McMann,
Lisa. The
Unwanteds. Simon & Schuster/Little
Brown, 2011. 400p.
$16.99 ISBN 978-1-4424-0770-1 ms VG-BN Fantasy
Twins are split apart: Aaron, to move
forward to become a leader of Quill, and Alex, to go to his
death as an Unwanted because he is deemed to have creative tendencies. Instead, Alex goes to a magical land where he
not only survives but is also trained to use his creativity to battle the
enemy. The concept of
purging a land of its children resonates with contemporary young readers who
enjoy watching children face seemingly insurmountable odds. Although McMann, too, begins her book with
this disturbing event, she has given it her own voice. In the land of Quill, children who are deemed
to be useless to the cause are named “Unwanteds,” and they are sentenced to death
in boiling oil. Justine, the high
priestess of Quill, has only disdain for them, saving her appreciation for the
Necessaries and the Wanteds. When a
witness sees twin Alex Stowe drawing in the dirt, Alex is added to the list of
Unwanteds because creativity is not valued in Quill. Commitment to the cause and unwavering
adherence to Quill’s rules are valued by Alex’s brother Aaron, and he moves
forward as a Wanted due to his brilliance at improving living conditions in his
land. Imagine Alex’s shock when, instead
of meeting death, he is whisked into Artime, a fantasy world that coexists with
Quill but is not known to Quill’s citizenry.
While in Artime, Alex is trained in the arts and in magic, which, when
combined, can be used to defend Artime against Quill in a battle that is
imminent as the two worlds come together.
Unique magical characters and spells, Alex’s friends and enemies alike
and the enigmatic Mr. Today, leader of Artime, combine to make this book a
noteworthy one. When Alex figures out how
to communicate with his brother Aaron, he is shocked that Aaron does not want
anything to do with him! In a climax of
all climaxes, there is a battle,
there is identity-changing, and there is no
resolution to the tension between the twins, leaving an opening for a sequel to
The Unwanteds. Children who want
a certain “je ne sais quoi” in the fantasy genre will enjoy this book!
Martha Squaresky
Martha Squaresky
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