A Problematic Paradox

Nikola Kross gave up on getting along with the other kids at her middle school long ago.  They have nothing in common, and she finds their antics ridiculous.  She'd rather be doing experimental chemistry anyway.  Her guidance counselor tells her she wouldn't be such a target for bullies if she would just act a little more normal.  Nikola things this is ludicrous. 

When a horribly ugly and awful smelling girl approaches her on the way home one day, Nikola is puzzled but gets away easily.  It's only when she gets home to abandoned big box store/scientific lab/home she shares with her father that she realizes something is wrong.  Her dad is gone, kidnapped by the ugly stinky girl, and Nikola finds herself enrolled at a strange boarding school for geniuses.

While she tries to find a way to contact her father, she learns the truth.  Aliens have been here all along.  Some of them, called The Old Ones, have never really changed, and they like to collect smart people.  Some of them decided to adapt long ago and are more like humans though still pretty strange. 

For the first time, Nikola's classes are fun and engaging, and she's actually making friends instead of avoiding bullies.  But...her father is still missing, and Nikola is convinced the Old Ones are somehow penetrating the school's defenses.

Eliot Sappingfield's new book is a fun sci-fi adventure for the smart kids.  Recommended!