The Nose From Jupiter
Richard Scrimger
 Thirteen-year-old Alan Dingwall wakes up from a light coma after drowning in a creek. Although he is not suffering from amnesia, Alan cannot seem to remember what exactly happened the day that he drowned. The reader is then taken back into time as Alan tries to recall his memories. Alan is mowing the lawn, despite the fact that he hates doing it. He laments the fact that he does not have the courage to stand up to the bullies of class 7L, the Cougars. When mowing the lawn, something flies up Alan's nose, which causes him to freak out. When Alan finally calms down, he discovers that an alien, whose name is Norbert, is living in his nose. As the book progresses, Alan and Norbert develop a friendship. Norbert's arrival does change things for Alan though. Norbert talks to Alan's crush, Miranda, and even livens up an entire science class. However, Norbert also draws some unwanted attention from the bullies during a soccer game between the Cougars and the Commodores. In the middle of a constellation presentation, Alan accidentally runs into the Cougars in the boys' washroom. Feeling humiliated after being mocked at the soccer game, the Cougars and Alan get into a fight. We are then taken to the day of Alan's accident. He suspects that he is being followed by one of the bullies, most likely Prudence. At this point in the story, Alan's memory gets foggy and unclear, and we are take back into the present. Alan is back at the hospital in Toronto. He is visited by two people: Miranda and, surprisingly, Prudence. Prudence tells Alan what happened the other day - how he tripped over a collie dog and how Prudence had a change of heart after rescuing him out of the water. She apologizes to Alan for the way that she treated him, and promises that the rest of the Cougars will stop bullying, with the exception of Mary and Gary. Following the aftermath of the accident, Alan is treated like a hero when he returns to school. As Mary and Gary try to intimidate Alan, Norbert flies out of his spaceship, scaring them both. The next time that Alan switches on the TV, he flips to a channel that is showing a country music special. k.d. lang is performing and is clearly bothered by an insect. The microphone screeches loudly, and even though she tries to continue, she is distracted. As the song ends, k.d. lang blows her nose in a handkerchief...