Lou Treleaven is one of my favourite children’s authors, writing picture books, early readers and junior fiction titles (she also writes plays, sketches and offers a critique service for writers). We have really enjoyed her books, especially the junior fiction Teachers on Pluto (from the Penpals on Pluto series) and have just started reading her Turns Out series.
The Turns Out series is aimed at children aged between 9 and 12 years old and is a space adventure story packed with intrigue and madcap adventures. The first book in this series, and the one I will be reviewing today, is Turns Out I’m An Alien, kindly sent to us by Maverick Books.
Anyway, on to the book you are keen to read more about.
Turns Out I’m An Alien is about Jasper and a massive secret that has been kept from him. He is eleven years old, four foot six inches tall and has green hair and green eyes. As he is in foster care (with the best parents ever and his fourteen years old foster sister, Holly), he has always known he was a bit different, but now he is about to find out just how different he really is when a new lodger arrives.
With the arrival of Flarp, from the planet Snood, he soon discovers that his foster parents, Bill and Mary, are space travellers (Bill was even stuck in the cleft of the infamous mountain range Twin Cheeks on Uranus) and the he is actually an alien! With the discovery of this secret that Bill and Mary had been holding from him and Holly, he is in turmoil and is soon launched into a crazy outer space adventure with his sister and has to save his home planet, the Milky Way and his biological parents!
Overall, Turns Out I’m An Alien is a fun-packed space adventure story that will really appeal to children. Space travel, slime filled planets, slugs, an evil Emperor, a heart-throb pop star and lots of childish humour to keep readers, young and old, entertained.
A fun and silly story that deals with the turmoil of foster care and finding out the truth and having to navigate a confusing time whilst fighting off space villains.
The characters of Jasper and Holly are instantly likeable and relatable to kids, especially those dealing with change or feeling like they are different. The book is written in the first person, from Jasper’s point of view
The humour will appeal to boys and girls, enjoying the subtle jokes (as well as the not so subtle).
The format is very easy to read with short chapters. At just over 200 pages it is a good length for independent junior readers to read a couple of chapters a night.
Lou Treleaven has written a very engaging story which is a little bit silly but also inspiring and imaginative (space travel through the self-service checkout in the local supermarkets, I knew there was a reason I didn’t like them!).
A light-hearted slimy adventure that will have children enthralled. Great characters, good humour, fast-paced action and a story that confident and reluctant readers will enjoy!
Look out for book #2 in the series – Turns Out I’m an Evil Alien Emperor.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (Paperback)
For more information, visit loutreleaven.com or Maverick Books. Available to buy from Amazon here.
