This was a fun read by one of our favourites, @zanibmian . My Friend the Alien is an early reader 6+ filled with heart and humour. I love how it explores concepts of racism and refugees as well as emotions, belonging, kindness and more!

This author is fantastic, and I will always read their books – they never disappoint. The voice is authentic and the story was perfectly paced.

Maxx is an alien who has been sent to earth to learn about emotions - something they don't have on his planet - and, at first, he isn't sure if there is any point to them. But he meets a young lad called Jibreel, who is treated like an alien himself just because he is from a different part of the same planet, and begins to learn much more about feelings, kindness and lovely, lovely chocolate (the best Earth food, in Maxx's opinion, and who am I to argue). Jibreel and Maxx teach each other lots about life on their respective planets and how to cope with the problems life throws at you, wherever you're from.


A good story for 6/7+, with messages about refugees, friendship and learning to cope with and express feelings. But also plenty of bottom and snot-based humour because you can't get too much of that :-)

I requested this book because I recently read 2 of the Planet Omar books and loved them. I'd say this book is aimed at primary children aged 6-8.
Maxx is an alien on a research trip to Earth. He isn't supposed to make contact with the humans but when he isn't getting any response from his own planet, he befriends a smallish human called Jibreel at an alien exhibition. One of the things Maxx wants to learn about is human feelings, because his species don't have them. As the story progresses, Maxx learns all about human feelings and that some humans are much nicer than others!
This is a wonderful story, told in a simple diary form about friendship, emotions and fitting in. It is told in child friendly language with a few fun alien words thrown in. The addition of questions about the story is great as it encourages children to talk about and remember what has happened.
I would definitely consider using this book in school to talk about emotions and refugees as part of PSHE lessons.
I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Friend the Alien is an easy read, perfect for emerging readers looking for first chapter books. Maxx, an alien from Zerg, sets out to research feelings by observing humans on Earth, but ends up making friends with Jibreel, a young human boy. Through Jibreel, Maxx learns more than he ever anticipated about feelings and how tough life can be for children on Earth. Zanib Mian has written a lovely book, ideal for teaching younger children about feelings and friendships.

I read this @KidsBloomsbury Early Reader by @Zendibble on #Netgalley. Lovely illustrations by @sernuretta & a thoughtful funny story touching on racism, bullying, & friendship. An alien, who is stranded on earth while studying humans, befriends a refugee who is missing his mum https://t.co/7o3KgfiZaF

Maxx is an alien who is on a mission to Earth to study humans and find out about Feelings. He makes friends with a boy called Jibreel, and while Jibreel helps Maxx learn about feelings, Maxx tries to help Jibreel deal with the scary boys from his class who are always saying mean things to him about being an "alien" from another country.

Author of the Planet Omar books, Zanib Mian has once again written likable characters, enhanced by the fun illustrations by Sernur Isik. The friendship between Maxx and Jibreel is lovely: Maxx amuses with his funny questions, and Jibreel is a kind boy that I think all children can easily identify and sympathise with.

Mian also introduces serious topics - like what makes us human, what feelings mean, refugees and xenophobia (and the unfairness of stereotyping). But she does so in a light-hearted way that stops the book from being patronising or sentimental.

It's never too early to learn about these things and this book is perfectly pitched at its target age-group, with simple language that's suitable to be read to children aged 6+, and accessible enough for children aged 7+ to read to themselves. I even read it to my 9yo and 12yo and they both enjoyed it immensely!

This was a quirkily funny, touching and subtly educational story which offers a great starting-point to talk about deeper subjects. My kids gave it 5 stars, and I'm inclined to agree.

This book is a must-read for all 7-9 year olds and the inner-child within us all. In a subtle way, it brings about so much for classroom discussion: discussing what feelings are; true friendship; and what a refugee is. It is also brilliant how Mian has included Jibreel, the leader of the angels according to Muslim belief. With a touch of comedy and through not complicating the themes but simply normalising them, it makes those difficult discussion simple and accessible for all. My classes will definitely know about this book by the time they leave my classroom. A tremendous addition to balancing representation of BAME characters and authors.

Maxx has arrived on a mission, to research the feelings of humans, but his crash landing has broken the Filandoo Sperk and he is receiving no feedback to his reports from his home planet. He needs some help with understanding the feelings he is witnessing, and is lucky to meet Jibreel who takes him to an exhibition about aliens. Maxx knows he is the one from another planet, so when some scary boys from Jibreel’s school upset him by calling him an alien, Maxx wants to do something about it.
Written from Maxx’s point of view in short, easily read sentences, this novel presents contemporary themes in a way that children can understand and prompts them to think more deeply about them. Maxx’s observations of life on earth are funny and the overall tone of the book is light-hearted and entertaining, but it raises important issues of friendship, acceptance and doing what you know to be right in an entertaining and heart-warming way, which less experienced readers will find very accessible.