Samuel Brandt woke up with his thoughts written all over his body. His brother woke up with his head missing. His sister woke up to find that her skin would crack open unless she stayed in water. All of the other children in the secluded Iowa town of Oak Knoll woke up having undergone strange transformations. Now, they are all forced to live at 407 West Marshall Street, the mysterious house outside of town. With the new name of The Boy with Words for Skin, Samuel wants nothing more than to hide from his new life. He painfully and unpredictably sheds his skin, there is a Voice in the entryway closet that is often cruel, and-perhaps worst of all for a naturally shy boy-the other children look to him as a leader. As his seven-year-old brother struggles with their new life, as terrifying growls start to come from the pitch black basement, and as his feelings for a girl begin to grow, The Boy with Words for Skin realizes that he wants to change. He wants to put others first, learn from his peers, and let himself hope that things will get better. The Boy with Words for Skin is the first book in the 407 West Marshall Street series. Each book will advance the story but be told from a different character. Book 2 will be The Girl without Eyes.

Brian later learns that the man who rescued him is a fur buyer out to survey Cree trapping camps. Brian had lost a lot of his body weight since the crash, and he remains thin for years. Many of the changes Brian underwent in the wilderness seem permanent, such as his observant and thoughtful nature, and food never loses its wonder for him. Reporters become briefly interested in covering his story, but soon the attention wanes. Brian has many dreams in which he recalls his time in the woods, many pleasant. If Brian had had to survive the winter there, it would have been very difficult. While his parents react with such joy at knowing their son has survived, and even get back together briefly, they soon return to their respective homes. Although he repeatedly intends to, Brian never actually tells his father about "The Secret."

In the last few centuries, humans have pushed themselves almost to the brink of extinction with wars, famine, and disease. But we have managed to survive and persevere despite everything that has happened. The year 2147 was a year of hope for us, with the arrival of the Golik, an alien race, who were kind and wanted nothing more than to help us. Alongside the Golik, we had five years of peace and prosperity with them, both races gaining knowledge from the other and building to create a wonderful relationship with the other. After five years of peace and prosperity, then the peace ran out and the invasion began. [RANKED 1ST IN SPACE - 13th Nov 2019] [RANKED 1ST IN SURVIVING - 27th Jul 2023] [RANKED 4TH IN INVASION - 9th Aug 2023] [RANKED 26TH IN FUTURE - 1st Aug 2023] [RANKED 44TH IN ALIEN - 25th Dec 2020]