The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle

A girl in Ginny’s class, Hally, explains that everyone calls Smitty “The Alien.” His face is expressionless, but handsome, and despite never speaking in class, he has become an Honor student. Feeling like an isolated outsider, Ginny encounters Smitty, a boy who never speaks-even when spoken to-never makes eye contact, and never allows anyone to touch him. Back in her old school, Ginny was “almost” popular, but it is harder to be the new kid.

At the same time, Ginny’s family is moving across the country, and Ginny is starting her senior year at a new school. Her older brother, Paul, is her best friend, but he’s going to college. High-schooler Ginny Christianson is going through a period of upheaval. The Only Alien on the Planet was a 1995 American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Randle, follows new-girl-in-school Ginny Christianson as she tries to connect with Michael “Smitty” Tibbs, a handsome and academically-talented boy who never speaks, and is known to his classmates as “The Alien.” With Smitty’s longtime friend and protector, Caulder, Ginny manages to break through “The Alien’s” emotionless façade, uncovering his traumatic experience of abuse at the hands of his brother, Russell. (Mar.The Only Alien on the Planet (1995), a young adult novel by American author Kristen D.

Under his pain, Smitty is totally honest and caring-a very romantic figure, but not one likely to be found in the real world. Randle (Why Did Grandma Have to Die?) unfortunately builds her otherwise well-crafted novel around an uncharacteristic response to abuse. With the help of Ginny, Caulder and a wise and sympathetic therapist, Smitty emerges from this psychological curse, and he and Ginny even begin a tentative romantic relationship. Smitty walks out of both, for it turns out that he was almost fatally abused by his older brother, who also convinced him that he would die if he spoke to anyone. They get much more than they bargain for when they drag him along on old-movie outings as a none-too-subtle plot device, the first turns out to be The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, the second, East of Eden. Soon, Ginny and Smitty's longtime protector, Caulder, team up to try and crack his shell.

Smitty-real name Michael-is known to his schoolmates as ''The Alien'' because of his affectless appearance and complete silence. New student Ginny is intrigued by the handsome alien in her homeroom-no, this is not a science fiction novel.

The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle