Country and The Rock

Country and the Rock

A Novella by S. Willett

Genre: Middle Grade Sci-Fi Fantasy

Editor: Tanja Cilia

Line Editor: Susan Davis

Cover Designer: Kaytalin Platt

Words: 24780

Pages: 83

ISBN: 978-1-77127-096-0

Price: $3.50

Back Cover:

Twelve-year-old Sean West, also known as Country, sees an explosion of light and finds clues that lead him to Clicker, a young alien, who wants to know what it’s like to be a boy from Earth.

Country and his friends show Clicker all kinds of Earth-boy fun and Clicker teaches them about planet, Sory, in the Whirlpool Galaxy.

They discover keeping Clicker a secret from others isn’t so easy. Not only are the boys thwarted by Country’s sister but by the local sheriff, the FBI, and some thieves from another planet, Venatici.

Excerpt:

The creature’s unblinking eyes stared deep into mine. We stood by the Clubhouse for what seemed a lifetime. His hair was combed back, revealing his forehead, a throbbing red area that resembled the inside of a fish’s gill. Strips of skin separating the gill-like areas moved rhythmically.

In every other way the creature appeared human—except that the look in his eyes gave you the same feel-good sensation you get when you hold a baby puppy. He took a step toward me, holding my gaze. Mason rounded the corner of the Clubhouse, coming right behind the creature.

I wanted to shake my head to warn Mason because he could only see the back of the creature. Mason wasn’t one for following rules. But he did follow one rule and made sure everyone else did too, the rule of the Clubhouse: No Outsiders!

The creature stopped. He reached out to me.

I’m not sure what set Mason off, but he tackled the stranger. They tumbled, rolled, and came to a stop with Mason on top, pinning the creature to the ground. Mason’s eyes grew wide. He screamed and did the crab walk backward, belly up, away from the thing on the ground.

The three of us seemed suspended in time.

“Who…what’s that?” Mason screamed still inching backward.

I whispered, “Might be a Spaceman.” My knees were jelly, and my hands were sweating.

Mason grunted and moved even farther away from the creature.

The alien stood up. He made strange noises. Click, Squeal, Click, Squeal. He brushed himself off, squared his shoulders, and said in English with an almost adult voice, “May I go in?” He pointed at the Clubhouse.

Mason didn’t speak.

I nodded my permission. He can talk like us.

As he walked he gathered his hair and pulled it back. The creature stepped around to the front of the Clubhouse. We heard the door creak.

“What do we do now?” Mason asked, getting up.

“Don’t know.”

That’s when we heard the dirt bike approaching.

We raced to the front of the Clubhouse. Mason ran to the bike and grabbed the handlebars while the bike was still in motion. The force of his action nearly tipped Colt over and jerked Mason to the ground.

Colt put the kickstand down, pulled his helmet off, and said, “What’s wrong with you guys?”

“An alien’s in the Clubhouse,” I said.

“Say what?”

Mason stood breathing heavily and said, “He means a creature from some other planet. That’s what he means.”

Colt had no time to react because Miguel walked up the path toward the Clubhouse.

Mason motioned for him to hurry.

“What’s the deal? I know you missed me, but I’m coming,” said Miguel.

“No, no—you’re not going to believe this,” Mason said.

“You didn’t miss me? I brought a snack,” Miguel said walking to the Clubhouse door with a plastic grocery bag hanging from his arm.

“Don’t open that door. Country let a space guy go in there.” Mason’s voice shook. The scraping of chairs on the floor brought us all to attention.

“You guys are loco,” Miguel said as he backed away from the door.

“What do you mean space guy?  And don’t say someone from outer space,” Colt said, rubbing his hands on his pant legs.

We huddled together, inching farther from the Clubhouse.

“Remember yesterday?” I started, “well, maybe that guy in the Clubhouse has something to do with that.”

We all turned as we heard the door squeak open. I heard gasps and running, but stood my ground.

“Please, come in,” the alien said.

“Get away from there, Country,” Colt hollered.

I turned to see the guys crouched behind bushes at least fifty feet away. They looked scared, really scared. I should have been feeling the fear their eyes showed. Mason was tough, usually I felt like a wimp around him. But I was feeling quite serene about it all.

“There are some questions. Please enter,” the creature said.

Questions—I had a few of my own. He didn’t look or act dangerous.

I went into the Clubhouse.

About the Author:

S. Willett had a dream that had to be written but quickly found it wasn’t that easy. After joining SCBWI and taking a two-year course with the Institute of Children’s Literature, the story began to take shape. Country and The Rock is the first book of a planned trilogy.

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Customer Reviews:

Country and the Rock by S. WillettrnrnGenre: Sci-Fi Fantasy Mid-GradernrnPublisher: Muse It Up PublishingrnrnFirst Sentence: The sun shot a beam through the gloomy barn.rnrnSean West, twelve-years-old, mostly know as Country by his friends, meets up with someone unusual out by the club house, a place where Country and a number of his friends hang out.rnrnClicker, the unusual someone, meets Country and the gang after a scuffle over mistaken identity. BUT, when the gang finds out Clicker’s true identity, every one of them wants to contribute by showing off what it’s like to be a boy on Earth. *smile*rnrnThere’s definitely some underlying suspense and danger with other ‘aliens’ involved as well. rnrnS. Willett writes one heck of a tale, it’s the ‘what if’ aspect of believing there truly are other beings in our Universe and having them all come true in this story. Country and each one of the gang come with unique characteristics and their own personal life for Clicker to deal with in his own way. Clicker arrives with wonder and wisdom, plus some unique abilities the boys of Earth find fascinating…and so will you. rnrnThis is a story of camaraderie, going out on a limb, believing in possibilities, and knowing deep down what’s right from wrong. S. Willett hit it just right in her word-weave of an excellent fast-paced sci-fi adventure worthy for any age to read.rnS. D. rn

What a great book for young readers! Adventure, excitement, dirt bikes and aliens! Who could want more? Even at my age, this was a fun read with a story line that can open the door for young imaginations to think out of the box and beyond the limitations of their own world. This is a story of cultural differences finding common ground and together, finding out that anything is indeed possible. “Country and the Rock” is freshly original but if I had to categorize it, this would be: “The Goonies Meet E.T.” Got a young boy who’s on the fence about spending time with a good book? This is a good book to give him!

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