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The Nose from Jupiter by Richard Scrimger

Summary

"Alan isn't brave or strong, and he's not much good at soccer. What's more, he seems to be a bully magnet. Everything changes one day when a tiny alien from Jupiter takes up residence in Alan's nose. Alan's new condition baffles medical science, but it gives him a whole new, and hilarious, way to solve his problems.

Book talk

Have you ever wished for help? Maybe you are in a situation and can't see a way out of it, and you just look to the sky and think, "Someone, please help me!" Well, that is just what Alan did when dealing with the Cougars, a tough gang at school who was out to get him. Did help come? Yes, but not in the way he expected. Alan thought a bee was buzzing around him when suddenly something completely unexpected flew right up his nose! (Read page 27 from, "I started to sneeze . . ." to the last sentence on page 29). An alien living inside his nose? You call this help? Norbert, the alien from Jupiter does. Read The Nose from Jupiter by Richard Scrimger to find out how Norbert helps Alan deal with his problems.

Discussion questions

  1. In the beginning of the book we learn that Alan has been knocked unconscious. Has this ever happened to you? What did it feel like? What do you remember about it?
  2. Alan says about his parents, "Whenever they're together, which isn't very often, my parents seem to drift to opposite sides of the room. You're think they were two like poles of a magnet." (pg. 5). What is Alan's family situation? What would it feel like to be Alan?
  3. Norbert tells Ala that he came because Alan asked for help. What does Alan need help with?
  4. What kind of soccer player is Alan? Why does he volunteer to play?
  5. In what ways does Norbert help Alan?
  6. This book is set in Canada and written by a Canadian author. Were there any terms or slang words you were unfamiliar with? What were they?
  7. When Miranda asks Alan about the alien in his nose, Norbert says, "'Norbert is just a part of Alan . . . the brave and funny part he's always had inside himself'." Is this true? Is Norbert real or has Alan made him up?
  8. What might motivate Alan to make up the idea of Norbert?
  9. There is a lot of humor in this book. Find one of the parts you thought was funny and share it with the group.

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Snacks: hospital food like ginger ale and soda crackers.

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