In her stunning second collection, Carlina Duan illuminates unabashed odes to lineage, small and sacred moments of survival, and the demand to be fully seen "spangling with light." Tracing familial lore and love, Duan reflects on the experience of growing up as a diasporic, bilingual daughter of immigrants, exploring the fraught complexities of identity, belonging, and linguistic reclamation. Alien Miss brings forth beautifully powerful voices: immigrants facing the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first Chinese American woman to vote, and matriarchal ancestors. The poems in this ambitious collection are immersed in the knotted blood of sisterhood, both celebrating and challenging conceptions of inheritance and homeland. I browse through archives full of men and women with long black hair, throwing themselves into the land. thread of grass. thread of immaculate touch. paper son, or paper daughter. my own papers marked with wings, the pointed tip of an eagle's beak. here, I'm made prey. I pledge allegiance. --Excerpt from "Alien Miss Confronts the Author"

A thought-provoking comedy about being an alien from prize-winning Zanib Mian. Maxx is an alien: a real one - from the planet Zerg. He's on Earth to research these strange things called emotions that humans have (and eat as much chocolate as he can). But some of the humans seem to think Maxx's new human friend Jibreel is an alien too, and Maxx just can't figure it out. Why would coming from another country make you an alien?! This funny science-fiction story is a perfect way to tackle difficult topics like racism and refugees with children. It has hilarious black-and-white illustrations from Sernur Isik throughout, and is ideal for children who are developing as readers. The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with brilliant books to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2, with book-banded stories by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence, covering a wide range of genres and topics. With charming illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for reading both in the classroom and at home. For more information visit www.bloomsburyguidedreading.com. Book Band: Grey Ideal for ages 8+

The year is 2011 and the Sun is at Solar Maximum. A large solar flare erupts on the surface of the Sun and races towards the Earth. The International Space Station is about to be hit by massive solar radiation. One astronaut is outside on an EVA and is caught in the storm. A UFO appears and tries to shield the astronaut from the harmful effects. An explosion occurs which cripples the alien spacecraft. It crashes on Earth and kills the occupants. A Top Secret military crash investigation ensues. Meanwhile, the massive magnetic storm hits the Earth with devastating consequences. The world is threatened. Only the aliens can help the world prepare for the future.

John and Melissa Winters think that learning their baby’s sex will be the happiest day of their lives. They are wrong. Instead, they spend it running from an alien race hell-bent on claiming Earth for itself. With thousands of satellite-like weapons strategically positioned around the planet, the aliens obliterate the world’s communication systems, militaries, and transportation systems within minutes. There the satellites remain, monitoring Earth for any signs of human technology that could be used against them. Earth is plundered for its resources, and man is hunted by a species far more advanced, technologically, with speed and reflexes five times faster than any human and deadly tentacles that extend from their forearms at will. Lacking the means to fight back, man has but one option—run! John and Melissa journey to their mountain home, where they live out each day, hoping to see the next. Their plans are tested when an injured alien finds its way into their home and beats Melissa’s pregnant body within inches of death. The human population is dwindling and in time will become extinct, but there are some who refuse to let that happen. Some fight back against an opponent most feel they cannot beat in a battle they cannot win. But these freedom-fighters have one thing the others do not—they have Hope.

The town of Hamlet has a very unusual Christmas when aliens crash land in a UFO, escalating the competition between the rival clubs, the Copycats and the Tattletales.

Based on the bedtime favorite Hush, Little Baby, this adorable board-book edition takes a trip complete with goonie birds and shooting stars as an alien dad sings his little alien a good-night lullaby.