Three siblings stolen from Earth are transported by Land Rover and rocket to the Galex-Arena. In their new environment they must learn to perform difficult acrobatics for a mysterious audience. Peter immediately likes the Galex-Arena, because he's good at what he's expected to do. Little Liane gains an unhealthy amount of comfort from her beloved stuffed animal. Joella resists from the outset, realizing that they will fast become trained pets, dispensable entertainers. Ethical questions about contained, trained and domesticated animals rest just below the surface of this terrifying novel crafted by Rubinstein, an expert Australian writer interested in survival in desperate situations. (Ages 11-16)

Peter, Joella, and Lianne are forced onto a spaceship and taken to the planet Vexa where they are made to perform death-defying stunts for their alien captors. Joella has never been a good gymnast and now she faces the unspeakable alternative--becoming a Vexan's pet. Then she discovers the hair-raising truth--they've never left Earth! Who's behind this elaborate hoax and why? Young Adult.