My Teacher is an Alien    by Bruce Coville Order:  USA  Can Aladdin, 2005 (1999) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson This is not your usual chapter book about the latest Halloween crisis or school play conundrum. It opens as the narrator, Susan (a dramatic, strong-willed young woman in sixth grade) decides whether or not to intervene when her nerd classmate Peter is bullied by Duncan (last time she ended up with a black eye). A handsome new teacher jumps in - it turns out that John Smith is replacing their beloved Ms. Schwartz. A series of events leads to Susan following Mr. Smith home, where she sees him peeling off his face and talking to his fellows on a mother ship about picking students for an alien abduction. Not knowing who else would believe her, Susan drafts Peter. Together they find, and are able to communicate with, their beloved Ms. Schwartz, imprisoned in some sort of stasis device. Word gets out to other students, leading to some amusing reactions as they try to avoid being selected by the aliens. Eventually, Susan's piccolo practice pays off, and she saves her classmates from a fate they fear. But Peter has a different attitude to the situation, one that changes Susan's own point of view ... and career plans. My Teacher is an Alien is great fun, an excellent choice to engage the interest of reluctant readers. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews