This was a quick read; light and easy but interesting. It’s a pity that the author didn’t write some more of this story. I would definitely like to know what happened next – with Cody (the main character), with his parents, and with the inhabitants of the planet, of course. :)
Anyway, I highly recommend this short story to anyone who loves middle grade and young adult SF novels. Clean and thought-provoking. I think you’ll love it!

Some interesting words and phrases I found in the book:
🇺🇲 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 down-in-the-mouth = как в воду опущенный, подавленный, несчастный (“Why you standing there looking down-in-the-mouth, boy?”)
🔹 frond = похожий на ветку лист папоротка или пальмы (Cody had to duck to avoid being hit by branches and fronds.)
🔹 blither = болтать вздор, пороть чушь, нести ахинею (The creature let him blither on until he fell silent with self-consciousness.)
🔹 to the quick = (задеть) за живое, до глубины души, (о коже под ногтями) до мяса (Four fingernails were broken, several to the quick.)

Also, two quotes from the book:

“Your kind does not listen to others. Pets. To them, only humans can think or feel.”
– Helen Mary Hoover, Only Child

“… it wasn’t the big things that changed your life but the little ones. Things you never expected to have any consequences.”
– Helen Mary Hoover, Only Child

Started Reading – 18 May 2023
Finished Reading – 19 May 2023