The Boy from Earth

Melanie Marttila is a Sudbury-based freelance writer and writing
consultant.

In this latest adventure of Alan Dingwall and Norbert (an alien from
Jupiter who lives in Alan’s nose), Norbert uses a despacer on Alan to
remove the extra space from his atoms and shrink him to
“Jupiterling” size. They travel to Norbert’s home where Alan must
help to rescue Norbert’s girlfriend, the princess Nerissa, and end the
terrible tyranny of the Black Dey of Ich.

On Jupiter, using flying slippers, Alan and Norbert travel down the
Optic Chasm (the optic chiasm), through the Hippo Campgrounds (the
hippocampus), and follow the Parietal River (parietal fissure) past Amyg
Dale (the amygdala) to the plains of Ich. Hilarious encounters and
adventures ensue. Jupiter seems to be populated by Alan’s childhood
toys and memories. As they travel, Alan must try to solve the mystery of
the Black Dey’s identity and why the Jupiterlings live in fear of him.
If Norbert, who has saved Alan in the past, can’t defeat the Black
Dey, then how will Alan manage?

In this cleverly written and very entertaining novel, the author plays
with language and metaphor as he describes the surreal landscape and
denizens of Jupiter. There is some mature language, but it is
appropriate in the context of the novel. Fans of Scrimger’s earlier
novels—the award-winning The Nose from Jupiter, A Nose for Adventure,
and Noses are Red—will find The Boy from Earth equally enjoyable.
Highly recommended.