Logue, Mary. (2000). Dancing with an Alien. New York: HarperCollins. 144 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: fantasy, science fiction, supernatural

Summary and Critique

A fascinating fictional tale of first love, this story focuses on Branko, an alien who is sent to Earth with the mission of finding a female to bring back to his home planet to help with procreation. Though he successfully finds a female, Tonia, his love for her and his knowledge of the future awaiting her on his planet prevents him from allowing her to become nothing more than a breeder. The story has amusing narratives from both Tonia, a seventeen-year-old in love, and Branko, an alien encountering Minnesota life.

The chapters alternate between the young people's perspectives, allowing readers to get alternating viewpoints on the events that transpire. Without getting mired down in the scientific aspect of aliens, Logue presents the idea of humans and aliens in love in a light, sentimental way that will touch the hearts of anyone who has ever been in love.

Awards

New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age 2001

American Library Association's 2001 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers

American Library Association's 2001 Best Books for Young Adults

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Nature/Science

Love, Sex, and Romance

Author Information

Mary Logue is a former teacher and an accomplished poet and mystery writer. She, her husband, and their two dogs currently reside in the Twin Cities.

For more information on Mary Logue:

http://www.booksnbytes.com/authors/logue_mary.html Information on Logue's books.

http://www.petehautman.com/marylogue.html Logue's home page.

Media Connections

Movies

Starman (1984) An alien ship crashes to Earth, and the human-looking alien inside is nursed back to health by a human woman. They end up falling in love.

Not Without My Daughter (1991) An Iranian-American male returns to his native country with his wife and young daughter. There he becomes obsessed with the rules of his culture, making life unbearable for his wife and insinuating a future unacceptable for their daughter. His wife wants to leave with their daughter but the law is not on her side.

In Love and War (1996) An account of Ernest Hemingway's doomed love affair with a nurse during World War II.

Romeo and Juliet (1968, 1996) Film adaptation of Shakespeare's play about two teenagers whose love affair is forbidden by their dueling families.

Television

Roswell Aliens live on Earth, become involved in relationships with humans, and attempt to fit in with the natives.

Online Resources

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/highlights/index.html NASA's guide to popular topics about space.

http://www.adolescent-adulthood.com/ provides a comprehensive dating guide for Teens , with topics such as flirting, a dating guide, and a dumping tutorial. Also provides titles of specifically relevant books.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060123/smallestplanet_spa.html Article discussing the identification of another earth-like planet.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/features/mars/mars.html Article on exploration of Mars.

Related Texts

Klause, Annette Curtis. (1997). Blood and Chocolate. New York: Laurel Leaf. 288pp. A teenage female werewolf moves to a new town and falls in love with a human male.

Paterson, Katherine. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Crowell. 128pp. Jess befriends new neighbor and classmate Leslie, and their friendship grows as they spend time together in the hideaway they created called Terabithia. Jess must then cope with the loss of Leslie after she dies on her way to Terabithia.

Cart, Michael, comp. (1999). Tomorrowland: Stories about the Future. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999. A compilation of ten short stories by many of today's popular young adult authors. Although the stories occur from 33, 001 B.C. to thousands of years into the future, all present themes of visions of times to come.

Gordon, Ruth. (1995). Pierced by a Ray of Sun: Poems About the Times We Feel Alone. New York: Harper Collins. 105pp. A poetry anthology that addresses themes of alienation and loneliness.

Spinelli, Jerry. (2000). Stargirl. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 186pp. A unique girl who had been home-schooled discovers popularity and painful ostracism when she enters a public high school.

Canfeld, Jack; Kirberger, Kimberly; Hansen, Mark Victor. (2002). Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Love and Friendship. Deerfield Beach, Fla: Health Communications. 300pp. Various stories about love and friendship during the teenage years.

Sones, Sonya. (2001). What My Mother Doesn't Know. New York: Simon and Schuster. 259pp. A teenage girl experiences a series of crushes while searching for her soul mate.

Teaching Ideas

(1) Students do a quick-write to one of the following prompts:

Have you ever moved to a new state, town, or school? What was it like? Did you feel like you didn't fit in? Were you able to overcome this?

Have you ever loved somebody you knew your parents would disapprove of? What did you do?

Describe a time that you saved somebody you loved from something unpleasant. Did it have any negative effect on you?

(2) Students write a new ending for the story, exploring what would have

happened if Tonia had gone with Branko.

(3) Students write a fictitious, descriptive paragraph in which they describe themselves on another planet which has a lot of something the Earth has very little of (i.e., air, a certain color, a distinctive smell, etc...).

They describe their encounter with this object, appealing to the senses and making the reader feel what they're feeling, smell what they're smelling, etc.

(Review written by Kelly Daigle & Jennifer E. Moore and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)