Thomas Derwent is a normal eleven-year-old who likes school and the life he and his widowed father have carved out for themselves the past five years in the small village of Belthorp. He hardly remembers that Other Place where he had been someone different. Everyday he is tasked with writing down the events of the day, although he doesn't know why he does it. His father reminds him that what he does is all part of an enormous jigsaw where everyone contirbutes to the whole puzzle. Thomas and his father are from Ormingat, their home planet they refer to as the Other Place. Each night, his father says, "Nallytan, Tonitheen ban". Thomas replies, "Nallytan, Vateelin mesht". Until they must return, they continue their normal, human lives.
That return will happen sooner than Thomas expects. He does not want leave earth; he has a part in the Christmas play and has made a best friend, Mickey. He realizes that he must go with his father whom he loves. As the departure date nears, they must leave their village and travel to the landing site miles away and be ready to board the spaceship days before the departure date to prepare for the long trip. Missing this deadline means they will never be able to go home. They must pretend that father has gotten a new job in another city. An unexpected accident occurs on the way and Thomas and his father are separated. As Thomas is about to give up and go back to the village to live with his kindly neighbor, his father appears and allows him to make a choice about staying behind if he really wants to live as a human. Thomas decides he would like to live an adventurous life with his father, confident that he has made the right choice.
This story is written in a style that reluctant readers will find easy to understand. The suspense that builds as Thomas and his father are separated keeps the pages turning all by themselves. The characters are very human-like, even though they are aliens from a different planet. Kids will identify with Thomas as he hates leaving his friends and his feelings of desperation over his fathers disappearance.

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