Well, that didn't end the way I'd expected it to. Anyway, this is the story of what we would call an alien - named Chorkle and sporting five eyes - dealing with the invasion of actual aliens - that is, earthlings - as they drill into the asteroid where he lives. When a mishap causes the ship to take off, leaving four children behind, Chorkle finds himself in the unenviable position of protecting the children and his people from each other. It's actually quite funny, and Chorkle is a delightful narrator. I should pick up the sequel sometime. ( )