THE EXPERIMENT

What if almost everything you knew about your life was part of a different story?

Sixth grader Nathan’s existence is disrupted when something unusual happens: He grows a tail. It seems to have a mind of its own, and he names it Tuck. Nathan’s parents refuse to call themselves aliens—they’re “Visitors” from the planet Kast. They’ve had extensive training in Earth culture, language, and gestures, and they closely monitor Nathan, logging his food and controlling his activities. Nathan’s best friend, Victor (who’s the Calvin to Nathan’s Hobbes in their favorite comic book character alter egos), knows nothing about any of this until Nathan and his parents are suddenly recalled to the Wagon, the place where they were raised on their journey to Earth. The family’s visit to the Wagon—which is disguised as a storage unit facility outside Altoona, Pennsylvania—leads Nathan to suspect that something is very wrong. His discovery of the exploitation of sentient beings by a coldhearted experimenter nearly leads to his permanent expulsion from Earth. Stead’s narrative focuses on the likable, gentle Nathan, but also offers perspectives from Victor, Nathan’s mother, family cat Toto, Tuck, and even the villain. The pacing is superb, neatly blending family dynamics, friendship, and tween romance with page-turning mystery, adventure, and horror. Nathan’s people have assumed “all Earthly skin tones”; his skin is “a few shades deeper” than that of his crush, golden-skinned Izzy.

Compelling and page-turning.