Coville, Bruce. My Teacher is an Alien. Aladdin (2005). ISBN-10: 1416903348

Plot Summary

In the book My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville, a girl named Susan Simmons goes to school and finds out that a man named John Smith has replaced her teacher, Ms. Schwartz. Susan becomes suspicious, so she follows Mr. Smith home, and she sees him peel his face off like a mask. Underneath, he has green skin and glowing orange eyes! Then, Susan finds Ms. Schwartz in his attic, where she is floating in a state of suspended animation, in a glowing blue force field. Susan ends up telling her friend Peter, a sci-fi reader who would certainly believe that aliens exist in the neighborhood. Together, they plan to break into Mr. Smith’s house and rescue Ms. Shwartz.

Critical Evaluation

This book is absolutely entertaining! The author uses a school setting to draw young readers into this over the top fantasy. Three more books continue this story. The second book is My Teacher Fried My Brains, told from the point of view of Susan's classmate, Duncan. The last two books, My Teacher Glows in the Dark, and My Teacher Flunked the Planet, are told from Peter's point of view.

Reader's Annotation

Is your teacher an alien who is trying to kidnap you and use your body for experiments? This is certainly true for Susan Simmons in the story My Teacher is an Alien, written by Bruce Coville.

About the Author

Bruce Coville was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1950. When he was a child, he enjoyed reading all kinds of books, including comic books. And, when he was in the 6th grade, he began writing short stories. At the age of 17, he decided he wanted to become a professional writer. Coville later spent time as an elementary school teacher, and in 1977, his first book was published…The Foolish Giant. Today, he has over 12 million books in print, and he is married to Katherine, the artist and illustrator of some of his books.

Genre

Fantasy Fiction
Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties

Language Arts, Science

Booktalking Ideas

Have you ever had a teacher who was so weird that you thought he/she was from another planet? In this story, a girl named Susan Simmons goes to school and finds out that her teacher, Ms. Schwartz, has been replaced by a man named John Smith. Susan is suspicious, so she follows Mr. Smith home, and she sees him peel his face off like a mask. Underneath, he has green skin and glowing orange eyes! The next time you’re in the library, don’t forget to pick up a copy of My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 9-12

Reason for Book Selection

I have this book on my shelf in my classroom. The students love it!