Life in Outer Space

July 15, 2013
Sam Kinnison may claim an address in Melbourne, Australia, but from the moment Camilla Carter walks into first-period English, he might as well live in outer space. The impossibly cool English transfer student is Bowen Lakes Secondary's own "statistical anomaly," breezing back and forth between the upper echelons of the "A-group" royalty and Sam and his friends at the very bottom of the social pecking order. And for some inexplicable reason, she actually seems to prefer hanging out with Sam. Kudos to the publisher for resisting the temptation to Americanize Sam's story and for allowing his brilliant and uniquely Australian humor to shine through. There's just something especially delicious about Sam's description of the king of the jocks (otherwise known as the "Assorted Vessels of Wank") as being a "pus-filled tumor on the arse of my life." Though a secondary storyline about Sam's gay best friend flounders, leaving his oft-referred-to sexuality feeling a bit gratuitous, there's much to enjoy in the budding relationship between Camilla and Sam. As both kids struggle with issues on the homefront, they find a genuine ease and comfort with one another that make them an unlikely couple worth rooting for. Much like a John Hughes movie, this is a humorous, heartfelt and angst-y romance with the potential to break the gender barrier. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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November 1, 2013
Budding horror-filmmaker Sam is tight with his posse of fellow Aussie misfits: best friend Mike, who is gay and out to his pals but not to anyone else; highly excitable, fiercely loyal, undersized (in height, if not girth) Adrian, called the Troll by the school jocks; and consummate nerd-girl Allison. Then Camilla arrives on the scene: daughter of a peripatetic rock-and-roll journalist; beautiful; tattooed; worldly; lonely. Like a chameleon, she blends right in with the cool kids, but she also hangs with Sam and his crew, sometimes even managing to coax them into trying new things (going to the school dance, for example). The further Sam tiptoes out of his comfort zone, the more he comes into his own, realizing that his and Camilla's friendship is a two-way street and not just infatuation on his part (though it is that, too). Camilla is like a John Green girl with slightly less angst; her pedestal is a bit lower than a Katherine, an Alaska, or a Margo Roth Spiegelman, so her actions seem a little more human. There's also more to the book than the will-they-or-won't-they of Sam and Camilla. The supporting charactersMike especiallyare multifaceted and real. Snappy banter and fish-out-of-water situations combine with touching moments to create an entertaining and diverting read. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
Budding horror-filmmaker Sam is tight with his posse of fellow Aussie misfits: gay best friend Mike; highly excitable Adrian; and consummate nerd-girl Allison. Then beautiful, worldly Camilla arrives. She hangs with Sam and his friends, and manages to coax them out of their comfort zone. Snappy banter and fish-out-of-water situations combine with touching moments to create an entertaining and diverting read.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

December 13, 2012

Sam Kinnison isn’t having the ideal high school experience. While he has good friends and gets good marks, he is also on the receiving end of many a practical joke. A horror film fanatic and World of Warcraft player, he is pretty happy with his geekdom. When Camilla Carter arrives at school—beautiful, cool and also a World of Warcraft player—Sam finds his life changing. Camilla seems to be possessed with strange powers that make the jocks more accepting of Sam and his nerdy friends. Unfortunately for both him and Camilla, Sam is a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to girls. It takes him a ludicrously long time to realise that he is totally in love with Camilla and even longer to figure out she might reciprocate his feelings. I couldn’t help but be reminded of John Green while reading Life in Outer Space with its nerdy boys, dream girl and lots of introspection. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I would give it to both teenage girls and boys who are looking for books with real-life drama. There is a bit of mild swearing but nothing too intense. Melissa Keil’s debut novel was the first book signed up to Hardie Grant Egmont’s Ampersand Project, an initiative to publish new YA books from unpublished writers. 

Amelia Vahtrick is the children’s book buyer at Better Read Than Dead is Newtown