Scan barcode
A review by thebooknerdscorner
Ambassador by William Alexander
3.0
A really fun middle grade read that expertly ties science fiction and everyday life together in a balanced blend that is exciting to read!
"Ambassador" follows eleven-year-old Gabe as and his Mexican American family. It's a normal summer day for Gabe when all of a sudden a mysterious alien creature called the Envoy disturbs his everyday life. He learns that Earth is in need of an ambassador to negotiate peace with adjacent planets and neighboring lifeforms. But some of his alien neighbors are less than friendly. After only a few days as Terra's ambassador, Gabe finds himself on the dangerous end of an assassination plot, which puts his negotiation skills to the test.
I had my ups and downs when reading this book, but it is relatively short, making it a fun read the whole way through. One of the best parts of this story for me was the parallels between aliens from other planets and illegal aliens to the United States. Much of this story focuses around Gabe's family's status as citizens and I feel the parallels between Gabe's family life and his ambassador life are well balanced. Also, this book plain out shocked me a couple times with things I was not expecting at all, which was a nice surprise. Another thing that I want to point out is that "Ambassador" takes place in my home state of Minnesota, which made me feel that much more connected to the story. Finally, I love how much Gabe mention Zorro! Every time that I think back to the old black and white show featuring Zorro, I can't help but crack up. The fact that Gabe kept bringing him up kept me smiling the whole book through.
My biggest critique on this one has to be the ending. The book doesn't exactly end off on a cliffhanger it just kind of. . . ends. It ends with a statement and when I read it I was like, "Oh, I guess it's over." I have the sequel, so it's not that big of a deal, it just had one of the most sudden endings I've ever read.
Overall, "Ambassador" was a short read that I enjoyed quite a bit. If you like stories about aliens, then Gabe's tale is sure to show you a fresh take on the alien invasion trope!
"Ambassador" follows eleven-year-old Gabe as and his Mexican American family. It's a normal summer day for Gabe when all of a sudden a mysterious alien creature called the Envoy disturbs his everyday life. He learns that Earth is in need of an ambassador to negotiate peace with adjacent planets and neighboring lifeforms. But some of his alien neighbors are less than friendly. After only a few days as Terra's ambassador, Gabe finds himself on the dangerous end of an assassination plot, which puts his negotiation skills to the test.
I had my ups and downs when reading this book, but it is relatively short, making it a fun read the whole way through. One of the best parts of this story for me was the parallels between aliens from other planets and illegal aliens to the United States. Much of this story focuses around Gabe's family's status as citizens and I feel the parallels between Gabe's family life and his ambassador life are well balanced. Also, this book plain out shocked me a couple times with things I was not expecting at all, which was a nice surprise. Another thing that I want to point out is that "Ambassador" takes place in my home state of Minnesota, which made me feel that much more connected to the story. Finally, I love how much Gabe mention Zorro! Every time that I think back to the old black and white show featuring Zorro, I can't help but crack up. The fact that Gabe kept bringing him up kept me smiling the whole book through.
My biggest critique on this one has to be the ending. The book doesn't exactly end off on a cliffhanger it just kind of. . . ends. It ends with a statement and when I read it I was like, "Oh, I guess it's over." I have the sequel, so it's not that big of a deal, it just had one of the most sudden endings I've ever read.
Overall, "Ambassador" was a short read that I enjoyed quite a bit. If you like stories about aliens, then Gabe's tale is sure to show you a fresh take on the alien invasion trope!