Terra

Really enjoyed this book. Terra is a little girl full of heart, abducted by an alien as a baby Terra is raised on a distant planet by aliens. Embracing her differences she brings a lovely side of humanity to an alien race.

Couldn't put it down towards the end. So many twists and turns and a moment when I actually put my hand over my mouth. And another moment when I couldn't read any further because my eyes were full of tears.

I loved the way language was portrayed. And I did get a bit of a Harry Potter feel from Terra's friends with Fthfth being super smart and Pktk being loyal and Ron like :-) also there was a sporting game which I didn't understand. But the book was unique enough to stand up against these similarities.

I was slightly disappointed by the ending, Terra had a difficult choice to make and I wish she'd made the other choice. I can't wait to find out what Terra's future holds, especially now I've heard there's a third book in the trilogy.

I enjoyed Benn’s writing style, which is direct and confiding with slices of omniscient viewpoint, which tends to happen in children’s fiction. But it is also shot through with a wry humour, which is handy in diffusing the horror of some of the more shocking scenes in this book. This is far from being a cosy read – it deals very directly with prejudice on all sorts of levels, guilt, regret and loss. And it doesn’t necessarily offer any comforting answers, which is fine by me. I think that fiction is very good at demonstrating that the world is frequently a violent, messy, unjust place to be – and maybe offering some coping strategies, or clear warnings. That goes for adults as well as children.

What caught me was the poignant passage about Mr and Mrs Bradbury right at the start of this book, which contrasted starkly with Lbbp’s take on what is going on, and leads to him taking the baby home with him. It isn’t a long book and the pace motors along at a good clip, which is what you want for younger readers. If I have any grizzles, I felt Terra was just a bit too calm and up together, given that she is always the exception and oddity – but it wasn’t a dealbreaker. There were moments when I sniggered aloud – particularly at the reaction of the human scientists when they realise there is actually a spaceship headed their way.

Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining science fiction adventure aimed at pre-teens, though this granny also found it great fun. While I obtained an arc of Terra from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

I LOVED this book! It's rare to find good science fiction for middle-grade readers, and this is one of the best I've read. It will appeal to many different kids, because it includes a lot of hard "science" but also has a realistic fiction feel, since this focus of the story is on relationships, family, and identity. I will definitely purchase it for my elementary school library.

This was such a fun read !! thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Terra is rescued from a wrecked car and taken back to an alien planet by Lbbp, her saviour. She grows up on this planet, learning in their schools. There are some funny moments as she learns with her classmates, and we meet them and get to know them.
She has some exciting moments when she introduces some Human-specific activities to Lbbp's people. Hilarity ensues !
An invasion by a neighbouring warlike clan causes problems, but Terra helps to resolve them. The ending is open, and I am looking forward to more of Terra's adventures

I remember reading this book about 6 or 7 years ago and enjoying it immensely. Nice to see it back in circulation as part of a trilogy.