This is a book about a girl who believes in aliens. And because she believes in aliens, and doesn't try to hide it, she doesn't fit in.

And she doesn't care.

And that makes her bullies even angrier, because to them, you have to fit in.

And so we have a story that appears to be about a girl who is obsessed with UFOs, and crop circles, and such, and yes, it is about that.

But it is also about how people want those around them to fit in, at any cost, no matter how mean they have to be.

And amazingly enough, the narrator is one of the girls that wants Jennifer to fit in, at any cost.

Very hard book to read, being told by one of the bullies, and the author said she wrote it because she was bullied, and had to get her story out there, because, as was she was told, when she confronted her bullies years later, it wasn't personal. To not take it personally.

But we do.

Good book to read when you want to see how the bullies think, and understand, and see how things can go wrong.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

It's hard enough to be the newcomer in middle school, let alone someone different from the rest of the crowd, straight from the beginning. It appears that the newcomer also believes in aliens. Initially, the reader may think it's about the alien matter but will soon find out that bullying, its beginnings and aftermath, is the point of it.

What's interesting is that the story unwinds from the bully's viewpoint. It seems so believable that Mallory, hte main character, gets caught up in wanting to fit in so much that she's willing to follow her friends into being unkind and cruel at the expense of the newcomer. Middle schoolers will be able to identify with this sad situation in some aspect.

The author did a great job of conveying the uncertainty and chilling situations that arise at this age. She shows the good along with the bad. What's especially vital is the author's resolution of the troubling situation. Her characters recognized the harshness of bullying head-on and the lessons learned. Bullying is such a difficult situation and this book meets it honestly and directly.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53129487-jennifer-chan-is-not-alone" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638817487l/53129487._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53129487-jennifer-chan-is-not-alone">Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15057024.Tae_Keller">Tae Keller</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4585740089">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Thank you to NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book in return for my honest opinion. I think the book portrays the angst and dilemma that many middle schoolers face when they see someone being bullied but don't have the tools to address it. The main focus was on HOW Jennifer Chan was bullied and her heightened curiosity (obsession ?) with aliens. I wish the book would have spent more time on why she was bullied and some of the smaller stories that were touched upon but not developed. This included Reagan and her mom, and how Mallory shared experiencing racism like Jennifer. Both of those things were eluded to and would have more fully explained the "why" of the bullying. Jennifer was having a very hard time dealing with the death of her father, with whom she was very close and Jennifer's mom never sought out help for her, and she needed it. I know that the author's note at the end of the book should not be used to judge the body of the book, but I found one part kind of disturbing. Although Ms. Keller finally does encourage readers to tell an adult, it comes after wishing that "one day you will heal from it and grow from it."
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/63680276-ls-johnson">View all my reviews</a>

12-year old Mal is a worrier. She knows that people are really “just a collection of what other people think about us.” So although she thinks her own opinion matters, she is sure that what others think matters even more. And this becomes a problem when she meets Jennifer — the intriguing new girl who enthusiastically and loudly believes in aliens and is never going to fit in with the kids at school.

This is a coming of age story both about an outsider (based on beliefs, not color or ethnicity) and a girl who is intent on always fitting in, even in the face of unfairness, meanness, and outright bullying of others. Excellent writing, good messaging with a variety of sources: parents, religion(s), and introspection.

Some good quotes:
“At services tonight, the rabbi talked about forgiveness, how it’s not only between you and God. He said God exists in the relationships between people, so forgiveness is between you and the person you hurt.”

“Why are people so afraid to believe? Well, Jennifer, maybe because it’s impossibly embarrassing to be proven wrong.”

“It’s so easy to talk bad about someone. It’s so easy to bond over hating someone else. It’s almost scary how naturally it comes.”

“Maybe. But sometimes I think complicated is the word people use when they don’t want to think too hard.”

“Confession isn’t about telling our secrets to God. God already knows. It’s about revealing our true hearts to ourselves, because we can’t know who we are when we’re hiding from who we’ve been.”

“I had to make her understand that this mattered — what people thought had everything to do with who she was. Because how do we know who we are without knowing our place in the world?”

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing the E-ARC of this book.

Another Tae Keller book that made me cry :') I thought that it was interesting writing in the perspective of the bully, also taking in accounts of bystanders. There are some deep questions that are explored within this book, such as "Are we forgiven for the bad things that we do? Does our bad define who we are?" I believe that this book illuminates the topics of bullying, forgiveness, friendship, identity... I also thought that the inclusion of aliens, the idea that humans aren't alone in this world, was a great parallel in showing us that we aren't alone in our struggles and beliefs.

There were some parts that felt forced, and seemed out of place. However... Overall, I believe that "Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone" is a book that's a perfect book for children learning about courage, owning up to our mistakes, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

Boom! We learn right off, Jennifer Chan is in fact missing.

Why? It seems she has run away. Mallory and her friends are worried that a conflict they had with her might be the cause of her flight. Are the girls concerned for Jennifer’s well being or they just worried they might get in trouble.

The chapters alternate between “Then” and “Now.”
So let’s go back to “Then.”

Jennifer Chan is moving from Chicago to a small neighbourhood in Florida. There is a nasty rumour preceding her arrival that she killed someone, or hurt someone or something like that. Yeah the rumors vary. Mallory's mother, who is half Korean, is eager to meet the Chans, who are Chinese American, since there are few other Asians in their area.

Mallory is the first to get to know Jennifer. She isn't thrilled to find out that Jennifer will be attending Gibbons Academy, where Mallory has attended since she was little. She knows already her friends Tess and Reagan will think the new girl is weird.

Jennifer is dealing not only with the move and being the new girl, but also the death of her father, with whom she shared an interest in space. Specifically, Jennifer is interested in space aliens, and thinks that if she finds the right frequency, she will be able to communicate with them. Well that may be a little weird. Even though Mallory knows that her friends won't understand, she is oddly drawn to both Jennifer and her theories, and helps her investigate. For this fact, Mallory reconnects with the science club members Kath and Ingrid, whom Reagan definitely classifies as weird. The science girls are reluctant to talk to Mallory since she hangs out with the popular girls, yet they are intrigued by Jennifer's ideas. The interactions between these unlikely girls escalate and Jennifer draws the girls further into her alien speculations. Then she goes too far, especially in Reagan’s eyes. This results in a nasty interchange. Bullying abounds! Now Jennifer is gone and everyone is searching for her. The girls have her journals and are conducting their own search based on the entries unknown to the grownups.

The book has plenty of girlfriend drama. Jennifer is quirky, different, and proud of it, which makes new girl acceptance a bit tricky. Mallory likes Jennifer, even though she knows her friends will not approve, and ultimately does the right thing, even though it is a struggle. This is very realistic portrayal of school life. And for good reason. Read the author's note and you’ll know why.

Bullying is never simple, and this book addresses the topic very well. I especially appreciated that both girls' Asian American backgrounds come into play, but are not the entire focus of the story.
I felt, but I’m an adult not a teen, Jennifer's interests in space aliens went a bit beyond quirky. Could this be related to her father's death and did she need counselling to deal with the fact.

I think this will be a popular check out for middle grade and YA readers.
My hope is that readers will understand and reflect on their own behavior to prevent that kind of pain that comes from being the victim of bullying. Think twice when a new student enters the mix and don’t listen to rumors

This was an interesting and honest take on how middle school bullying not only affects victims but also the bullies themselves. Mallory is a middle school girl who is always anxious about fitting in. Even though she is is part of the "popular crowd" in school, she always anxious about saying and doing the right thing to keep her status. One day a new girl, Jennifer Chan, moves to town. Jennifer is everything Mallory isn't. She is quirky, confident, and absolutely sure that aliens exist. Mallory finds Jennifer's ideas about aliens strange at first but is soon wrapped up in Jennifer's evidence and alien observation journals. But, their budding friendship withers when school starts and rumors about the new girl spread as only middle school gossip can. Mallory's popular friend group finds Jennifer to be weird and Jennifer begins to hide the time they spent together. Eventually, Jennifer goes from being the mysterious new girl to a social outcast. One day, Jennifer goes missing and Mallory can't help but think it was all her fault. The story goes between the "then" and "now" recapping what happened before Jennifer's disappearance and how Mallory and her friends played a part in it.
I like how the story explored Mallory's anxiousness that ultimately turned into following her popular friends in bullying Jennifer. She tries so hard to be perfect but ends up doing something awful to a girl who just wanted to be her friend. The book explorers bullying in a way that leaves the reader hopeful about learning from mistakes that we think we might be able to come back from, forgiving others, and forgiving ourselves.

Fitting in and finding your niche in middle school is tough enough without being the new kid in town. Being the new kid who also believes in aliens and isn't afraid to share her research notebooks supporting their existence immediately puts her in the category of kids who are destined to become a favorite target of bullies. Mallory is her new neighbor and the summer before school starts, Jennifer starts to believe that Mallory will have her back in middle school as they have spent a good bit of time together over the summer. When Mallory returns to school though, she chooses to join her popular friends and to ignore both Jennifer and the bullying that her popular friends are subjecting Jennifer to. Keller's middle grade novel hits life in the hallways and classrooms right on the nose. The conversations, taunting and bullying and the fear of being labeled one of the "losers" keeps genuinely good kid Mallory from standing up for what she knows deep down is right. Peer pressure is very real here as is Jennifer's reaction to Mallory's betrayal. Give this one to any kid who works outside the box and those kids on the fence, unsure about popularity vs. fairness.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before its publication date.

Being the new girl in 7th grade is never easy, but when she believes in aliens, it's even worse. This novel is told from the point of view of Mallory, one of the "popular" girls in her small Florida town. When Jennifer Chan arrives, full of self-confidence and a strong belief in aliens, Mallory is faced with a dilemma. make friends with Jennifer or stick with her popular friends.
This novel explores the repercussions of bullying in middle school. We see characters grow and examine their choices as they face peer pressure and bullying, both as the bully and the one being bullied. This is a great story that needs to be read by middle school students.

The first thing we find out about Jennifer Chan is that she is missing, presumably because she has run away. Mallory and her friends are worried that an interaction they had with her might be the cause of her flight, and are concerned that they might get in trouble. We then go back to the start of it all: there is someone moving into Mallory's Southern Florida neighborhood, and her friends at school are all abuzz-- Jennifer Chan is coming from Chicago, and rumor has it that she killed someone. Or hurt someone, rumors vary. Mallory's mother, who is half Korean, is eager to meet the Chans, who are Chinese American, since there are few other Asians in their area. Mallory isn't thrilled to find out that Jennifer will be attending Gibbons Academy, where she has gone since she was younger, since she can tell that her friends Tess and Reagan will think the new girl is a little "weird". Jennifer is dealing not only with the move, but the death of her father, with whom she shared an interest in space. Specifically, Jennifer is intersted in space aliens, and thinks that if she finds the right frequency, she will be able to communicate with them. Even while Mallory knows that her friends won't understand, she is oddly draw to both Jennifer and her theories, and helps her investigate. This brings her back in contact with science club members Kath and Ingrid, whom Reagan definitely classifies as "weird". They are reluctant to talk to Mallory since she hangs out with the popular girls, but are also intrigued by Jennifer's ideas. When Jennifer draws the girls further into her alien speculations, she runs afoul of Reagan and the girls have a nasty interchange. Will Mallory be able to figure out where Jennifer is before any harm comes to her? And what's the right thing to do when your friends are being mean to someone else?
Strengths: This has plenty of friend drama, and has some similaries to Walker's Let's Pretend We Never Met; one of the hardest things about middle school is balancing being a kind person and fitting in with others. Students like Jennifer, who are quirky, different, and proud of it, are tough to befriend, because in middle school, "weird" definitely rubs off. This is a great, nuanced discussion of that fine line that needs to be walked, and is based on a pivotal experience from Keller's own tweendom. Mallory likes Jennifer, even though she knows her friends will not approve, and ultimately does the right thing, even though it is a struggle. This is very realistic, and not easy to find in today's middle grade literature. Bullying isn't as simple as it is sometimes portrayed, and this book addresses that very well. I especially appreciated that both girls' Asian American backgrounds come in to play, but are not the entire focus of the story.
Weaknesses: Jennifer's interests in space aliens went a bit beyond quirky, and as an adult, I worried that she needed some help in the wake of her father's death that she wasn't getting.
What I really think: This had a bit of the same feel as King's The Year We Fell From Space, with touches of Summy's The Disappearance of Emily H. It's a mystery, but the social interactions are at the forefront of the novel.

Started off our first ice day of the school year by staying in bed and reading this wonderful middle grade book coming out in April. It’s unflinching honesty leads us into conversations we don’t often have about bullying, how it might not be anything personal, but just something people do. I love the friendship dynamics and how every character was nuanced instead of flat. Really wonderful addition to book collections everywhere #pernillerecommends

Keller's latest, a story that on the surface is about a girl who is searching for aliens, is really a book about mean girls and bullying. Mallory is middle schooler in a small Florida town and when Jennifer Chan moves in across the street at the end of the summer, Mallory befriends her, only to later stand by silently, and at times participate in the bullying of the new girl. Keller recounts her own experience being bullied in an author's note at the end of the book and for everyone who has ever felt bullied, we all know how raw those emotions can be, even decades later. I think the hope is that young readers will understand and reflect on their own behavior to prevent that kind of pain, but the book sometimes feels a bit didactic and heavy-handed. Review from e-galley.

Jennifer Chan is Not Alone is about a girl named Mallory and what happens when she learns her neighbor, a girl named Jennifer Chan, has gone missing. The narrative alternates between the present in the days after Jennifer's disappearance and Mallory's recollections of the past, including her bulling of Jennifer and Jennifer's obsession with contacting aliens. I think this is a good option for middle schoolers since it explores the topics of bulling and social isolation in a way that will feel accessible to them. While I think the conflicts of the story wrap up a bit too neatly, readers will still be drawn into the story and it's realistic characters.

I firmly believe that Tae Keller is the best middle grade author out there right now. Yet again, this book does such a fantastic job of presenting real, serious topics in an empathetic and appropriate way that doesn't talk down to kids.

Tae's books are amazing and inspirational and Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone does not disappoint. The chapters alternate between present day when Jennifer is missing and the past where Mallory details the events leading up to The Incident. This read tackles bullying, friendship, self-confidence, racism, and the yearning to fit in during the middle school years.