I was disappointed in this. The premise was cool, and I like the main character, Simon, but everyone else in the story was completely two dimensional. The story was told very flatly, and I kept waiting for the twist that explained the flat tone, but it never came. ( )

Pluses: biracial main character, calling out male toxicity, asthma, good friends who believe you. Also, it's an easy read that draws you in quickly. Minuses: once it pulls you in, it doesn't really go anywhere -- slow descent into paranoia from an unreliable narrator. Not particularly scary because Simon and his experiences aren't particularly believable. And the ending, while and interesting twist, and creepy-weird, also doesn't make a lot of sense. If the aliens think humans are irredeemable, why are Simon's family and friends all still alive? Why are they interbreeding with humans to create the "new species"? If they are benevolent, why are they terrifying the humans with no remorse? -- I mean -- the takeover and creation of a new species could be a really horrifying read, but we don't see that. It has good bones but I found it unsatisfying.

Also, I agree with other reviewers that the depiction of mental health assistance as inimical to truth is not a great look for a middle grade novel. Mild cursing, lots of lying to parents without much consequence. ( )

I was really really into this for about 80% of the book. It reminded me a lot of The Nest by Kenneth Oppel: is this really happening to Simon? Is he going crazy and/or hallucinating?

But then the book ends incredibly abruptly: in the last ten pages, we discover that the aliens WERE real, and the government DID know about them all along, and Simon WAS abducted! And that the aliens have come because our planet is dying and they want to help us survive. Simon has been chosen, and, luckily, so have all his friends and family.

It's a very abrupt ending that rushes things and makes the lead-up creepiness moot. ( )

I wish he did a better job of naming Simon's illness schizophrenia; I'm not sure kids without prior knowledge would know that ( )

Unusual story of a boy who believes in UFOs and aliens, plus loves to write fantasy stories and play epic quest video games. Agent Dale Cooper would have loved this kid.