Jelly Cooper: Alien by Lynne Thomas
| Jelly Cooper: Alien by Lynne Thomas | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Fun story about a teenager who discovers that she not only has special powers but also comes from a distant planet. Despite this, Jelly is as human as they come. We enjoyed this book. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 183 | Date: March 2013 |
| Publisher: Amazon Media | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: B00C4Y3TZS | |
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Jelly Cooper is just turning fourteen. But excitement about her birthday is taking second place to sheer exhaustion. For weeks, Jelly has been having recurring nightmares that leave her shaken and afraid. And it's all taking a toll on her - her friends Humphrey and Agatha are beginning to get worried. Add the night terrors to the figurative nightmare of school, a crush on a boy so cool and gorgeous that Jelly sees no world in which he'd fancy her back, and a cheerleader out to humiliate her at every turn, and you can see that Jelly's life could be better.
But the dreams just won't go and they're getting more and more realistic. Strange things keep happening even when she's awake. Eventually, Jelly has no choice but to come to terms with the truth. She's not human. She's an alien with superpowers. And superpowers she's going to need, because a truly terrifying Hunter is coming for her.
Jelly will need all her superpowers and more if she is to defeat him...
There are lots of things to like about Jelly Cooper: Alien, principally Jelly herself. She's a great central character: cheeky, spikey, loyal and brave. But she hides a lack of confidence with don't care rudeness, is secretive, and always waits until it's almost too late to ask for help. Her tween and early teen readers will recognise her immediately because most of them will be in exactly the same emotional landscape.
Friendship is a strong theme in the book and I like this. Jelly doesn't get help from some uber-wise adult. It's her peers who come to her aid. Humphrey and Agatha are both brilliantly loyal - the sort of friends we all wish we had. But Jelly also gets help - albeit initially reluctant - from a mortal enemy and it's nice to see Thomas showing her readers that most people aren't as mean as their meanest acts and many could even be friends if only you got to know them.
There's plenty of action, too, and again, this all takes place largely without a single adult even noticing. I love the idea of kids risking their lives and fighting good fights while their parents are completely oblivious. Kids should get to inhabit their own worlds fully, even if it's only in books.
It isn't perfect though. It needs another proof because errors have slipped through - I noticed its for it's, you're for your (dash those apostrophes) and Clingon for Klingon (ouch) and others. There's a tad too much exposition through dialogue - this turns me right off - and I don't think there's an established superpower that Jelly doesn't possess. She has such a kitchen sink of them, that it's almost difficult to believe that the Hunter could actually pose a serious threat.
But the good things outweigh the less good things by quite a margin. Jelly Cooper: Alien is a pacy, enjoyable story featuring a strong female central character who, despite her alien origins, is as human as they come. I'd happily read about any further adventures we may have and I certainly think the book is not only worth downloading, but will also find fans among those who do. Tween girls, especially.
You might also enjoy Ultraviolet by R J Anderson, a genre-busting book that also features alien refugees on Earth.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Jelly Cooper: Alien by Lynne Thomas at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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