Books by Brian Yansky
Young Adult Novels
Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences
by Brian Yansky
Candlewick, 2010
Blurbs
“Fast-paced, sly, and surprisingly humane, Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences is the most fun I’ve had reading a Young Adult Novel this year.”
—Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere.
“Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky combines humor, philosophical depth and a sparkling imagination to create a work that is thoroughly enjoyable.”
—Francisco X. Stork, author of
Marcelo in the Real World.
“Wry, fierce, richly imagined—the total conquest of humanity has never been so entertaining.”
—Bestselling author of Eternal,
Cynthia Leitch Smith.
“A clever premise, a fast pace, and characters I’d like to hang out with if they’d let me. Eminently readable and thought provoking, too. A+”
—Ron Koertge, author of Stoner and Spaz.
“Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences is a fast, fun, funicular of a joyride. Aliens, telepathy, rebels, romance, and humor—what’s not to like? Climb aboard and hang on tight!”
—National Book Award winner
for Godless, Pete Hautman
Early Reviews
“Alien Invasion is nothing if not action-packed, and yet it is provocative, profound, and wickedly funny as well. Yansky takes on questions philosophical, ecological (the Sanginians abhor machines and won't be cutting down any more rainforests; is the Earth better off?), religious, moral, and social.”
—The Horn Book
Blog Buzz
“Even if you don’t think aliens are your thing, I’d recommend giving this one a try. It’s a fantastic story of survival, and has a great message when it comes to how we treat our planet.”
—Christine at The Fiction Enthusiast
“It’s an adventure from the first to the last paragraph and I for one am hoping there is more to come. This is a book that will appeal to most any teenage boy, even those a little reluctant to read, as well as fans of science fiction everywhere. Pick this up now…you never know when you may need your own back-up plan for escape!”
—The1stDaughter at There's a Book
Buy the book on Amazon
Download a Reader's Guide [PDF]
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Wonders of the World
by Brian Yansky
Flux, 2007
About the Novel
Wonders of the World is about Eric, a seventeen-year-old whose father disappeared when he was twelve, and whose mother remarried a moron and took the moron's side every single minute of every single day. When Eric runs away from home, he ends up living on the street. He has only the memories of his father's stories, which he thinks of as wonders, and friends such as Payback, Birdboy and the girl he loves, Catgirl, to keep him going. When he gets noticed by the ruler of the street named Bluebeard, his struggle to survive gets more precarious. Then he discovers acting through involvement with a small theater group and he feels an excitement he's never felt before. Is it enough to get off the street in the face of the powerful and ruthless Bluebeard? You know the answer. You have to read to find out.
Selected Reviews
“Grim realism about homelessness with a touch of magical realism, told in a meaningfully spare first-person voice… the author deftly and subtly portrays Eric’s slow acknowledgement of the truth about his father.”
—Kirkus
“This is a dark, gripping, tale with a sympathetic protagonist….”
—Edge of the Forest
“Yansky is a fine writer who masters a complicated narrative.”
—Kliatt
Go to chapter 1 of Wonders of the World.
Order the book from Amazon.com.
My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World
by Brian Yansky
Cricket Books, 2003
About the Novel
My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World is set in 1979.
Simon, our hero, is having problems. He can't get along with his dad, his girlfriend has dumped him, and he's been seeing too much of the police. On top of all this, he's adopted and he can't quite get past the feeling that he doesn't belong anywhere. Not with his adopted parents and not in his small Iowa town. So when he gets suspended from school he steals his dad's car and heads for Texas where he believes his birth parents live.
Along the way he meets an Elvis impersonator (who might not be an impersonator at all), a couple of drifters, and a sexy girl named Charlie. Once he arrives at his destination (Austin, Texas) he meets two people he never really expected to meet and they change everything.
Selected Reviews
“…there's plenty of madcap hilarity but beneath it all are serious underpinnings …Yansky neatly shows the thrill and allure of the ageless answer to teen troubles: roadtrip!”
—Booklist
“Keenly observed and continually surprising, this is one road trip well worth taking.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Simon's disaffection is compellingly and believably expressed, but the understated, very dryly humorous tone of his narration keeps the angst from being overwhelming and recalls Flannery O'Connor in its matter-of-fact observations of a very strange world.”
—Bulletin of The Center For Children's Books
Go to chapter 1 of My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World.
Order the book from Amazon.com.
