I Hope You Get This Message
by
Farah Naz Rishi
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
HarperCollins
Imprint
Harper Teen
ISBN
9780062741455
Awards and Honors
Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Books List
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Sexual Content: Mild Sexual Content/Themes, Language: Strong Language, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use, Violence: Mild Violence, Violence: Mild Violence
When news hits that Earth has been receiving messages from a planet claiming to be its creator, no one knows what to think. If you ask the folks at NASA, this mysterious planet—Alma—is taking eight days to decide whether or not to hit the kill switch on their “colony,” Earth. True or not, for teenagers Jesse Hewitt, Cate Collins, and Adeem Khan, the prospect of this ticking time bomb will change their lives forever. There are pasts to reconcile, estranged family members to track down, and, ultimately, love and forgiveness to give and accept.
With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide as their worlds are pulled apart.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Sexual Content: Mild Sexual Content/Themes, Language: Strong Language, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use, Violence: Mild Violence, Violence: Mild Violence
Details
Format
Page Count
432
Trim Size
8 1/3" x 5 1/2"
Dewey
F
AR
5.6: points 14
Genre
Fiction
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Jan 2020
Book Genres
Science Fiction
Topics
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic. Extraterrestrial beings. Family. Interpersonal relations. Journeys. Roswell, New Mexico. LGBTQ.
Standard MARC Records
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Cover Art
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, The Horn Book Magazine
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
What if Earth were a grand experiment by a group of alien scientists on a planet we never even knew existed? What if, seven days from now, the experiment was scheduled to end and all of the test specimens marked for termination? And what if the fate of all humans hinged on the deliberations of a group of aliens light years away? Jesse is a troubled kid living with his overworked mom, struggling to find his purpose in the almost abandoned community of Roswell. Adeem is a gifted coder bored with school and longing to understand why his sister left their family years prior. Cate has her hands full taking care of her mentally ill mother. When the planet Alma announces its deliberations and intent to end the experiment they call Project Epoch, everyone on Earth reacts to the potential end of the world differently, and these three are pushed to get answers to the questions that haunt them. Will they find the answers they seek before Alma finishes its deliberations? The book is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of its three protagonists. The main characters are well-crafted and, while their motives are all different, the desperation and need to complete their tasks comes across as genuine. Telling an end-of-the-world story can sometimes feel melodramatic, but Rishi chooses to focus her narrative on her characters and their individual struggles as opposed to the world at large, keeping the story personal. The tone and pace are well balanced and there are even a few touches of humor to help lighten the mood. An entertaining, well-written coming-of-age story set during the end of the world.
Horn Book
When the world learns that omnipotent aliens will decide humanity’s fate in eight days, chaos erupts, and three teens strive to make their (potentially) final days count. Cate is charged by her mother, who has schizophrenia, to find the father who abandoned them—and who her mother believes is an alien. Adeem, an amateur hacker, searches for his sister, estranged from their Pakistani Ameri¬can Muslim family after she came out as a lesbian. Crossing paths in Reno, Cate and Adeem head to Roswell, where Jesse, the third teen, is convincing desperate people that he can (for a fee) transmit their pleas for salvation to the aliens, using a machine created by his now-deceased ne’er-do-well father. Rishi’s debut novel skillfully addresses complex contemporary issues on both the global (environmen¬tal damage, war, greed) and personal (identity, mental health) scales. It also tackles prejudice and the ways existential fatalism can inordinately affect marginalized people. But even given these themes and the novel’s dark story line, Rishi ends on a hopeful note of possibility, using an adapted quote from Rumi: “Your pain is where the light enters you.”
Grades 9 & Up
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Interests
Diversity,Fiction,Mature Readers,LGBTQ+,Novels,Funny/Humorous,Realistic Fiction
Grades 9 & Up
Young Adults Plus
14 books per Year
$285.46 per Year
