SOLVED. Middle Grade Fantasy/ Sci-fi. Family finds and takes in a strange boy with odd abilities, the rest of the town gradually thinks he's an alien and turns against him and the family. Read around 2014-2018.

[Arwen]

I read this book around 2014 - 2018, but I'm sure it was published long before that. I think I was reading an old copy.

It was about a family who comes across a boy lost in the woods and bring him home. He talks about coming from far away, but they don't know what he means at first. It's possible something had crashed in the woods (like a spaceship maybe?) and they went to check it out, and that's where they found him, but I may be incorrect about that being a part of the story. It's equally possible they found him while out fishing.

Over the course of his stay with the family, the boy displays some sort of strange abilities (I don't remember what they were) and the family constantly talks about how nice and kind he was and how "different" from normal humans his behavior was because he wasn't selfish.

The other townspeople become convinced the boy's a threat and confront the family about him. They think he's an alien or something like that, and they don't like that he has powers and is so "unnaturally" nice.

The family decides they have to help the boy get back to his home and escape from the townspeople, so they sneak him back to the part of the woods where they found him. I remember a fishing rod was somehow used in the escape.

The boy tells the family that people where he came from are way nicer, and asks them to come with him because they'd fit in there. The family decides to go with him when the boy's people come to get him, so when the townspeople arrive to capture the boy, they find that both the boy and the family are gone.

I think it was strongly implied the boy was an alien of some sort, but never explicitly stated. I have a feeling that some character had the last name 'Green', but I can't remember for sure. The boy didn't really seem absurdly nice to me, it more seemed like the entire town minus the family were bizarrely awful people.

I think the cover was white, with a boy running, or something similar.

If anyone has an idea what the book may be, thank you.

[Genesistrine]

The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key?

[Arwen]

Genesistrine wrote: "The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key?"

Wow, that might be it!
I'm not certain, but it seems to match.
I'll have to check it out.

Thank you!

[Arwen]

Yes, that's the right book.
Thanks a lot!

[Genesistrine]

Arwen wrote: "Yes, that's the right book.
Thanks a lot!"

Glad to help!