THE GIRL WHO FELL TO EARTH

A half-human teen from the planet Terros faces a dilemma when she’s sent on a mission to destroy Earth’s humans.

Though Terrosians have engineered their DNA to near perfection, 14-year-old Aria Evangular is unusually susceptible to such “glitches” as allergies, fever, and headache. Aria’s DNA looks completely different from that of her classmates, and she’s horrified to discover that her maternal DNA is human. Created by Terrosian scientists 1,000 years ago and carefully observed ever since, humans are considered filthy and primitive. They’re even destroying their own home, which Terrosians dub the Shadow Planet; soon, human-driven climate change will render it uninhabitable. When Aria’s assigned to join her father on a mission to the Shadow Planet, she learns Dad’s been tasked with releasing a virus in Dublin. It will eventually kill all humans… including, perhaps, Aria herself. But the virus isn’t the only danger; a hidden enemy is watching Aria. Can she save herself and her new human friends? While certain plot elements are too convenient, and the characters sometimes feel like mere vehicles for concepts, Forde gives readers much to ponder; realistically, there are no easy answers. Terrosians’ prejudice toward humans reflects all-too-human racism and xenophobia—which Aria, who’s brown-skinned (like all Terrosians) and assumes a Rajasthani Indian persona in Ireland, also encounters. Aria’s growth is believable and poignant, and readers will especially sympathize with her yearning to belong. Most human characters are white.

Suspenseful and thought-provoking.