worth it with good characters, mysterious aliens, and in the end lots of action.
There is not a lot of true middle grade science fiction out there so The Fellowship for Alien Detection is a welcome addition. It is also a good option for those younger readers who are interested in the alien invasion storyline, but are not ready for the popular, recent, but intense 5th Wave which is really targeted at much older readers. The Fellowship for Alien Detection is highly recommended for young sci-fi fans!
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 2 religious exclamations; 1 derogatory name.
Violence/Gore: Mention that Elvis “off”-ed on painkillers; darts thrown at a character; a struggle resulting in a fall and minor burns; character falls and cuts knee; kidnapping; a vehicle is fired upon with weapons; characters are chased and grabbed; character is kicked, knocked unconscious; report of a fight; a character bleeds from the nose.
Sex/Nudity: Adults kiss.
Mature Subject Matter:
Abduction/kidnapping; Alien invasion
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Aliens drug some characters.
