WHY ON EARTH

Teenagers from a far-off planet crash-land on Earth during a rogue rescue mission.

Iona, a Trevval from the planet Trexyl, is willing to risk her entire future to rescue her brother, Axariam, who went on a mission five years ago and never returned. On Earth, cloaked in a human disguise, Axariam is a global celebrity named Max Spencer, but Iona knows that if her brother hasn’t returned, he must be a hostage. When the ship’s engine overheats, the five crew members desperately launch themselves into escape pods that scatter them across the United States. The ship, piloted by Iona, makes quite a splash as it crashes into the water off the coast of Santa Monica. This collection of short stories by popular YA authors, including Julian Winters, Eric Smith, M.K. England, Emily Lloyd-Jones, and Beth Revis, follows the aftermath of the alien ship’s dramatic arrival from the perspectives of witnesses, whose lives are forever changed, and the Trevvals, who must reunite to complete their mission before midnight so their parents don’t find out that they stole the ship. While each story features a self-contained conflict, the individual entries also build on one another, creating a satisfying and suspenseful overarching narrative. The cast forms a racially diverse ensemble, and many of the stories center on LGBTQ+ characters falling in love and finding community. This anthology twinkles with an adventurous spirit, quirky personalities, hope, and a sense of belonging.

Stellar.