What if aliens were watching us, not to invade, but to learn more about the odd beings inhabiting Earth? Meet Jane: a sharp-witted, socially awkward teen just trying to survive high school in small-town Ontario. But while Jane struggles to understand the strange rituals of human friendship, an alien crew of tiny, fuzzy scientists is secretly hitching a ride to Earth in search of something much more dangerous: a weapon to save their kind. On a distant planet, the Ume have hidden from the giant Palalans for centuries. But time is running out. Desperate and outmatched, a trio of Ume, each with their own skills and secrets, risk everything to sneak aboard a Palalan ship and land on Earth. Their mission? Find a powerful human invention that could change the fate of their entire civilization. But Earth is messier than expected. Between decoding human tech, dodging curious Earthlings, and trying not to be mistaken for adorable pets, the Ume soon realize that maybe brains, bravery, and a little compassion go further than any weapon ever could. Smart, funny, and full of heart, Hitchhikers to Earth is a sci-fi adventure about unlikely heroes, interplanetary friendship, and what it truly means to belong.

Linda Novak is a writer and storyteller with a lifelong passion for science fiction and social insight. She has written for TV and radio news and local magazines. She lives in Canada but spends as much time as possible watching the clouds glide over the ocean in Akumal, Mexico. She enjoys speculating about how societies could be different. What would a utopia look like? And questions why people are like they are. Now that she is retired, she is writing sci-fi stories that create different worlds with different ways of living. She brings a unique voice to the genre, one that champions curiosity, empathy, and the power of being different.