Everything Interesting Keeps Happening to Ethan Fairmont

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Author(s)
Age Range
8+
Release Date
November 05, 2024
ISBN
978-1454947134
Buy This Book
      
Before last summer, Ethan’s life was rather uninteresting. Now, Ethan can’t stop interesting things from happening . . .

After a small, six-eyed alien crash landed into his life, Ethan made a new otherworldly best friend. Now Cheese has returned to Earth, bringing his family and a warning of the Light Thieves’ plans to invade. Ethan is already reeling from the kidnapping of his beloved guinea pig, Nugget, and a dangerous reality sets in after one bold Light Thief sheds its disguise to attack Ethan on his front lawn.

Ethan needs his friends now more than ever, but as he and RJ continue to clash, tensions continue to rise within the group. On top of all that, he still hasn’t figured out how to deal with his feelings for Di. With an alien invasion on the horizon, and The Bureau for Weird Happenings indisposed, can Ethan and his friends work together to save Earth once and for all?

E.T. meets Stranger Things in the final chapter of this remarkable middle grade sci-fi adventure series, perfect for readers ages 8 to 12.

Editor review

1 review
You don't need to do it alone
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
What worked:
This book concludes a trilogy and it can be read independently by readers not too worried about past events. Light-thieves return to invade Earth after destroying the planet of Ethan’s alien friend, Cheese. The alien’s name comes from his favorite food and his family members are named for their favorite tastes: Popcorn, Jelly Bean, Cookie, and little Pizza. Ethan has developed a strong bond with Cheese, and the pair insist on always traveling together. It’s appropriate to compare Cheese to the adorable movie alien E.T. because of his innocence and limited communication skills. The highlight of the book is the caring and compassion shared by Ethan and Cheese.
Ethan is the leader of the group and he feels pressure to come up with ideas and inventions. Ethan constantly collects scraps and trash to create new things but is thankful for Fatima’s intelligence and logical thinking. Di provides emotional support as her hugs and kind words always make Ethan feel better. Their mutual crush on each other isn’t lost on most of the team. The light-thieves are going to destroy the world but they also have Ethan’s pet guinea pig Nugget. Most of the team agrees that saving Nugget is important but Ethan is angered when RJ doesn’t understand their concern for a “rodent”. Later, Ethan’s role becomes more complicated when his older brothers discover what he’s been up to.
The author presents some conventional and unconventional ideas about our world and the universe. Di has strong feelings about environmental issues so she often talks about recycling and protecting nature. Fatima and Ethan choose not to tell any adults about their alien friends because humans don’t respond well to things they don’t understand. The light-thieves are looking for sources of energy and they focus on organic resources to transform. Di remembers learning about the law of conservation of energy in class which is useful in creating a solution to the conflict. Despite the unusual plot, the story is based on science, creativity, and teamwork.
What didn’t work as well:
Perhaps it was a bigger part in the previous books, but it’s unclear how the light-thieves can harm humans. They never touch any of the characters as poison ivy is used as a strong deterrent. The aliens are determined to capture Cheese and his family and they’re searching for other energy sources on Earth. However, the story doesn’t describe how individual humans can be harmed by them. The book makes them a threat but readers don’t know why. Again, maybe the earlier books provide more information but this book does not.
The final verdict:
This book presents a humorous intergalactic adventure with a strong sense of caring and teamwork. Cheese and his family members are innocent victims and his human friends are willing to do anything to keep them alive. Overall, this book will appeal to lovers of alien stories and I recommend you give it a shot.
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