The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Bogus Identity

Carey, Mike & Peter Gross. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Bogus Identity
DC Comics 2010 unp 9.99
978-1-4012-2565-0 hs/adult Graphic novel E
Tom, the son of a fantasy writer, is a media celebrity since his father disappeared. Tom wonders if he is really his father’s son. And, who is the villain capturing the minds and pens of famous writers? What a teaser to the rest of the series! Rated R for language.
Outstanding art work mirrors the questions raised in this first book of five episodes about Tommy Taylor, a fictional character in a fantasy novel. The fictional character is said to be based on Tom Wilson, the son of the author who has disappeared. Tom’s real life celebrity status is starting to wane and he is concerned for the future. A villain appears at a writer’s conference housed in the mansion where Shelley received inspiration and where Tom’s father kept a secret room. This villain appears to control the minds and pens of famous writers as far back as Milton, Kipling,and Shelley. Could Tom be the one to resolve his father’s suspicions about stories written around the world having a connection? Fiction and reality collide and interweave elements of fantasy (unicorns and a winged cat who is a familiar to Tom) and literary allusions. The details in the drawings offer insight beyond mere words. Sometimes there is quirky humor attached as in the news ticker that runs at the bottom of the DNN headline news. Also included are web pages, newspaper stories, maps, blogs, and other visuals that make the reader turn into a sleuth finding clues in words as well as pictures. Outstanding visuals and writing will make the reader clamor for more. A caution for school libraries - pervasive crude language. For grades 10+.
Recommended for public libraries as this book contains a mystery story coupled with literary references and philosophical statements. A thinking person’s first choice for a graphic novel. Outstanding art work that goes beyond the written word. Grades 10+. McNicol(3),Lois
Mystery

The Unknowns: a mystery. by Benedict Carey

Carey, Benedict. The Unknowns: a mystery.
Amulet see Abrams, Harry, 2009, 272p, $16.95, 978-0-8109-7991-8.

The least likely group of teenagers ever to come together saves the island of Adjacent from a nuclear power plant plot by using math clues.
Benedict Carey’s unique plot unravels with all of the elements of an entertaining story for young adults: suspense, twists and turns in plot development, unusual characters, a setting that Alfred Hitchcock would love and a theme of saving the environment. When Princess Di and Tom Jones (no kidding!) realize that their math tutor/friend, Mrs. Clarke, is missing, they commence a search, which leads them into nuclear power plant subterfuge. Aided by mathematic clues left by their friend, they elicit the help of the least likely inhabitants of the island, their enemies! Young readers will enjoy trying to figure out the clues, and even if they don’t understand them, will enjoy each exciting moment as Di and Tom attempt to solve the mystery, which threatens their home. We are not distracted by the fact that it is virtually impossible to infiltrate a nuclear power plant. Carey has made it all seem possible with his group of resourceful sleuths. Everybody loves when the downtrodden defeat their enemy, and in The Unknowns, the Folsom Power Plant is defeated in a final scene worthy of a “rockum-stockum” Hollywood production. Carey made math fun, sending a message to the reader that learning math can be useful. Carey’s first novel flows. He is a good storyteller with a talent in math to boot!
Middle school and high school students who have pre-algebra and geometry skills to understand some of the clues will enjoy the blend of mystery and math. MS