Aliens on Vacation [Hardcover]

I read this book to my kids (Age 8 and 5) and they loved it. They were mesmerized from beginning to end. For me, I found it to be a really creative and fun story line. The author does a great job with imagery and it is exciting to see the twists and turns of this novel. It is a very entertaining book that I would recommend to any adult (with a young heart) or a child between the age of 5-12. My 5 year old enjoyed listening to this book so much that for the past 3 days he has carried it everywhere with him. (Glad I discovered this book by this up-and-coming author...he is going to be the next big writer on the young novels list.) What a great find!

I wont retell the story in my review, several above me have done that. What I really enjoyed was the absolute creativity and vivid images that were portrayed in Aliens on Vacation. After a few chapters it was clear that this was Roald Dahl material. Clete Barrett Smith's book will be synonymous with books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Judy Blume's Tales of the Forth Grade Nothing. This books is so rich with amazing alien creativity while at the same time brings you back to "Earth" with real life challenges of a 7th grade boy. I agree with the other reviews that said this is a 10-14 year old read but this will be one of those great books that moms and dads will enjoy reading to their kids at bedtime too! Mr. Smith hit this one out of the atmosphere! Cant wait to read the second installment already!

This debut novel from Clete Barrett Smith was an awesome read. It was comical, entertaining, action-packed and overall just a good, fun read. It is the first book in a new series. It is the story of the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast, a nice little operation on the edge of the town of Forest Grove, Washington. It is at the end of a cul-de-sac right on the edge of wilderness. And for the two months of summer vacation, it will be the home of David 'Scrub' Elliott of Tampa Florida. And it is the last place David wants to be. He would prefer to be back home at basketball camp competing with his best friend. But instead, he has been dumped at his Grandma's quirky little inn.

But life for David is about to get much weirder than he ever expected. He states: "Maybe it was Washington State. After all, this was over three thousand miles from home. And these people lived in the wilderness. Things were bound to be different here. And then there was Canada. We were only a few miles from the border. I didn't know much about Canadian culture, if there was such a thing. Maybe being so close, some of their customs had leaked across the international border, like osmosis." p.20. But he really has no clue just how different. For even though the Bed and Breakfast is constantly full of guests, no one arrives on foot or via the front door of the bed and breakfast. All the guests arrive through transporters in the different rooms. Soon David is meeting and interacting with Aliens he could not even fathom from a book or movie. He is working hard with and for his Gram and really enjoying the responsibility. He has also found a girl in town he really likes, but he keeps messing things up as he tries to keep his Grandma's secret. To make matters worse, the girl's dad is the sheriff and he seems to have it out for David and his grandma.

The characters, both human and alien, are wonderful. The story has a great pace and is well written. The reader finds himself hoping and cheering for David as he grows through the summer at the inn. It was a great book that I can recommend to almost any reader and it will be enjoyed. But it might also be great for boys who do not read very much, for the story will draw them in and keep their attention. I, for one, am looking forward to the next tale in the series and hope it is the next of many more.