Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

The biggest thing to know here for Christian parents is that this is from the author responsible for the very popular Land of Stories series. For those of you who follow this site, you may know that this was one of our “series that go off the rails” as it progressed into the Tales of Magic, Tales of Witchcraft and Tales of Sorcery. Please take time to read our review of Land of Stories review if you are considering this title and whether to trust this author to take your child drawn into a new series. As for this particular title, there is quite a bit to share here. The first item comes right at the start with the author’s note. The author takes time to let the reader know that this book is based on a long list of scientific areas of study (gives a long impressive list). He then tells us that Chapter 1 headlines come from ‘real publications’ and that chapter 2 is made up of experiences described by real eyewitnesses. He tells the young reader that he “strongly encourages every reader to research them further. After all, the truth is out there”. All of it sounds very factual, researched and serious. Then what follows is an elaborate, out-there story full of all types of wacky aliens… a work of science fiction. This could certainly cause some susceptible young readers to be drawn into a world of UFOs, government cover-ups, alien abductions, etc. This is enhanced by the main character, who comes across as a ‘good’ kid, and his grandparents, who come across as solid characters, all believe fully that they have been visited by aliens many times in the past. In fact, you could say that Roswell is obsessed with them. His science fair project mentions story after story of alien interactions. It references 2,000 people reporting abductions. The mean/bad/racist character, who is terrible, is shown as illogically standing against all of this ‘evidence’. This all happens during the “normal” part of the story, making it feel very ‘real’ and it seems like there is an overwhelming amount of ‘evidence’ out there. This is not a message/feel many Christian parents would want for their young readers. To make this even worse, when pointing to antiquity he says, “Could angels and prophets described in the Bible, the Tanakh, and the Koran actually have been extraterrestrials? So there’s that… There is a very secular feel to the whole book. Example comments: “life has blessed you with a brilliant mind”. “Is life just a big cosmic accident?”. On his mom’s passing we hear, “Wherever mommy is, I bet she has the answers to life’s greatest mysteries” followed by “Yep, in fact she’s probably watching us right now… that’s what I believe happens when we die – our spirits leave our bodies and we learn about everything in the universe”. One character says, “Holy Steven Spielberg”, “Holy Stan Lee”, “Holy Godzilla”, “Holy solar flares” and “Holy Signory Weaver”. “Oh my God” appears multiple times. A strange dog-like alien is getting petted by multiple characters and starts yelling out “Hallelujah” over and over. There are several references to ‘evolution’, such as “Evolution has a sick sense of humor” and when a human is referred to as a “primate” and “neanderthal”. At one point the young reader hears that the chicken is a direct descendant of the Tyrannosaurus Rex (making foolishness of the ‘wisdom’ of the wise!). Later the “Big Bang” is explained in detail as a known fact. An alien says, “Earth is a disgusting place”. A character says, “Maybe fate put us together for a reason”. At one point an alien race says that “with a small swap of cellular proteins, we can alter the appearance, the intelligence, the life span, and the purpose of anything we want”, a very secular view of thinking that humans can replace God. At one point when they are shining like rainbows someone asks, “why do we look like a pride parade”? At one point Roswell comments that something is ‘up to the universe’. In a similar vein, the crew reaches a planet that seems to represent a paradise-like utopia without God (the failed promise of the modern secular world). On this planet we see it ruled by all women. There is a mention of being technologically advanced because of an early interest in ‘renewable energy’. This scene gets ultra-concerning from a Christian perspective when this ‘advanced’ race agrees to help the crew, but must first examine Roswell’s “aura”, which they say is “an energetic field our souls emit into the universe. It tells who someone is, and the type of person they will become”. So there’s that. They proceed into visiting “the astral plane” where he has a very detailed to the reader “transcendence”. We hear that “only the most enlightened can enter it” (remember the claim of scientific research/validity in the author’s note). While analyzing the colors of his ‘aura’ the author uses this as one of many points to rail against the human race, of course this is all without pointing to the truth (that this is a good creation with a very real issue, sin and separation from and rebellion against our loving, good God). They tell Roswell he has a pure and noble character and a pure heart. There is a really strange scene emotionally charged scene where the cyborg in their crew stands up in front of a large council of various races to argue for cyborgs to be viewed as ‘living beings’. He points to single cell organisms evolving into humans (stated as a fact) as an example that has now happened as microchips have ‘evolved’ into a cyborg. The whole section feels like it is trying to leave young reader feeling something deep and important is being communicated about our world, but it just ends up being wrong and strange. The aliens use the word “Source” in place of God. When Roswell asks “The source is everything and anything around you. It’s the past, present and future. It’s the force that created our universe… The Source was the spark that started the Big Bang… Even with all the knowledge and technology in the universe today, no one knows the source of the Source. It is the greatest mystery of all time” (man, it is so sad to see people struggle without the truth). An alien asks Roswell if his family practices any religion on earth to which he just responds that, “I think my great-uncle is a Christian pastor”. At one point Roswell asks an alien if they are “male, female or non-binary” to which the super-advanced alien lifeform replies that they “are genderless”, implying they cast that concept off as they evolved. Later cyborgs are said to have male, female and “gender-neutral” frames. An odd female dog-type character is shown as someone who ‘gets around’. At one point she says, “so you want to use the energy between us to power another man?... Wow, I did not see that coming. This is a first for me”. She makes a slew of unfortunate comments and references that are meant to be funny. She also uses specific famous people by name as examples of people who are desirable, saying she was dreaming about them. She also makes comments like “life fast and die fun, that’s my motto” and calls something “free as a Furgarian (her alien race) divorce”. For her home world (a place with heavy focus on things like pubs, casinos, dance clubs, etc.) she references the awful Vegas slogan, “What happens in… stays in…”. At one point each character is able to choose any form of transportation they can imagine and she selects a carriage pulled by male models in swimsuits. She also introduces herself as Roswell’s ‘future ex-wife”. There are a TON of references to various movies, shows, books, music, etc. There are probably more in this book than all the others we have reviewed to date combined. The following musical artists are all referenced: Nickleback, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Fugees, Ja Rule, David Bowie, Adele, Outkast, Whitney Houston, Rolling Stones, Elvis, Rihanna, Dolly Parton and Nirvana. The following movies/shows are all referenced: Guardians of the Galaxy, Men in Black, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Signs, Star Trek, X-Files, Ancient Aliens, Independence Day, Baywatch, Murder She Wrote, M.A.S.H., Charlie’s Angels, Mork & Mindy, Three’s Company, The Matrix, Stranger Things and Real Housewives. The following books were all referenced: 2001 A Space Odyssey, Cosmos, Dawn, The War of the Worlds, Out on a Limb, I was a Sixth Grade Alien, A Wrinkle in Time, Saucers, Spacemen & Secrets: Extraterrestrial Sightings through the Ages, Agathe Christe novels. A very ‘real’ feeling story is told of a group of kids at a school who saw the same thing and tests seemed to confirm they were telling the truth. Roswell mentions that this was “confirmation” that “they must be telling the truth”. This is followed by his dad’s flashback story where a UFO was seen multiple times. Other things to be aware of: The following phrases are used - “taken a dump”, “for the love of God” (flippant), “jerk”, “stupid”, “Dear God”, “there is no sin in synergy”, and “if looks could kill Roswell and his friends would have been slaughtered by the hatred beaming from the General’s yellow eyes”. There is a reference to covid boosters, vaccines and a hole in the ozone layer. One reference to a “haunted maze”. There is one character who speaks in a series of beep-like noises. The author uses this for jokes in the responses from another alien. Examples: “Don’t tell him to kiss that goodbye! Watch your mouth in front of children”, “Watch your language!” and “For once, I agree with your profanity – the Reptoids are a bunch of those”. A rich man is said to be continually drinking champagne (cocktail from a martini glass). This uber-rich man who is not all a great guy says, “hashtag blessed”. Roswell considers lying to impress the science fair judge, but ultimately doesn’t. After a bad interaction with the terrible mayor, implied to be racist, Roswell switches into what many will see as a strong victim mentality that could certainly have been handled better (e.g., when talking to his older, wiser grandparents). At one point he says, “apparently it is all about race”, which doesn’t fit where it is said, and the story just moves on. Later he tells a set of aliens, “You have no idea what it is like to be on earth! Especially to be young and black on earth”. Roswell’s grandpa Pop makes an oversimplified comment about a rich man’s expensive space program “do you know how many homeless people he could have housed? How many hungry people he could have fed”? Someone mentions being a “Leo with a Pieces moon”. In space the crew sees a “witch head nebula” and one character makes the joke, “son of a witch”. Another says it looks like a ‘crystal ball’.