One little girl's obsession with a mysterious manuscript begins a great adventure in this charming, witty, and profoundly moving debut novel about growing up neurodivergent that will make you "laugh, tear up, and feel hopeful" (Angie Kim, author of Happiness Falls). Perfect for readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures.

"Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes."

Before she thinks of herself as Little Alien, our protagonist is a lonely little girl who doesn't understand the world the way other children seem to. So when a late-night TV special introduces her to the mysterious Voynich Manuscript--an ancient tome written in an indecipherable language--Little Alien experiences something she hasn't before: hope. Could there be others like her, who also feel like they're from another planet?

Convinced the Voynich Manuscript holds the answers she needs, Little Alien and her best (and only) friend Bobby decide they must find this strange book. Where that decision leads them will change everything.

Narrated by an unexpected guide who has arrived to give Little Alien the advice she'll need to find her way, Life Hacks for a Little Alien is both a coming-of-age adventure and a love letter to language. Alice Franklin will have you swinging from stitches to tears on the uneven path to finding a life that fits, even when you yourself do not.


Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 02/11/2025
ISBN: 9780316576055
Pages: 304

Review Citations: Library Journal 09/01/2024 pg. 1
Publishers Weekly 12/02/2024