Excellent descriptions and world building. The plot was engaging and the character development was great.

Ahoy there me mateys!  This is a sci-fi standalone that takes place in 1975 in Canberra, Australia.  Kim and his best friend Bennie are 12-years-old.  They both have "unusual" names and little sisters.  They spend their days riding their bikes and get drawn into playing a new game called Dungeons and Dragons.  Then one day they find a mysterious glowing orb that wants to connect with their minds.

Kim manages to fight it off and save his friend Bennie.  He does not manage to rescue his little sister Eila.  Kim knows the orb is dangerous.  Eila, the 10-year-old prodigy, knows she is always right.  The orb, Aster, is going to help her do great things.  How is Kim going to help free his sister and possibly save the world?

Though Kim is very worried, there is still school, daily chores, and errands to run for his parents.  The Dungeon and Dragons game is the only activity helping him get through the days while battling his anxiety and trying to come up with a solution. 

This was a cute middle grade novel even though the build up was rather slow.  Kim feels like a fleshed out character though the others are rather flimsily shown.  I loved that Kim had parents that he both respected and loved.  The climax was rather unbelievable due to the sailing elements.  However, I have to admit that the middle grade audience will likely love the climax and the rather mundane way Aster is dealt with.

This book is definitely geared toward younger kids.  The adult side of me was not super impressed but knows I would have loved this book when I was little.  If the younger reader likes aliens then they will likely enjoy this book.  Arrr!

3.5 rounded up

I wasn’t really planning on reading this, because middle grade is no longer my usual jam, but I heard Garth Nix read an excerpt from the first chapter at Worldcon and was riveted. It’s an incredibly nostalgic story, for a time and place that I don’t actually remember, but Nix loves them enough to make you feel it through the page. Kim was such an endearing protagonist and I enjoyed watching his little band of D&D enthusiasts trying their best to save the world as they know it!

Took a minute to get into the plot, but about halfway through, it began to pick up speed. The premise of the story was interesting, and setting it in the 70s - pre-cellphones, free-range kids riding bikes everywhere - added to the overall feel of the book. Great for YA sci-fi/adventure fans, but I think middle-schoolers may drop it as a DNF because the build up is slow.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

What worked:
The concept of the book is very intriguing. Kim’s younger sister is a know-it-all but becomes possessed by some ball-like being from space. Kim can stop it from taking over his mind so he knows how dangerous it can be. However, Eila thinks she’s helping the being she calls Aster so she won’t listen to her brother’s warnings. Kim becomes more worried when Eila starts sneaking the orb out at night and he watches the alien’s light kill thousands of red ants. He tries to get rid of the ball but receives an electric shock for his efforts. Readers’ emotions will range from concern for Eila, to annoyance with her superior attitude, to anger that she’s endangering other humans. Aster’s initial experiments aren’t too serious so readers aren’t sure what to make of the alien. Will it end up helping the world as Eila claims or will Kim’s worst fears come true?
Kim’s best friend is Bennie and the two of them have a tight bond. She always supports Kim’s ideas but she can be more impulsive than him. She’s willing to try touching Aster even after it sends a jolt of electricity through Kim. Their other two D&D friends, Tamara and Theo, become more significant characters in the second half of the book. They’re skeptical of Aster’s existence at first until Kim shows them solid evidence. Theo is the most thoughtful character as he doesn’t jump to conclusions and takes the time to observe and ponder possibilities. He offers a more practical viewpoint than what Kim and Bennie show up to that point.
The author adds a contrast in lifestyles through Kim and Bennie’s families. Kim’s parents run an experimental farm for the government and don’t believe in electronics. The kids are required to help with chores around the house and the farm and they insist on the whole family sitting together for dinner at six o’clock. Kim’s parents wouldn’t approve if they knew he was playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. On the other hand, Bennie’s parents are busy with their careers and rarely spend time with their kids. They often argue in front of Bennie and her sister which puts a lot of strain on their mental health. Kim and Bennie are well acquainted with each other’s family situations and they’re always there for each other with emotional support.
What didn’t work as well:
Kim has viable evidence that the ball is dangerous but the author still has him go through the motions of his normal life. He knows the alien is a threat to humanity so why is Kim having fun playing Dungeons and Dragons instead of obsessing over the problem? His friends still want to make time to play the game even as the problem escalates. Readers may wonder if the game has more importance than simply being a fun activity.
The final verdict:
Eila’s know-it-all attitude adds a twist to the conflict as the action ramps up to an exciting, suspenseful climax. The possession of a ten-year-old girl is unusual and compelling which should attract the interest of young readers. I recommend you give this book a shot.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Four friends, connected by unusual names, and, for Kim and Bennie, D&D. When they find a weird object in the lake, which appears like a disembodied head, a glowing globe, or an...old basketball, at first it's a curious adventure, and Kim's sister, Elia, tries to help teach Aster, the orb, about the world. But then there's all those dead ants...and a boneless kangaroo, and dead guinea pigs....

This is a great sci-fi book that has a bit of suspense and horror, without being too scary or intense for a middle grades audience. Nix does a good job of foreshadowing events without it being just totally obvious and tying together loose ends into a whole. The 1970's setting (and Australian setting) adds additional interest.

I have a few students who I think this will be a great fit for, and I look forward to adding it to my lending shelf.

This book is slow going in the first half, but the action picks up exponentially towards the end. I'm unsure whether the slower beginning is meant to mirror the protagonist's frustration with the situation he finds himself in (he's not in-the-know but wants to be, for example). Overall an interesting scifi read.

This review is based on an advanced copy from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic for the early read!

Let me then say I am an adult who has enjoyed so much Garth Nix, but it has been eons since I've read a kids chapter book by the author.

This story starts with a group of kids in Australia back in the 70s, riding bikes, discovering D and D, but of course, the younger sister finds a mysterious orb. The older siblings tell her it's dangerous, but she is in that rebellious smart phase of life and won't listen, and, well, I think the title will let you surmise who is right.

I found this book very reminiscent for us older generations--the ones who rode bikes and hung out with friends in person, when screens didn't take over lives, when we went adventuring and our parents didn't quite know where we were.

I don't know if the kids will get it, but this book would be great as a family read, a kids book club title, or even a discussion after the reading.

The first 2/3 sets up the story--I don't know if Kim makes the case initially for this thing being dangerous very well and so the book doesn't really grab you until the last third when all the action happens.

Would I read another Nix title? Absolutely. This one was a little simplistic (as kids chapter books go, it is on par), but I'd recommend it for kids who wanted adventure or a sci-fi/low fantasy read.

WOW! WOW! WOW! Prolific Author of Fantasy and Science Fiction Garth Nix has truly succeeded in knocking it out of the metaphorical ballpark with this utterly delightful and endearing [and yes, approaching-end-of-the-world-type scary] Science Fiction Fantasy [SFF] Coming-of-Age in Australia 🇦🇺 novel. I love these characters; I love the bravery denonstrated repeatedly by these twelve-year-olds and ten-year-olds, despite sibling conflicts, envy of others' talents, difficult parents. ..and the imminent potential end-of-the-world by a Mind-Controlling Extradimensional Entity! There's an overall flavor of 1940's UFO flaps, without being specified. I just totally adore this title, eager already to reread!

"We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord" is a middle grade science fiction novel by Garth Nix. Kim is 12 years old and out playing with his 10 year old little sister, Eila, when a sphere drops from the sky. Kim is the more practical sibling and he always feels overshadowed by Eila. The mysterious sphere seems to be telling them to touch it and commune with it, but Kim fights it off. He tells Eila not to touch it, but she does and says that everything is fine and that the sphere is an alien named Aster. With Aster's help, Eila is able to change people, but Kim sees a darker side of Aster after a whole anthill of ants, an injured kangaroo, and a guinea pig are killed by Aster trying to "heal" them and learn about them.
Kim and his friends must figure out a way to stop Aster before things get worse. Characters feel a little thin, but readers who like science fiction may enjoy this book as well. An additional purchase for middle grade sci fi collections.

4*

This story was playful, dark, and relatable. As someone who's been playing dnd for a long time, I loved the elements Nix brought into the story and how they overlapped those blurred lines between the mundane and the supernatural.

The cast of characters, particularly Kim and Bennie, displayed the ups and downs of childhood friendship and growing up.

Watching Eila understand the consequences of her actions and her new friendship with Aster was great from start to finish.

I'd recommend for any fans of Stranger Things.