Chapter book for 2nd to 4th graders, science-fiction
Third-grade boy and girl as main characters
Rating: Cute book, and all kids are going to want a Twinkie-eating alien in their lunchboxes when they finish!

Short, short summary: Lexie and J.P. have a problem–a fifth-grade bully named Bruce. One day, Lexie and J.P. see a sign on a bulletin board that says, “Alien for Rent.” Turns out, they rent the alien. They find him, Bork, in Lexie’s lunchbox. Bork turns Bruce into a baby, and the bully learns his lesson. Lexie and J.P. help change Bruce back to a fifth-grader, and Bork gets plenty of junk food in the process. This is a fun read, and it will especially appeal to boys, who might be reluctant readers or want a lot of action and humor in their books.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Celebrate at the end of the book with a Twinkie party and a discussion about bullies. In the book, Bork helps Lexie and J.P. solve their bully problem, but of course, aliens can’t solve a bully problem you may have at your school or in your neighborhood. While enjoying a snack of Twinkies, ask students to brainstorm ways to stop bullying (realistic ways that they would feel comfortable with). Then ask students to make anti-bully posters to hang in the hallway and in your classroom.

2. For a fun, creative activity, give students this story starter: “When I opened my lunchbox, I didn’t find Bork the alien, but what I did find was. . .” Ask students to write a creative story with a beginning, middle, and end. Before they begin writing their stories, you should also remind students that stories usually have a problem and solution–no matter how silly or creative they are. Talk about the problem and solution in Alien for Rent before you turn your students loose to write their own stories.

3. Science fiction writers have to create worlds and rules for their worlds, just like fantasy writers do (which I’ve talked about several times on this site.) Discuss with students what some of the “rules” are for Bork and his world. Since this is a book for younger readers, Betsy Duffey did not create that many rules, and we are never taken to Bork’s planet, so this is where your students can come in and help create the world. Ask them to write a description of Bork’s planet and illustrate it.

If you have used this book with your students or your child, please let us know some of the activities you did by leaving a comment here.

If you have a suggestion of a book for me to read and review, please email me at margodll@aol.com or leave a comment here.