How to be a Human

How to be a Human is a heart-warming story about friendships and finding yourself, with an added sci-fi twist!

Kiki has started senior school and is flattered to be befriended by the popular girls, leaving her old friends behind, until a humiliating incident at a party makes her a laughing stock and the new ‘friends’ quickly drop her from their gang.

Quirky Wes has never been popular at school and is an easy target for the school bullies. His home life has been unsettled since his Mum left and he spends much of his time alone.

The unlikely duo stumble across an alien spaceship, which has crash landed in the school playground, following unusual electrical storms and flooding in the local area. They are then surprised to meet Star Boy, the owner of the spaceship, who has been hiding out in the school basement and observing them from afar.

The alien is keen to immerse himself fully in human life and, with the help of his new friends, ‘Stan Boyd’ gets to experience proper human activities, including a school classroom, visiting a carpet shop and riding on a bus for the first time!

Karen McCombie weaves an insightful tale with situations that all readers will identify with; new schools, choosing the right friends and social media nightmares, to name but a few. There are some full ‘laugh out loud’ scenarios too, as Kiki and Wes try to explain the human world to their new friend, alongside touching moments, while they discover what is most important to them, in both home and school relationships.

Ultimately, their alien encounter encourages Kiki and Wes to gain the confidence needed to stand up for themselves and their true friends, with the ending indicating potential future adventures for them and Star Boy. I, for one, can’t wait to read more!