I knew today would be ugly. It's the first day of high school for Mena, and already her world looks bleak: she's an outcast, all her former friends hate her, even her parents barely speak to her anymore. Why? Because she tried to do the right thing. And then everything went wrong. But can a cute, nerdy lab partner; his bossy, outspoken sister; and an unconventional, imaginative science teacher be just what Mena needs to turn her life around? Or will the combination of all of them only make things worse? As Mena is about to find out.It's the freaks of nature who survive. *Named Best Fiction for Young Adults by the American Library Association.