My Teacher Is an Alien (My Teacher Books)

Book Description

Sixth grade is just out of this world!

Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face -- and realizes that "Mr. Smith" is really an alien!

At first no one will believe her except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr. Smith's horrible plans for their classmates, they know they have to act fast. Only they can get rid of their extraterrestrial visitor -- and save the rest of the sixth-grade class from a fate worse than math tests!

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Book Ever!.......2006-11-29

I really like this book because it had lots of creepy stuff. And they get to talk to aliens on the communicator. The teacher came from space .He is the subsitute teacher.

Clever storytelling and excellent suspense.......2005-09-01

I loved this book when I was a kid, and decided to re-read it recently. Doing that gave me a new appreciation for what Bruce has done with this story.

Told from the perspective of Susan Simmons, the story fairly believably tells a tale of the impossible. Susan discovers that her new teacher, rigid and demanding Mr. Smith, is actually an alien. Furthermore, he has plans to take several of the students back to space with him! If that wasn't enough, he's holding the previous teacher, Ms. Schwarz, prisoner in his house.

The premise may be clearly fantasy-based, but what follows is some very clever storytelling. Susan has to figure out what to do about her situation, which isn't easy when new complications keep arising. But she's not alone. One of the first things Susan does, is attempt to get fellow student Peter Thompson to believe her. Peter, a friendless nerd who Susan gets along with ("I realized that I was probably the closest thing he had to a friend"), is naturally skeptical at first, but a trip to the teacher/alien's house gives him all the proof he needs. From that point on, the story branches out in a number of surprising directions, with many new twists introduced into the plot, all under an increasingly looming threat.

Bruce Coville tells a brilliant tale with "My Teacher Is an Alien". The characters are believable, with believable narration told from Susan's perspective, mixing in the descriptions one would expect from a novel with the observations and opinions one would expect from a kid. Bruce fleshes out things more by showing Susan's home life, and hinting at Peter's. The plot branches and twists in surprising, yet believable ways, making for an unpredictable story. The only place I felt the author stumbled was with some of Peter's dialog. While Peter is clearly meant to be an intelligent kid, he makes observations that I as an adult couldn't really imagine a sixth grader making. But when I originally read this book back as a kid, I never felt that Peter was too unrealistic, so it's probably not a concern for many kids.

Overall, I think this book is a classic that stands the test of time. Mixing in the fantastic (aliens) with the familiar (a school setting) makes for a blend that works.

Recommended.

The Bomb.......2005-06-10

This book is so cool. I did not even put this book down for 1 second. My Teacher is an Alien is the best book ever made.I love it. It is so interesting.
I can recommend this book for anyone!

The Bomb.......2005-06-10

This book is so cool. I did not even put this book down for 1 second. My Teacher is an Alien is the best book ever made.I love it. It is so interesting.
I can recommend this book for anyone!

Bruce Coville is the shizzle.......2005-04-21

I'm a sophomore in college and for some reason I started to remember all the books I read when I was a kid. Bruce Coville stuck in my mind because his books are the absolute best, and I read every single one of his that were out at the time. Even though I don't like to read science fiction, and the only science fiction I like is Star Wars, these books are the greatest of all time. In fact they're so awesome that I might as well as buy all of Bruce Coville's books and read them all over again. If you have a kid in elementary school, you must force them to read Bruce Coville books just like you make them brush their teeth and wash their hands. No child completely experiences childhood unless they read Bruce Coville. I guarantee that as soon as your kid reads one of Coville's books, they will be hooked.

On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty

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On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty
W. Brad Johnson
Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805848975

Book Description

On Being a Mentor is the definitive guide for faculty in higher education who wish to mentor both students and junior faculty. It features strategies, guidelines, best practices, and recommendations for professors who wish to excel in this area. Written in a pithy style, this no-nonsense guide offers straightforward advice about managing problem mentorships and measuring mentorship outcomes. Practical cases studies, vignettes, and step-by-step guidelines illuminate the process of mentoring throughout.

Other outstanding features include:
*research-based advice on the rules of engagement for mentoring, mentor functions, qualities of good mentors, and methods for forming and managing student-faculty relationships;
*summaries of the common mentoring relationship phases and guidance for adhering to ethical principles when serving as a mentor;
*guidance about mentoring specific populations, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and protégés who differ from the mentor in terms of sex and race; and
*recommendations for department chairs and deans on how to foster an academic culture of mentoring.

On Being a Mentor is intended for professors, department chairs, and deans in a variety of educational settings, including colleges, universities, and medical and law schools and is suitable for professors in all fields of study including the sciences, humanities, psychology, education, and management.

Savvy Student : Getting Better Grades Without Working Harder or Being Smarter

Average customer rating:

An O.K. book
a fun, fierce book that tells it like it is
A fun, enlightening book

Savvy Student : Getting Better Grades Without Working Harder or Being Smarter
David Kinahan , and Harry Heft
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Study Skills | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0380806398
Release Date: 1999-08-03

Book Description

Tired of sitting in classes, staying awake, taking notes and cramming for exams to pass a course you couldn't care less about? The Savvy Student is the reference source that you've been waiting for!

In this insightful handbook, two university professors help you zero in on the psychology of the teacher and use this information to your advantage. At times cynical, provocative, and even subversive, The Savvy Student explodes the myth that the grading process is in any way objective, and gives you the practical goods on how you can turn your B into an A.

The authors cover all the bases from classroom behavior to out-of-class contact, from finessing an essay to writing a winning exam. They even include advice on mastering long-distance relationships (the correspondence course).

Giving you an inside view from two professors who have seen it all, The Savvy Student empowers you to make your transcript more enticing to graduate and professional schools without the bothersome fatigue created by working harder.

Customer Reviews:

An O.K. book.......2003-03-05

This book makes a couple of good points...........but that is all this book has. The authors repeat themselves time and again. A book that is 149 pages could easily be 30. Although it is funny,I would say it is worth around.... [$]

a fun, fierce book that tells it like it is.......1999-08-31

Every once in a while - every once in a LONG while - you come across a book that has an original take on things, and really tells it like it is. I was totally won over by "Savvy Student"'s unsentimental and eye-opening perspective on the academic grading system, and I really believe that Heft's and Kinahan's practical advice on everything from where to sit in class to how to deal with an unexpected meeting with a professor off campus will help me escape from "wallpaper" status, and give me a real advantage as far as grades are concerned. That's why I took my copy with me when it was time to go back to college. If you want to give yourself the best possible chance of getting good grades, and are interested in doing it the smart way rather than the hard way, I seriously suggest you get your own copy of this book.

A fun, enlightening book.......1999-08-27

These guys are hilarious -- and they give readers a totally original picture of why profs give the grades they do. This book is one of a kind.

My Teacher Glows in the Dark (My Teacher Books)

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My Teacher Glows In The Dark
If you like funny ones
Coville takes the My Teacher series to a whole new level
Great sci-fi intro
Another Coville success!

My Teacher Glows in the Dark (My Teacher Books)
Bruce Coville
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 141690333X

Book Description

Kidnapped in Space?

Peter Thompson has had some pretty weird teachers in his time. By the time he discovers that his newest teacher glows in the dark, he's flying away from Earth in a spaceship full of aliens, and there's no one he can call. How do you report an alien to the FBI anyway?

Before Peter can do anything, he's taken on the strangest field trip of his life! His friends, his father, his school -- all are suddenly a million miles away!

Customer Reviews:

My Teacher Glows In The Dark.......2005-03-02

I think it was a awsome book.Its about a kid named peter.He meats a alien on earth and asks to come with him to a spaceship named New Jersy.He takes peter thire.He finds out that a alien council is going to blow up earth.To find out why the council wants to blow up earth you will have to read the book.
I liked this book because every chapter leaves you hanging.A lot of things hapen on New Jersey.He meats a lot of diffrent aliens.The book had very good descriptions of the aliens.Thats why I liked the book.

If you like funny ones .......2004-11-10

The book I read is called My Teacher Glows in the Dark. It was a really good book. The book was about a boy named Peter. He went into space with an alien named Broxholm. Peter spent five months with Broxholm. Peter decided to go with Broxholm into space. Peter had a change of mind; he wanted to go back to earth but it was too late. Peter and his friends Susan and Duncan suspected something wierd about their teacher. They went to his house when they looked into the window and saw something wierd. Their teacher glows in the dark they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Peter's teacher dies in the ship and Peter and Broxholm can't help him to get better. If you what to see what happens at the end of the book, go to your nearest library and check it out. Remember My Teacher Glows in the Dark.
By Lance King

Coville takes the My Teacher series to a whole new level.......2003-12-12

My Teacher Glows in the Dark is the third book in Bruce Coville's My Teacher series. While these books are written primarily for a 4th-6th grade audience, I as an adult have had a lot of fun reading them. I especially love Coville's way of presenting each story in the series. The series revolves around three pretty normal kids on Earth - the smart and brave Susan Simmons, nerdy dreamer Peter Thompson, and bully turned nice guy with newly-acquired brain-fried intelligence Duncan Dougal. Susan narrated the first book in the series, My Teacher is an Alien, wherein she discovers that her new teacher is an alien and joins up with Peter to stop him from kidnapping five students. Duncan narrated the second book, My Teacher Fried My Brains, in which we see inside his unhappy life, come to understand why he lashes out at people the way he does, and admire his effort to turn over a new leaf in life with the help of an artificially-advanced intelligence. Now, in My Teacher Glows in the Dark, it is Peter's turn to tell a part of the story.

While this is book three of the series, it actually fills in the gap separating books one and two. Peter left with the alien Broxholm at the end of book one and showed up back on earth at the end of book two, and now we get to hear what he has been doing up in space over the course of the earth's summer. I found this to be the most enjoyable book of the series so far; instead of dealing with an alien among humans, we now have a human among aliens, and this makes for a decidedly entertaining read. We meet all kinds of aliens, learn a few things about a few of their cultures, and get to see all kinds of alien technology in use. In addition to this, the human side of the story takes on much more significance. As luck would have it, the Interplanetary Council is debating whether or not to destroy Earth, and Peter finds himself smack dab in the middle of trying to save the world he left behind. Peter's friendships with several aliens on board the ship are really quite touching, as is his passion for doing whatever he, a boy of about twelve, can do to save his home planet.

With the action taking place in space, there is a much stronger science fiction element to this book than its predecessors, leading me to believe that many a young reader would simply eat this book up. With new and increasingly unusual aliens waiting around every corner, futuristic machines doing amazing things all over the place, and Earth's future hanging precariously in the balance, My Teacher Glows in the Dark sets the stage for a most promising climax in the fourth and final book of the series, My Teacher Flunked the Planet.

Great sci-fi intro.......2002-03-20

This is a great series to introduce a pre-teen to sci-fi! I would start out with the first book (My Teacher is an Alien.) I think this book would come next -- when I was a pre-teen, this was my favorite book of the series. "My Teacher Fried my Brains" would be another great book for someone who liked this one, becuase it describes what happened to the other characters during this time period. "My Teacher Flunked the Planet" (the last book) is okay, but the constant social commentary can grow tiresome. Highly recommended.

Another Coville success!.......1999-03-29

I recommend this book if you like stories with aliens. My book had some adventure and fantasy elements. For instance, one alien lives under the water with other aliens. If you like other books in this series, you will enjoy this one. I would recommend reading My Teacher is an Alien before this book.

Being an Effective Mentor: How to Help Beginning Teachers to Succeed

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Being an Effective Mentor: How to Help Beginning Teachers to Succeed
Kathleen Feeney Jonson
Manufacturer: Corwin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761945490

Book Description

"This is the book I have been looking for to help us in growing our fledgling mentorship program. Dr. Jonson has answered all our questions, from how to select and support good mentors to how to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. Her book is filled with sound research-based ideas that we can—and will—implement tomorrow!"
Kathryn Carlson, Assistant Superintendent
Skaneateles Central School District, Skaneateles, NY

"Dr. Jonson’s book provides practical ideas for every mentor of new teachers. She gives concrete examples of how, when, and what to do to ensure that new teachers receive appropriate guidance in order to increase student achievement."
Kristine Parker, Program Administrator, Beginning Teacher Support Assessment (BTSA)
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco, CA

"All educators, administrators, and classrooms will benefit from reading Kathleen Jonson’s excellent handbook for mentor teachers. Readable, well-organized, and thorough, it contains everything a mentor teacher needs to know to establish a successful partnership with a beginning teacher."
Susan Gold, Year-Two Intern Supervisor
University of California Berkeley Extension, California Partnership Intern Program
Berkeley, CA

Help mentor your new teachers with this comprehensive and practical guide.

Experienced teachers and administrators know how important it is to give beginning teachers the support and advice they need. This incredibly straightforward and useful guide will help mentor teachers to develop effective mentoring strategies, including how to provide direct assistance, demonstration teaching, observation and feedback, informal contact, and role modeling.

You’ll also find monthly listings of activities designed to promote interaction between mentors and protégés that correspond to activities and events occurring in a typical school year. Five additional resources, including a first-day checklist, provide valuable information and tools to help you mentor the beginning teacher.

Principals, staff developers, university supervisors, beginning and experienced teachers will all find this book a useful tool to understanding the complex yet invaluable process of guidance, assistance, and support needed to help beginning teachers succeed.

Making the Journey, Third Edition: Being and Becoming a Teacher of English Language Arts

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snoozzzeee
from "Professional Links," July 2000, *English Journal*

Making the Journey, Third Edition: Being and Becoming a Teacher of English Language Arts
Leila Christenbury
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0325008175

Book Description

Making the Journey is a staple of secondary English methods courses and teacher libraries because it not only provides practical advice on what to do in the classroom and how to act, but also offers a realistic but optimistic sense of what it means to embrace the practice of good teaching. Now, trusted educator, writer, and researcher Leila Christenbury has returned with a remarkable new edition of her classic.

The third edition of Making the Journey will be both refreshingly new and satisfyingly familiar to those who've come to rely on Christenbury's wisdom and uncommon common sense. Every chapter has been revised and updated with new examples, the latest research, and stories from today's classrooms. Even more important, Christenbury has devoted new sections to discussing instructional and political topics crucial to the contemporary teacher, including:

supporting English language learners
developing students' ability to write on demand
meeting the challenge of high - stakes standardized testing
balancing depth of coverage with breadth in standards - based curricular planning
creating tests and other assessments that align with curricular goals and provide useful information for subsequent instruction
engaging students' reading interests through nontraditional, real - world genres like graphic novels
teaching writing and media literacy through digital - age innovations such as blogs and WebQuests
navigating the politics of school while remaining an activist professional

With the latest, smartest strategies, techniques, and ideas as well as Leila Christenbury's trademark pragmatism and know - how, the third edition of Making the Journey will be an indispensable guide for anyone just starting their own journey into teaching or for anyone already on their way.

Customer Reviews:

snoozzzeee.......2006-01-05

Easy to read. Might be helpful for someone who has never taught before. I found nothing new. As in the case of most education books, she takes 50 pages to say what could be communicated in 5.

from "Professional Links," July 2000, *English Journal*.......2000-07-18

"An experienced secondary school teacher and English educator, Christenbury clearly knows her audience...the book is rich with the voices of teachers and students. Christenbury includes sample papers; transcripts of discussions; and teachers' assignments, handouts, and testimonials. Each chapter ends with recommended reading and references...The book will be extremely helpful to beginning teachers and will remind veteran teachers of why they teach. You will probably wish, as I did, that Christenbury were sitting in your faculty lounge so you could talk to her and ask her about that student in third period who just did not seem to understand what you were teaching. Until she does appear, you can be confident that the book will provide important insights and advice." -Louann Reid, Ed., Professional Links Column, *English Journal*

The Attack of the Two-Inch Teacher: I was a Sixth Grade Alien #2 (I Was a Sixth Grade Alien)

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Not bad!

The Attack of the Two-Inch Teacher: I was a Sixth Grade Alien #2 (I Was a Sixth Grade Alien)
Bruce Coville
Manufacturer: Listening Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

ASIN: 0807282332
Release Date: 2000-05-02

Book Description

approx. 2.5 hours 2 cassettes

Pleskit Meenom is tired of constantly being teased by Jordan Lynch. Pleskit and his friend Tim decide to teach Jordan a lesson and borrow a shrinking ray from the desk of Pleskit's Fatherly One. Unfortunately, the plan backfires and it is Tim and their teacher Ms. Weintrab that get shrunk. If this gets out, it could ruin the alien mission. But how can you hide the fact that you've shrunk your teacher?

Customer Reviews:

Not bad!.......2000-04-04

I have been reading books by Bruce Coville since I was in second grade, and I think that he is a great author for children. Now, this book certainly wasn't his best, but it was up there. I would recommend this to any child who has an interest in science fiction.

My Teacher Fried My Brains (My Teacher Books)

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Laughed out loud!
Ty ler S/vwjhs book review
Ty ler S/vwjhs book review
My Teacher Fried My Brains
More worthwhile but not as fun as My Teacher is an Alien

My Teacher Fried My Brains (My Teacher Books)
Bruce Coville
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1416903321

Book Description

Brains are sizzling in the seventh grade...

The first day of seventh grade is probably the worst day of Duncan Dougal's life. He knows that things are really bad when he finds an alien's hand in a Dumpster and then gets plugged into an alien brain fryer!

Can Duncan find out which of the four new teachers in his school is an alien before his brains get fried to a pulp -- or before the aliens try to fry the whole planet?

Customer Reviews:

Laughed out loud!.......2007-03-15

My girls loved it! PLUS, they get credit for it as an AR book at school! FANTASTIC!!!

Ty ler S/vwjhs book review.......2006-11-09

My review for my teacher fried my brains was a good book. In fact I would recommend it to anyone who has an awkward imagination. The main character Duncan was a curious boy just like me so I can get a feel of what he's going through. Except I've never had an encounter with real live aliens, unfortunately he has. My favorite part of the book was when Duncan got his brains fried. Another good part of the book was when he found the green glob of gloop known as "Poot". Another creepy part of the book was when Duncan was in the dumpster and he found the human hand.
If you like Science fiction then this is a good book for you. This was a funny book and I enjoyed reading it.

Ty ler S/vwjhs book review.......2006-11-09

My book review for My Teacher fried my brains was good. In fact I would recommend it to anyone who has an awkward imagination. The main character Duncan was a curious boy just like me so I can get a feel of what he's going through. Except I've never had an encounter with real live aliens, unfortunately he has. This was a fun book to read for anyone who likes Science Fiction. It was a creepy and interesting point of view from the author.

My Teacher Fried My Brains.......2005-12-16

I really liked this book because it was very funny and exciting.Also whenever I finished a chapter I did not want to stop reading.And that is unusial for me.My favorite part was when the teacher fried his brains.I really think you should read this book because I do not like very many books and I liked this one.

More worthwhile but not as fun as My Teacher is an Alien.......2003-12-06

This sequel to Bruce Coville's popular My Teacher is an Alien reunites us with Susan Simmons, the protagonist and narrator of the first book, Peter Thompson, her brainy science fiction-loving friend, and Duncan Dougal, class bully and somewhat questionable ally in the previous adventure involving the kids' sixth grade teacher being replaced by a big green alien in disguise. Duncan was an important yet secondary character in the first book, but he takes center stage in My Teacher Fried My Brain. The story itself isn't as exciting as that of its predecessor, but I love the angle that Coville took in returning to this world of adventure. There is a definite psychological component to this story, one providing insight into why Duncan behaves in such a disruptive matter - there is a real, pretty nice person in there just dying to get out. Duncan now becomes a sympathetic character from the very first page, as we get a good look at his home life and see how this translates into his own behavior around other kids. It bothers Duncan to no end to be unable to control his mouth and (sometimes) fists; even when he is doing something stupid that will just get him into trouble, he is inwardly berating himself as he is doing it. The one thing that Duncan hates more than anything in the world is to be laughed at; this is a feeling all children as well as adults know a little something about, making Duncan a character that anyone can connect to in some way.

The kids are now in seventh grade, and Duncan's first day in a new school building is a rough one; as always, he finds trouble, and this time trouble reaches back and finds him as well. He makes a startling discovery - a discarded human hand which, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a fake human hand. That can only mean one thing: there is another alien at the school. Like Susan in the first book, Duncan does not know what to do. He knows no one will believe him, not even his classmates; you would think the adults in town might be of some help, but they have all started pretending that the alien business of last spring didn't actually happen. Duncan soon thinks he has found the answer to his problems. After taking part in a demonstration of static electricity, one in which a machine zapped his brain, he began to feel smarter all of a sudden; he soon decides to sneak in to the lab and give himself additional brain-frying treatments. Despite all of his new-found intelligence, though, he has little success in figuring out who the other alien in school is. The ensuing action is not bad, plus we meet a memorable and mysterious alien pet called a poot, but a few aspects of this story resemble pretty closely the strange events chronicled in Coville's previous book, My Teacher is an Alien. The manner of Peter's "return" is especially weak, in my opinion.

Book Description

Alien Invasion of Earth!

Peter Thompson, a typical seventh-grader, finds himself touring the planet with his friends Susan Simmons and Duncan Dougal, and three aliens in disguise!

Their mission? To file the final report that will determine Earth's future in the universe.

As the clock ticks away the hours before their meeting in space, the tour becomes weirder and weirder. The three friends come face-to-face with a plague of poots and "Big Julie" -- the weirdest alien yet!

Meanwhile Peter discovers a secret that was hidden for decades. Will his discovery save Earth, or isi it already too late to stop the aliens from destroying the planet?

Customer Reviews:

Daughters loved it!!!.......2007-03-15

My daughters loved it. laughed out loud, AND they get credit for it as an AR book at school! Fantastic!

I give this book an A+.......2006-05-30

This was an incredible ending to a fun series that was started with My Teacher is an Alien. While it remained fun, it was also much more intense, like ice water suddenly dumped on you unexpectedly.

But I think it's "kid safe." As a child I saw Return to Oz and had horrid nightmares; by the age of 10 I read a short horror story for adults where I find out that the man telling the story is insane and his family is dead and I broke out in tears. Yet as sensitive as I was, this book did not cause a severe reaction, but pulled me in with its shocking surprises, both hopeful and horrid. Bruce Coville has done a truly amazing job at making the horrors of the world accessible to kids (though probably not younger than 10) without being either traumatizing or patronizing about it, though he did (thankfully) gloss over some of the worse parts. (Example: "What had already been done to those people was so ugly I cannot bring myself to describe it, even though the memory of it remains like a scar burned into my brain with a hot iron.")

Furthermore, I would add that this is not a book promoting any ideology. This doesn't encourage your children to grow up and vote Democrat or Republican, or embrace socialism or libertarianism. This is a book promoting VALUES. And contrary to the propaganda of many ideologues and Party Pushers, values and ideology are two completely different things.

All ideologies, to my knowledge, explain the ways that they think are best for solving the problems Coville brings up. But values determine what gets done; ideology detemines how it gets done. A revolution that changes ideology but not values will only change the HOW things get done, not WHAT gets done. Even functioning anarchies (communes, tribal, even regions like Barcelona in the Spanish Civil War) show that the values that are shared by a community will be displayed, no matter what system is in place.

If I get into an ideological debate with someone who shares the same values as I do, then what we're debating is the best way to solve the same problem, not debating if the problem exists or how important it is. I also find that I much prefer the company of people who have different political leanings from myself but share my values to those who share my political leanings but not my values. I think that Bruce Coville, intentionally or unintentionally, has also expressed this view ("...not the leaders, not the government, just the people..."). Which is to say, don't fear that your child will be brainwashed into serving some political agenda, though Coville might get help your child to care in the first place.

Finally, the book does show much that is noble and good about humanity, too. I found it to be ultimately hopeful, if sobering.

In many ways, it's a child's version of Carl Sagan's Contact. While Contact has a credible alien society, IMO, My Teacher Flunked the Planet has entertaining aliens. But both books help us, kid or adult, look seriously at the insanity of our planet's societies, and also the hope.

The World Isn't That Bad.......2004-05-26

Pro: this was an exciting, interesting book. I enjoyed reading it and re-reading it.

Con: Bruce Coville can get very preachy at times. In this book we look at the worst of humanity, and he makes it sound like all of humanity is a terrible violent monsters. But while there are horrible things in the world, you must realize they are showing us the worst-there are better! And with all the no doubt millions of alien races, we're the worst of the worst? Yeah, right. I especially hate it when he talks about the television as if it serves to purpose other than to turn our brain into swiss cheese.

If you can get over the self-righteousness and the pessimism about the human race, this is a lovely book.

A little disappointing but certainly worthwhile.......2003-12-12

I have to admit I was a little disappointed in this concluding story in Bruce Coville's My Alien series. This is a much more serious book than its predecessors, conveying a strong message about human society today. While it addresses important issues such as war, poverty, starvation, and other social ills, it comes off as a tad preachy in places. The fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, and it is up to the series' three young heroes to convince a worried Interplanetary Council that the planet should be spared. Susan Simmons, Duncan Dougal, and Peter Thompson come together as a complete unit for the first time, each having previously narrated his/her own account of the events and discoveries leading up to the ultimate final challenge. Susan has exposed her new teacher as a reptilian alien on a mission to "kidnap" five students for study, Duncan has gone from slow-witted bully to a nice, highly intelligent young man after having his brains "fried," and Peter has traveled into the depths of space and met all manner of alien creatures. With the help of a few human-friendly aliens, they now face the largest challenge conceivable: proving to the leaders of the galaxy that all hope for humanity's mending its wicked ways is not lost. If they fail, the Earth will be destroyed in much the same way harmful bacteria are eradicated before they can spread their harmful influence beyond the localized area in which they are currently festering.

Things aren't looking very good for life on Earth; traveling in disguise back on their home planet, our team gets a close-up look at many of mankind's worst ills, and even the kids are often at a loss as to how to defend a people who do such terrible things to one another. All of this is well and good (albeit a little too preachy), but the conclusion of the story (and thus of the whole series) was a let-down. The big climax is more of a hit-and-run than a well-executed denouement, leaving me looking down for the rug that Coville pulled from under my feet at the last minute. It's still an impressive final book in a very entertaining series, but I just expected something more. While this book is by far the most important of the series, incorporating issues that some young readers may not have a full grasp on yet, it is far less entertaining and amusing than the first three books. For a youngster ready to make the move to more serious children's fiction, though, My Teacher Flunked the Planet stands as a gateway to a world where learning takes its place alongside pure entertainment.

A sobering story.......2001-04-16

Many science fiction books that are written for children aim to take them away into a fantasy land where anything can happen. Not this one. This story takes a hopeful mind back to the grim reality of the planet we live in, with all its violence, disease, and emotional pain presented in the book the way it really is. A continuation to a trilogy of somewhat less exciting books, My Teacher Flunked the Planet shows its readers how truly perverse and ignorant we ALL are, and shows that even those characters who believe they are above it all (some of the aliens) have as many flaws of their own as do we "barbaric" humans. I too noticed the strong liberal political messages in the book, after I had read it through several times. But even those who do not agree with Coville's political ambitions should be able to readily enjoy this book for its raw imaginary excitement.

On Being A Pastor: For Pastors and Teachers

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Distinguishes between a godly pastor and a merely professional one
Wisdom from Experienced Pastors

On Being A Pastor: For Pastors and Teachers
Alistair Begg , and Derek Prime
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0802431208

Book Description

The calling to the pastorate is one fraught with perils and privileges. The urgent needs of the church often cause dismissal of personal soul issues. And he who isn't 'fed' will find it hard to 'feed' others. Alistair Begg and Derek Prime have been successful pastors and teachers of pastors for many decades. They challenge those who feel called to preaching ministry to a proper stewardship of life, a deeper love for the Lord, a personal devotional life, purity, and time for study and preparation. But most of all, they help future pastors determine whether they are really called to a life of ministry, warning that if one can avoid preaching, he must!

Customer Reviews:

Distinguishes between a godly pastor and a merely professional one.......2006-11-02

This book presents a bold and beautiful picture of the character and spiritual life of a pastor. Originally written by Derek Prime as Pastors and Teachers (1989), Alistair Begg's contribution serves as an incredible enhancement to the book. Both authors of this revised, expanded edition of Prime's work are seasoned pastors. And their wisdom is strewn throughout every page.

While it is a rich treat to be able to walk beside these men as they wander through what the Bible says a pastor is to be and do, it is an added privilege to be let in on the relationship that these men have with each other. At times, this reviewer felt as though he were transported into a living room with a warmly lit fire, listening to these old friends chat about the task that God had called them to give their lives over to.

While the book moves through the biblical descriptions of a pastor, it is laden with entire pages where it is either Prime or Begg writing, commenting on what has already been said, making current application of the principles in each of their own lives. In these special parts of the book (which occur throughout), it is the seasoned wisdom of godly pastors that readers are able to observe. Moreover, they speak as men who have lived out the principles they are writing about. It is not theoretical pastoral musings, these men are authentic shepherds who know their calling and want to discharge their duty to the best of their abilities, by grace. Most often when the writers interject their personal thoughts and comments, Prime is followed by Begg. The comments made in this order marvelously show forth a symphonic order, granting glimpses into the authors' relationship, showing Begg like a student, carefully learning from his former pastor and mentor. Begg was Prime's ministry assistant while the latter was pastoring at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland. The book shows how that early relationship made such an enormous impact on Begg's subsequent life and ministry.

This book is not a manual about the nuts and bolts of pastoral ministry. It is about the biblical principles that separate a godly pastor from a mere professional minister, while offering practical tips throughout. Therefore, I would highly recommend this work to any pastor who is seeking to grow spiritually in his role as a shepherd, or any seminary student on his way to becoming a pastor. - Jason Sexton, Christian Book [...]

Wisdom from Experienced Pastors.......2006-02-09

While books on preaching abound today, books on the broader duties of pastoring are few and far between. Here is one to fill the gap. A revised and expanded version of Derek Prime's earlier book, Pastors and Teachers, this book is a comprehensive, yet remarkably personal, study of the art of pastoring.

Five basic convictions govern the content of the book, as outlined in the introduction:
(1) "Christ's special gift to His Church is the gift of pastors and teachers;"
(2) "The pastor and teacher is an elder among other elders in the local church" (regardless of whether the term elder is used or not);
(3) "The work of elders - by whatever name they are called - need to be encouraged and developed;"
(4) "Whatever the pattern is for shared leadership in the local church, there must be a leader among leaders;"
(5) "Both the pastor and teacher himself and the church fellowship of which he is a part need to be clear as to his function and place in the body of Christ" (p. 14).

The authors then devote close to three hundred pages to clarifying that function and place. Virtually everything is discussed: Call and Calling (chapter one), Life and Character (chapter 2), Goals and Priorities (chapter 3), Prayer (chapter 4), Devotional Life (chapter 5), Study (chapter 6), Preaching (chapter 7), Pastoral Care (chapters 8-9), The Conduct of Worship (chapter 10), Leadership (chapters 11-12), Family and Leisure (chapter 13), and "Perils Tempered by Privileges" (chapter 14).

One of the unique aspects of the book is the inclusion of personal insights from each of the authors. The chapters usually begin by laying out general principles, but then include personal testimony from either Prime or Begg (or both) on how they apply those principles in their own ministry contexts. Having perspective both from an older, pastor of a smaller church (Prime), as well as a younger pastor of a larger, urban church (Begg) gives the book a sense of balance, making it useful to any pastor, regardless of his context for ministry. One of the most valuable portions of the book is the discussion on "the special pressures that may be upon a pastor's wife" (p. 269-279).

Finally, the book is well laid-out, making it easy to navigate. The thorough table of contents (including sub-headings in the chapters) allows On Being a Pastor to function like an encyclopedia on pastoral responsibilities.

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