Eleven-year-old Maya Papaya has a couple of problems. Not only did her parents leave her with a name like a deranged fruit salad, but Maya has a four-foot tail with a mind of its own... The problem is, Maya's tail is a big secret, so her guardian, Mr. Norbert, makes Maya wear these baggy, itchy tail pants and Maya can't have sleepovers or go swimming with the other kids., even thought EVERY OTHER eleven year old could do those things. Maya still lives a fairly normal life with Mr. Norbert...until Mr. Norbert's computer tells her she's not really a little girl at all, but something it calls a 'humanimal.' Before Maya can even figure out what that means, a knock on the door puts events in motion that send Maya all the way across the world, without even Mr. Norbert to protect her. After a long voyage to India, Maya discovers the truth about where she's from, and that she's not the only child who's been created with secrets, along with a few extra abilities, too...