"When Ben Harp sees his teacher's watch crawling across the hallway, he thinks he must be dreaming. But no, he's just seen his first Sneak--an interdimensional mischief-maker that can borrow the form of any ordinary object. He figured this school year would be bad ... and he's stuck doing a group project with two similarly friendless girls, Charlotte and Akemi ... Now Ben, Charlotte, and Akemi are trying to understand a book that seems to contain a coded map while being pursued by violent clothes hangers, fire-spitting squirrels, and more"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

Men in Black meets middle school! A school project takes an alien turn when three kids uncover a secret society whose aim is to keep sneaks--mischievous interdimensional sprites--from slipping into our universe!

When Ben Harp sees his teacher's watch crawling across the hallway, he thinks he must be dreaming.
 
 But no, he’s just seen his first Sneak—an interdimensional mischief-maker that can borrow the form of any ordinary object. 
 
 He figured this school year would be bad—his best friend moved away, the class bully is circling, and he’s stuck doing a group project with two similarly friendless girls, Charlotte and Akemi. Still, he wasn’t expecting aliens!
 
 And he certainly wasn’t expecting that the woman he and Charlotte and Akemi are assigned to interview for their “living local history” project would be a Sneak expert. Or that she’d foist an old book on them to keep safe . . . and then disappear.
 
 Now Ben, Charlotte, and Akemi are trying to understand a book that seems to contain a coded map while being pursued by violent clothes hangers, fire-spitting squirrels, and more. The Sneaks want that book! And they want something else, too: to pull a vastly more dangerous creature into the world with them.
 
 Can three misfit kids decode the book in time to stop an alien takeover? And if they do, will they get extra credit on their group project? - (Random House, Inc.)

CATHERINE EGAN grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Since then, she has lived on a volcanic island in Japan (which erupted while she was there and sent her hurtling straight into the arms of her now husband), in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Beijing, on an oil rig in the middle of Bohai Bay, in New Jersey, and now in New Haven, Connecticut.
 
 She’s written several books for teens, including the Witch’s Child trilogy: Julia Vanishes, Julia Defiant, and Julia Unbound. Sneaks is her middle-grade debut. You can read more about her at catherineegan.com and follow her on Twitter at @ByCatherineEgan. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

A local history assignment transforms from dull to epic when Ben and his partners, Charlotte and Akemi, misfits all, interview elderly town resident Agatha Bent. Despite first coming off as lonely and a little batty, Agatha surprises the trio with the sly use of Morse code to entrust them with The Book of Keys, a cryptic book somehow connected to other worlds and the arrival of fear-eating creatures called Sneaks. Blending fantasy and sci-fi elements with mystery and adventure, Egan crafts a fun novel for fans of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (2019). Friendship challenges ground the story as Ben faces sixth grade without his best friend, Akemi shoulders the weight of being the new girl, and Charlotte grapples with problems at home. Egan includes supportive adults for her young protagonists to lean on—though not always the ones you'd expect— and a secret society and brave poodle named Poubelle add intrigue and laughs to the nonstop action. Occasionally, the story's quirkiness feels forced, but Egan mostly succeeds with her middle-grade debut, which leaves room for additional adventures. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Sixth grader Ben Harp and two of his classmates must stop an alien invasion in their small town. Eleven-year-old Ben has had a miserable start to Livingston Middle School. He's having trouble finding his footing socially since Ashok, his Bengali French Canadian best friend, is spending a year abroad in Paris. He also thinks he saw his teacher's watch crawl across the floor. Things look even grimmer when the school librarian forces him to team up with two loner girls—newcomer Akemi Hanamura and unpopular Charlotte Moss—on a local history project. After interviewing Agatha Bent, the elderly subject they are assigned to, the trio starts to unearth the truth about the mysterious objects they keep seeing. They're Sneaks—interdimensional aliens who feed on fear and pose as everyday objects or animals, and their presence signals that an even greater evil is intent on destroying Earth. There's a fun vibe to the plot that channels Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Men in Black, and Stranger Things, but Egan relies too heavily on the tired inattentive-parents device for characterization. Ben's inventor mom and professor dad are so immersed in work and each other that they leave him to watch over his 7-year-old brother, Leo, and Ben often feels neglected. The story positively explores Ben and Akemi's growing friendship and the importance of being seen and appreciated, however. Ben and Charlotte read as White; Akemi's name cues Japanese heritage. An action-packed adventure that focuses on friendship and teamwork. (Science fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In this friendship-focused puzzle novel, Egan (the Witch's Child trilogy) centers a trio of unlikely heroes fighting masquerading aliens while avoiding detention. With his best friend in Paris for the year, implied-white sixth grader Ben Harp feels like the odd one out at Livingston Middle School. When directed to partner up for a history project, he's grouped with two fellow outcasts: new girl Akemi Hanamura, cued by her surname as of Japanese descent, and Charlotte Moss, "who had a face like wobbly rice pudding." While conducting their project—interviewing a lifelong resident of their small town and reporting on a local monument—they're inadvertently caught up in bizarre occurrences, witnessing animate objects, such as a teacher's watch moving of its own volition. Inadvertently engaged by the Gateway Society as liaisons for the interdimensional weak spot that is their town, the trio must save the world from an invasion of Sneaks, "evolving mischief-makers" that feed on fear and pose as everyday items. Combining the whimsically written Sneaks with an underlying threat of invasion, Egan places a strong emphasis on camaraderie and forgiveness as the protagonists learn to trust and support one another. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.)