The Experiment

The Experiment by Rebecca Stead (Text Publishing) PB RRP $17.99
ISBN 9781923058576

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Nathan lives in New York with his mother, father, and cat Toto, but they are far from your average family. Nathan’s mother and father were born on planet Kast and came to Earth as part of an experiment to assess if they could, if necessary, permanently maintain human form on Earth. Thorough records are kept and are constantly reported back to the Kast leader. Nathan’s family and the 9 other Kast families are sworn to secrecy about their identity. The Kast families have been sent to live in different states, so once a month the ‘Kast kids’ meet online to chat. The children are forbidden to communicate to each other without a parent present; however, Nathan and Izzy find a way and eventually form a friendship.

When some of the kids start disappearing from the online meetings without explanation, Nathan gets curious. However, it is not until Nathan discovers he is growing a tail, and is summoned to the Kast mothership that he can no longer ignore his gut feeling that something sinister is happening. He develops a plethora of questions; questions that cannot remain unanswered.

The Experiment is a middle grade science fiction novel that would appeal to readers aged 9 years and older who enjoy original and imaginative stories. The book’s themes include identity, friendship, first crush, change and manipulation.