The Alien Club by Trel Sidoruk
What's It About?
The Alien Club follows the path forged by a ten-year-old boy, blindly clawing his way through the confusing, frightening and utterly fascinating life afforded him via a magical neighborhood situated in suburbia USA, during the summer of 1979.“The Alien Club was more than a club, it was an accidental brotherhood. We had come together in Jim’s garage attic to better understand ourselves and our environment … We were in essence aliens, and Wilder’s was as much a Martian landscape as any planet in the universe.”
If you’re looking for a fun and imaginative coming-of-age adventure that will remind you of such classics as The Goonies and The Sandlot — but perhaps with a bit more intensity — then look no further! Trel W. Sidoruk’s The Alien Club is a classic adventure of boyhood and friendship — and discovering what exactly it takes to be human.
Woodsy Boyhood Adventure
The story follows 10-year-old Denzel and his gang of peers in the summer of 1979. On the outs with his best friend Jim after being kicked out of the club he helped create, Denzel joins forces with 9-year-old Kring to form a new club. A spy club, to be exact. Denzel wants to spy on Jim and the goings-on at his old club, but soon the boys take on a different mission: to spy on the delinquents hanging out in Wilder’s Woods.
Wilder’s Woods is the magical playground for all the kids in the neighborhood, so the recent reports of shadowy figures and strange events could easily be explained as the wild imaginations of children. That is, until a very real and grotesque murder shakes the neighborhood, and suddenly the rumors of devil worshippers and ex-convicts don’t seem so out-of-bounds.
One night, what starts as a simple spy mission quickly spirals out of control for young Denzel and Kring as they save the fair lady Gwen from sexual assault and the boys’ fireworks set fire to the woods.
On the run from both the authorities and delinquents, Denzel, Kring and Gwen must enlist the aid of as many neighborhood kids as they can to face the coming battle. They’ll fight not just for themselves, but for the fate of Wilder’s Woods and the kids that call it home.
Tackles Heavy Topics and Good-Humored Fun
Despite some of the heavier topics, The Alien Club is such a fun and imaginative story. The narration, told from Denzel’s point of view, often reminded me of the wacky high jinks and voice-over of young Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Everything is told in dramatic and larger-than-life proportions, clearly mimicking the vivid imaginations of children.
And author Trel W. Sidoruk writes with such wit and humor it’s sure to have you holding your side with laughter. The young boys’ banter is often crude and risqué, and Sidoruk’s descriptions are hilariously vivid and over-the-top. (Just wait until you get to the final battle! I felt bad for laughing at the images of a couple of wounded delinquents.)
Underneath all the boys’ fun adventures, Sidoruk weaves in some harsher realities of bullying, domestic abuse and sexual assault for the children to work through. These aspects heightened the story’s realism and relatability, highlighting the importance of the children’s bonds and their imaginative adventures.
For some, the story’s darker undertones and messages of friendship and sibling camaraderie will hit close to home. For others, the story will be reminiscent of their own childhoods, bringing back with clear imagery the wild days running around outside with nothing but friends and one’s own mind for entertainment. In the end, The Alien Club is an adventure that’s sure to touch the hearts of many.
