Alien Game

New York:: Morrow Junior Books, 1995. A clean, square, tight copy. The Dust Jacket is bright and shiny, with one short closed tear to the front inner flap. No chips. No creases. Gift note on front endpaper. No remainder mark. By the author of MAZEMAKER and THE GILDED CAT. First printing, with complete number row (123456789 10) on the copyright page. Bound in the original green boards with a dark green cloth spine lettered in shiny gold. "Dexter's well-crafted science-fiction thriller centers on an eighth grader who, unbeknownst to her teachers and fellow students, is actually an alien planning to gain control of her classmates so that she can transport them to another galaxy. Sensible Zoe, the narrator, twigs to Christina's secret early on when she sees Christina turn into 'a huge swarm of sparks, like a spiral of gnats.' No one -- especially not Zoe's parents -- will believe her, not even when a strange sickness befalls the school, students start acting completely out of character, and teachers and administrators laugh off concerned parents. A school game called Elimination, played by tagging -- or 'killing' -- other students and teachers, frames the eerie goings-on, which culminate in a dramatic scene on a deserted mountaintop. Dexter is adept at the art of suspense, manipulating several story lines that converge remarkably in the climax, and lifting the veil on hidden information at just the right moments. Ages 10-up." -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.. SIGNED by the AUTHOR on the title page.. First Printing of the First Edition.. Hard Cover. Very Good condition./VG dust jacket (price clipped). Illus. by Thompson, Ellen (jacket art). 8vo. (iv), 204pp..