10 year olds, Aitch, Mo and Ally are best mates. Besides being very different from one another, they get on great. Ally loves reading, with her
nose almost always stuck in a book. Aitch believes it’s a bit of escapism as her parents never stop arguing.
Aitch is always making one liners, keen to grow up to be a comedian. Mo and Ally rarely laugh at his jokes and tell him they’re terrible, but he is always trying new gags.
Mo is the son of country music fans, which makes Aitch feel bad for his friend. Mo however, keeps himself busy with his fascination with anything extra-terrestrial – his fondest dream being to travel to Roswell in America where a space ship is said to have landed / or not landed, according to US military intelligence services.
When Mo tells his best mates that aliens have contacted him via the plastic letters on his fridge, Ally doesn’t say much and Aitch makes the most of the opportunity to make jokes at Mo’s expense. Ally soon puts Aitch right, telling him he should support Mo, no matter how crazy he sounds.
News of an imminent alien landing near their home sounds even more far-fetched, but Ally and Aitch go along with Mo and help organise an intergalactic meeting between humans (themselves) and visitors from space.
Is Mo planning a practical joke? Is someone else moving the letters on the fridge? The one thing Aitch does know is they won’t find out unless they follow Mo to the alien rendezvous.
Barry Jonsberg is a highly acclaimed award-winning Australian author, and one of my personal favourites. He is a master of young adult fiction, and so I was surprised to find Nerds vs Aliens from an author of previously serious novels.
As always however, his writing captured me, this time making me laugh out loud as main character Harrison Harrison (Aitch to his mates), tells the story of the time he and his friends not only communicated, but met alien beings.
Aitch not only tells the story direct to the reader (breaking the 4th wall), he gives us advice on how to impress teachers, tips on writing stories and why to do it that way. He is even an unreliable narrator (another writing tip involved) which raises reader’s expectations, only to bring them down to Earth again. (excuse the pun).
Nerds vs Aliens’ narrative style is incredibly entertaining in an authentic and unique style. Although a fabulously funny read, I was also left with a thought-provoking ending.
Funny, clever, and kids are going to love it!
Author – Barry Jonsberg
Age – 10+
Find more Barry Jonsberg novels here (Young Adult)
Find more funny novels here
Publisher – Allen & Unwin
Set – Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Viewpoint – Direct to reader (breaking the 4th wall)
Violence – No
Real Life – Yes
Fantasy – Yes
Blend – Real Life / Humour / Aliens
(2026, Allen & Unwin, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, Friendship, Fridge Magnets, Trust, Aliens, Humour, Funny, Creative Writing, Problem Solving, Climate Change, Conservation, Science, Dog, Animal, Environment, Secret, Sci Fi, Fantasy)