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"A terrific page-turner, full of unexpected twists and revelations. Buckle up."—James PattersonThe first book in a new action-packed series from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman is perfect for young fans of James Patterson and John Grisham. Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places.Eli has never left Serenity . . . why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents.
Series: Masterminds (Book 1)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray; Reprint edition (February 2, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062299999
ISBN-13: 978-0062299994
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.7 x 7.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #11,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #111 in Books > Children's Books > Mysteries & Detectives #243 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works #780 in Books > Children's Books > Action & Adventure
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
The blurbers for this book - Brandon Mull, James Dashner, Peter Lerangis - are all serious middle grade and YA heavy hitters. I wondered if their raves were puffery and log-rolling or were honest reflections of this book's appeal. Well, having read the book I would suggest that their praise is generally well warranted.Why?(MILD SPOILER IF YOU ARE REALLY SENSITIVE TO SPOILERS.)This starts out as one of those something-is-rotten-in-the-state-of-Denmark creepy Utopia books. You know there's going to be some sort of twist figured out by the smart suspicious kids. What you don't see coming is all of the twists, the twistiest-twists, and the very satisfying and especially clever twists. This is not just a one-twist book. It's not a single Twilight Zone episode, ("Oh my gosh. It's a cookbook!"). It's a whole season of Twilight Zone. Sure, there are some plot holes and coincidences and a few gaps you have to overlook, but as thoughtful tricky middle grade actioners go this one plays as fair as possible in its plotting and twists.And the special upside is that the kid characters have some depth and personality. (The author's choice to narrate separate chapters from each different kid's point of view works, and adds variety to the tale's telling.) The kids think about things and have inner lives that aren't always predictable. They aren't just a multi-ethnic collection of pieces being moved around the story board. Even better, the writing is crisp and direct and fairly sophisticated while remaining accessible. The book is neither over nor under written. Scenes are set efficiently and well; action is gripping; suspense builds nicely. But, Korman doesn't overreach by going epic or mythic or magical.
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