The experiment

As part of a long-term exploration project, 11-year-old Nathan and his family--members of an alien species called Kast--are masquerading as humans in New York City. But when Nathan starts to unexpectedly grow a tail, and he and his family are summoned to their mother ship, the Wagon, he fears he'll go missing like several other Earth-side Kast children who failed to maintain cover--including his long-distance crush Izzy. Life on the Wagon is even worse than he expected. Upon arrival, he discovers it to be a place of inequity and deprivation, where Izzy and other disappeared children are forced into menial labor, while Nathan and his new tail are inexplicably celebrated as a success story and sent back to Earth. Suspecting the Wagon's leadership of hiding a dark secret, Nathan enlists his human best friend Victor to uncover the truth behind his people and their lifelong mission. In this twisty, thoughtful tale, Stead (The List of Things That Will Not Change) touches on themes of estrangement, assimilation, exploitation, and agency as Nathan's seeking independence for himself and his interstellar peers parallels contemporary challenges faced by immigrants in the U.S. The Kast are described as having "assumed all Earthly skin tones." Ages 8--12. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group. (Sept.)

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 themselvesaliens--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 "allEarthly skin tones"; his skin is "a few shades deeper" than that of his crush, golden-skinned Izzy. Compelling and page-turning.(Science fiction. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.