Guys Read: Plan B

Nathan has been locked in his room ever since “it” started growing back. They’re going to come for him soon, so he’s got precious little time to tell us what is happening. Five days after an ordinary family trip to Florida went completely sideways, his quiet sixth-grade life in New York City has collapsed into total chaos.

His father is already tied to a chair, leaving Nathan alone to record every bizarre detail before the lock turns. Two strange visitors from a vessel called the Boat are on their way up, which means his chances of slipping past them are shrinking fast.

With his mother shouting frantic instructions through the bedroom door and his own hands growing less cooperative by the minute, he has to get the truth down on paper before it is too late.

A short story from Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka.
School Drama: Missing Señora Pena’s Foods of Spain Day is bad enough, but Nathan also has to worry whether his best friend Evan will walk straight into an alien ambush.Secret Identity: Nathan’s parents have spent years practicing how to look human and blending into New York, right down to twice-a-day showers.Alien Invasion: Two visiting physicians from the Mothership claim a sinister biological plot is underway, starting with the special toothpaste sent from lunar orbit.Found Family: Between an independent pet cat named Toto who cooks on a hot plate and parents who panic when their blood stops moving, family life is anything but ordinary.