Aliens for Dinner

by Stephanie Spinner, Steve Björkman

When his fortune cookie cracks open and a tiny pink alien steps out, Richard Bickerstaff knows that he's in for more than a Chinese dinner. And he's right! Aric, that bossy extraterrestrial, needs Richard's help. He's got to keep pollution-loving aliens from turning Earth into a Toxic Waste Theme Park. The trouble is, they've already started, and they're moving fast! Can Richard and Aric stop the total trashing of the planet? Kids will love this very funny Stepping Stones HUMOR title!From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Aliens, Science Fiction

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1994

About the author

I was born in Davenport, Iowa, and grew up in Rockaway Beach, New York. I read straight through my childhood, with breaks for food, sleep, and the bathroom. I went to college in Bennington, Vermont, moved to New York City, and took a job in publishing so I could get paid for reading. I read so much bad fiction that I needed a break, so I moved to London, and from there I traveled to Morocco, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan India, Nepal, and Ceylon. I came back to America, wandered around some more -- to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize -- and on returning to New York decided to study Tibetan Buddhist painting (called thangka painting) in Boulder, Colorado.

I painted thangkas for many years. Each one took anywhere from several weeks to a few months to complete, and at long last I understood that this was not the ideal way for me to make a living. Only a few hundred Americans collected thangkas, and they wanted old ones, painted by Tibetan monks. It was time to make a change.

So I took another publishing job, this time in children’s books. I found that I liked children’s books a lot, and before long, I became an editor.

Years passed. I was encouraged to write. I scoffed at the idea that I had anything to write about. I edited some wonderfully talented authors -- Virginia Hamilton, Philip Isaacson, Clyde Robert Bulla, Gloria Whelan, Robin McKinley, Joan Vinge, Garth Nix, and Chris Lynch, among others -- with great enjoyment. Writing seemed like torture by comparison.

Then, to my amazement, I found myself writing a book and having a good time -- simultaneously! The book was ALIENS FOR BREAKFAST, and I enjoyed writing it because my co-author was Jonathan Etra. Jon (who died of heart disease in 1990) was a close friend with a wild sense of humor, and collaborating with him changed my opinion of writing forever. After ALIENS FOR BREAKFAST, and ALIENS FOR LUNCH, which we also co-wrote, I began to think that writing could be interesting fun.

And now that I’ve been doing it full-time for more than ten years, I can tell you why I like it better than a job. First, I can work in my bathrobe. (To the FedEx man and the UPS man, I am "the woman in the plaid flannel robe.") Second, I can eat when I’m hungry, choose when to take phone calls, and walk my dogs any time. Third, the only meetings I have -- and they’re short -- are with the dry cleaner and the post office ladies. Fourth, I can read whatever I please. I may tell people I’m doing research when I read about horse-trekking, or hunting in ancient Greece, or 16 ways to better compost, but the truth is, I’m not doing research, I’m having a good time. Which I think is still allowed.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more than I thought I would. I like that it dealt with pollution. The solution to how to deal with the Dwlibs was very creative. I would read this to my class for Earth Day. I would continue by asking my students how they thought they could help the Earth and what they would do if the Dwlibs showed up.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bo...
Interest Level
Grades 3 - 5
Reading Level
Grade level Equivalent: 4.1
Lexile® Measure: 350L
DRA: 24
Guided Reading: M
Type of Book: Chapter Book
Genre
Comedy and Humor
Series
Science Fiction
Theme/Subject
Environmental Conservation and Preservation
Ghosts, Monsters, Vampires, Witches
Friends and Friendship

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aliens for Dinner is a wonderful fantasy book for upper elementary students who love aliens, Chinese food, and adventure. This book tells the story of a young boy, Richard, who is struggling with his mother's new boyfriend, who he does not like having around. His mood changes when he reunites with his alien friend, Aric, who travelled through space and visited him in his fortune cookie. Aric needs Richard's help in saving Earth from an alien takeover. The evil aliens plan on taking over earth and turning it into a pollution themed theme park, because they were attracted to it due to its already present state of pollution. This book will have students wondering: "How will they save Earth?", "How did he travel in a fortune cookie?" and "How can I find a friendly alien?".
I would love to include this book into my upper elementary classroom library. I think that my students would be very interested in reading it because of its fantasy element, and they would be able to relate to it as well because of the real life problems that Richard is facing. I also think that this would be a great extended read aloud option, because each chapter leaves the students with questions, and this would make them become very engaged in the read aloud portion of class. It is also a great way to bring up the social issue of pollution and climate change, since the story is focused on aliens taking over Earth because of its massive pollution. I think that students would really enjoy this book and would recommend it to others as well.

[Akeith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first middle grade read, and I really enjoyed it! Aliens for Dinner is fast-paced and attention binding. The characters are well developed and likable. The storyline here is unique; this was an awesome way to enter the conversation about pollution. Who knew a middle grader would save earth from pollution!

[Zal]

I remember loving these books but I don’t remember what happened at all

[Kelly Haacke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose the book 'Aliens for Dinner" By Stephanie Spinner. This science fiction eBook geared towards ages like 7 or 8 and up, is about a boy, named Richard is in for more than just Chinese dinner when he opens his fortune cookie, and a tiny pink alien steps out. Richard has to make sure the alien doesn't turn the Earth into a toxic waste theme park. I gave this book a rating of 4 out of 5 because I thought it was very effective, even though you have to read it on the computer screen like I did. I thought the language was appropriate for this age group because it was very easy to read/understand. The illustrations were very useful and I like how at the beginning of each chapter there was a picture that showed what was coming next in the story. Also, there were many pictures throughout the book that represented what was going on on that page. Even though the eBook was in black and white you could still understand the story.The plot was interesting and even though I'm not a big fan of like alien things I still think overall it was a good book and every time I eat Chinese now I will always think of this book, and hope no little pink alien comes out of my fortune cookie. I believe children would be interested in this book, because they might be curious as to why the book is called "Aliens for Dinner", and who knows maybe one night while they are eating dinner they might use their imagination with their food and pretend to have "Aliens for Dinner". Overall, I thought this was a very effective book and I would definitely consider using this book while working with children. Lastly, eBooks can allow children to use their imagination and predict what is coming next in the story.

[Caterpickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this final installment of the Aliens for Sustenance series, Richard and Aric must work together to keep a group of pollution-loving aliens from turning the Earth into a Toxic Waste Theme Park.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing way to discuss pollution with kids.

[Laura B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this to my 6 year old and he likes it a lot.