My Teacher is an Alien

Liza Ross is delightful in this unabridged reading of Bruce Coville's adventure story. Her reading is energetic and skillful, capturing the feel of life in the sixth grade. Ross is completely believable narrating the story of Susan Simmons, a 12-year-old whose favorite teacher, Ms. Schwartz, has been replaced by a malevolent, lime-skinned alien disguised as a human. It's up to Susan and her unlikely allies--class hoodlum Duncan and class nerd Peter--to rescue Ms. Schwartz and foil the alien plot. As Ross reads this prepubescent "Body Snatchers" tale, her voice jumps fluidly among sixth-grade characters, teachers, parents and, of course, aliens. S.E.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Author Bruce Coville is among the wonderful performers in this full-cast production. Sixth-grader Susan is shocked when she realizes that her beloved teacher has been abducted by an alien who is now posing as her class's substitute teacher. Narrator Nancy O'Connor brings youthful energy to Susan, a smart girl who prefers fading into the background to battling aliens. But Susan reluctantly builds an alliance and, ultimately, friendship with fellow student and sci-fi fan Peter, ably voiced by Evan Burmeister. Peter's calm braininess provides a subdued contrast to Susan's rising panic when she discovers that she and her classmates will be the alien's next targets for abduction. With humor and suspense in equal measure, this is an enjoyable family listen. A.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Lisa Bonet delivers a whirlwind interpretation of this timeless horror story for children. Adapted for a BBC co-production with L.A. Theatre Works in 1992, the tale of suspicions about a substitute teacher is action-packed. Bonet's portrayal of sixth grader Susan is exactly as breathless and flip as any tween would be when worrying about the messy details of friends, the school band, and unmasking an alien imposter. Her other character voices round out the radio-quality performance with the right balance of cartoon and authenticity. The only weaknesses to the listening experience are the jarring bursts of circus music at different points, likely an artifact of broadcasting breaks. A great spooky and suspenseful listen for the whole family. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine