From bestselling author Chelsea Sedoti comes the unforgettable story of the one small town’s biggest hoax and the two brothers who started it all, perfect for readers who want funny books for teens.This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There … There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more. Only…there were no aliens.Gideon Hofstadt knows what really happened. When one of his science experiments went wrong, he and his older brother blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. And their lie was not only believed by their town—it was embraced. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. But Gideon’s obsession with their tale threatens his whole world. Can he find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever?Told in a unique report format and comprised of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, and so much more, It Came from the Sky is a hysterical and resonant novel about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown.A great pick for readers looking for:funny, quirky, and wholly original stories that will stick with youbooks for teen boysalien invasion fictionconversation starters about the meaning of facts and truthteen books for boys ages 13-16gifts for teen girls 16-18Praise for It Came from the Sky:”A page-turner as engrossing as any classic Twilight Zone starring two spirited brothers who run circles around the Hardy Boys.”—Ben Philippe, Morris Award-winning author of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager “Well written…Believable characters facing realistic teenage issues coupled with a thematic exploration of wishes, fears, and principles of honesty and ethics will help to keep readers’ attention.”—School Library Connection “A balanced exploration of maturity, vulnerability, human connection, and our innate desire to believe.”—Kirkus Reviews “Sedoti will draw readers in with the outrageous situation and the town’s amusing aspects, such as a 63-foot lava lamp, but she truly excels with Gideon-a unique character whose desire for recognition and achievement is universal.”—Publishers Weekly “[A] quirky, intelligent novel … Big questions of morality, cosmic insignificance, and human connection ground this novel even as it ponders the stars.”—BooklistAlso by Chelsea Sedoti:The Hundred Lies of Lizzie LovettAs You Wish
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I enjoyed every minute of this crazy, bizarre, hilarious book and the brothers who engineered this quirky town’s biggest hoax.
Gideon, a science genius, and Ishmael, his Hawaiian shirt-wearing brother who prefers to coast through life, are polar opposites in almost every way and go into this hoax with different objectives. Ishmael is looking to top his record for practical jokes at their high school. Gideon, with a lifelong goal of working for NASA, visualizes it as a way to distinguish him from thousands of other applicants for MIT and ensure his acceptance. Obviously, everything about this is a bad idea, but watching the story unfold and spiral out of control makes for such a pleasurable read.
In the midst of all this, Gideon is also learning to navigate a relationship with his first boyfriend. Being science-oriented, he prefers to deal in facts and rules, so personal relationships and the emotions and nuances that come with them are difficult for him to understand. His character arc is strong, heartfelt, and one of my favorite things about this novel.
As the description indicates, the narrative is broken up by interviews, blog posts, footnotes, etc., and while some readers felt them a distraction, I thought they worked well with the tone of the story. Some of them also caused me to burst out laughing.
Along with the hijinx, supposed alien abductions, a giant pink lava lamp, and a runaway cow named Muffin are incredibly supportive friendships, strong family bonds, and powerful life lessons on acceptance and self-worth. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, entertaining read, grab a copy of It Came From the Sky.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Edelweiss for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
It Came From The Sky
By: Chelsea Sedoti
REVIEW
I want to note that the formatting on my Kindle made this book hard to read.
I loved Chelsea Sedoti’s As You Wish, and I expected much the same from It Came From The Sky. I did enjoy the story, but I would have liked it more in an easier to read format. This type of story is not suited for a Kindle. I like the style of the story with interviews and data, etc. because it’s just more interesting this way.
Although the alien hoax premise is nothing new, it is well done with its own spin, and it doesn’t feel repetitive or boring. I found it humorous, quirky and insightful. The lengths the characters go to in order to cover up something is crazy, but it’s also relatable. When a little lie takes on a life of its own, the liar can certainly get caught in an embarrassing mortifying situation. Young adult readers will enjoy this book, but adults can read it, too. It’s a nice break from the everyday!
Wow this was a REALLY long book. I did enjoy it, when I picked it up it was something that I just kept turning the pages as I read to get through the story, and see how it would all turn out. Honestly, there was a lot in this book. Not only did we have just your regular story parts, there were pages of the extra documentation that you find in a lot of books now. Interview transcripts, website posts with their comments, text conversations, and even little interludes where our main narrator gave us kind of extra thoughts or expansions of the thoughts we got within the story parts.
I am a huge fan of the TV show, The Big Bang Theory, and so there were a lot of things in here that totally connected to that. First, our main character Gideon, is totally a Sheldon type of character. Except for he is more like the actor who plays Sheldon in that he is gay. And then, Gideon’s last name is Hofstadt, which is part of the character Leonard on TBBT’s last name, Hofstadter.
There were a lot of different things going on the story thought besides just the UFO hoax that Gideon was working on. There was his younger sister and her sudden obsession with cults. There was his father not being happy with what he’d been doing the last so many years of basically being a stay-at-home dad. His mother’s myTality business and the crazy leader of that group. Gideon’s best friends at school, learning to trust the new member of his group. Gideon worrying about having a relationship with Owen, the only other openly gay boy in the town. Wanting to get into his first choice school, M.I.T., but other things in his life dragging him down from being the valedictorian. So yeah, pretty much what a teenager feels like their life is.
It was a good story, just maybe a bit overlong, I can see some things that didn’t necessarily need as much time as they got, but that’s just my opinion. Nothing was not a part of the story, nothing didn’t fit. All in all a really good contemporary story since as we’re told from the synopsis, it is just a hoax.
I absolutely loved this original tale of two brothers, Gideon (16) and Ishmael (17) Hofstadt who live on a farm in the small town of Lansburg PA, 30 miles south of Pittsburgh. What starts as a lie to avoid getting into trouble over an experiment gone wrong (one which leaves a huge crater in one of their farm’s fields!) takes on a life of its own and soon gets attention from the whole town. As more and more is reported of the strange happenings in this small town, it soon finds itself inundated with Seekers, reporters and people from all over the country. Even the FBI comes to check things out!
The boys struggle to keep up with and in control of what began as their story. Gideon (a serious boy with a wonderfully dry wit) and Ishmael (easy going and always up for whatever comes) learn more about life, themselves and others over the course of a few months than they ever could have imagined. This galloping romp of a read is told throuogh blog entries, text messages, journal entries, interviews, and research notes among other methods.
Kudos to everyone involved in this project – it’s one of a kind!
My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Fire for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.