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First Day on Earth/ Cecil Castellucci
Mal lives on the fringes of high school. Angry. Misunderstood. Quiet, but with a lot of words underneath. Seven years ago, Mal disappeared for three days. Everyone tells him it was a breakdown, a seizure, something medical. He thinks it was something different. An alien abduction. But there’s no way for him to know for sure. Then, at an abductee support group, he meets Hooper, who has some other worldly secrets of his own. And suddenly the truth is closer than Mal ever imagined it could be.
Discussion questions:
-Let's talk about the theme of this story. Do you think that Mal was really kidnapped or is this story a metaphor about growing up, life as a teen and sometimes feeling like you don't fit in?
-Who did Hooper represent to you and was he really an alien?
Discussion questions:
-Let's talk about the theme of this story. Do you think that Mal was really kidnapped or is this story a metaphor about growing up, life as a teen and sometimes feeling like you don't fit in?
-Who did Hooper represent to you and was he really an alien?
- Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz remarked "I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't really there, I never really lost it to begin with". Do you think that this applied to Mal? Did he just need someone from Earth to make him realize what he had all along, despite what he thought?
"First day on earth" was short and sweet. I finished it in less than 3 hours, which just shows how short it really is. Despite this fact, I liked it very much. It raised lots of questions about life, and pointed out many of the major flaws of humanity, which I liked because it did not shy away from the upsetting truth about humans like many books do. The only issue I had was with the style of writing, especially at the beginning. It was written almost in point form, with some chapters no more than three or four sentences. This was somewhat annoying, but I suppose it was to match the personality and feelings of the main character (and narrator), which I respect. I still like "Dark inside" better though.
ReplyDeleteI went into this book thinking I would hate because frankly it sounds like a book I would not like. However after the first 50 or so pages I found myself really invested in all the characters and wanting to know what happens next. Which is a huge surprise because I dont usually like books set in modern times and I think alien abuductions are absurd (Not because I dont believe in aliens but because I doubt they would have much to gain by probing us) That being said the characters outshone the concept and I found myself really enjoying the book and getting lost in it. Though the writing style was very unorthodox I found it quite effective in drawing me in. One thing I did not like was the ending because it gave very little closure regarding the other characters. It was certainly an easy read though I dont know many people I would reccomend it too.
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