The Book That Saved the Earth ||Footprints Without Feet|| Class 10 English Chapter 9 Summary
The story is set in the 25th century, where Earth is under threat from an alien race called the Martians, who plan to invade the planet. The leader of the Martians, Think-Tank, is an arrogant and overconfident character who believes that Martians are the most superior beings in the universe.
One day, Martian spies land on Earth to gather intelligence. They visit a library and come across a strange object, which happens to be a book of nursery rhymes. However, since the Martians do not understand what books are or how they work, they misinterpret the rhymes as secret Earthling codes.
The Martians' confusion reaches its peak when they come across the rhyme "Humpty Dumpty." Think-Tank interprets this as a dangerous weapon and believes that Earthlings are far more advanced than they thought, capable of mind-control and destruction. Fearing Earth's technological superiority, Think-Tank orders the Martians to abort their invasion plan and leave Earth.
In the end, the misunderstanding surrounding a simple book of nursery rhymes saves Earth from being invaded by the Martians.
The story humorously portrays how arrogance and ignorance can lead to misconceptions, while also emphasizing the power of literature and imagination.