Gideon and Ishmael Hofstadt, ages sixteen and seventeen, accidentally start a hoax that aliens have landed, turning their town of Lansburg, Pennsylvania, into a circus. Told through narrative, police interviews, text messages, blog posts, and more.-- Provided by Publisher.

When one of his science experiments went wrong, Gideon Hofstadt and his older brother Ishmael blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. Their lie was embraced by the town. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. There are UFO sightings, close encounters-- even abductions! Soon Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded-- not by aliens, but by believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more. Can Gideon find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever? -- adapted from jacket