Tunnel Vision

November 3, 2014
Government surveillance. Psychic abilities. Family secrets. All 18-year-old Jacob Lukin wants is a girlfriend and acceptance to Stanford, but when he makes the mistake of “tunneling” (psychically identifying a person’s location through an object) at a party, he gets caught in a string of lies that ends in a shadowy government agency he can’t shake. The deeper Jacob falls into the agency’s clutches, the more dangerous he becomes—to himself and others. Only Jacob’s grandfather, himself a wanted man, understands what is happening to him. As they plot their escape, Jacob and his grandfather uncover an even greater threat to Jacob’s well-being. Debut author Adrian offers a refreshing spin on the suspenseful spy novel with brisk scenes, adrenaline-fueled cliffhangers, and a sympathetic protagonist. Though the motives of the main characters become muddled by the end, and Adrian’s descriptive passages are typical, there is much to savor in this thriller. It comes as no surprise that Adrian introduces the whiff of a sequel in the final pages. Ages 13–up. Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, KT Literary.

November 1, 2014
What happens when your special talent is especially dangerous?Jake's ability to form a mental link to anyone he's holding a personal possession of-what he calls "tunneling"-has always been a secret. Only his best friend and his dad knew, and now his dad's dead. But when he tries to impress his friends by tunneling at a party, his secret escapes, and his entire life is soon overthrown by government agents who convince him that he has a duty to save lives. No longer free to live as a regular teenager, Jake only hopes that he can protect the people who mean the most to him-his mother and sister. An exciting plot paired with a sympathetic protagonist makes for a roller-coaster adventure that asks some big moral questions: Is it ethical to tunnel into another person's mind, even to do good? Which is more important, the individual or the country? The action moves at a quick pace that fans of adventure fiction will appreciate while still leaving room for deeper contemplation. Toward the end of the book, convenient plot twists drive the action, but readers may not notice, caught up as they'll be in the web of terror and deceit. Danger, intrigue, a dash of romance, and a good, hard look at ethical dilemmas-a pretty complete package. (Paranormal thriller. 15-18)

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November 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Jake Lukin has a secret talent: if he holds an object that belongs to a person, he can instantaneously "tunnel" to that person-envisioning them physically, pinpointing their location, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel. After Jake reveals his skill at a high school party, he quickly finds himself on the run from government agents who would harness his talents for their own purposes. This YA novel is a heart-racing thriller set at full throttle from the opening page, and it never decelerates. Fans of Cory Doctorow and Anthony Horowitz will consume this title with a passion and will excitedly anticipate a sequel.-Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
Grades 8-12 Jake Lukin is a normal 18-year-old seniorawaiting college acceptance, on the tennis team, with good friends and maybe even a new romancewhen he blows it all. During a party, he tunnels to impress Rachel, unintentionally revealing to DARPA that he has the ability to find people by handling an object that they have touched. Agents swarm, first allowing him to stay in school and with his family, while occasionally tunneling to find kidnap victims or terrorists. Eventually he is secreted underground, becoming more and more isolated but determined to escape and lead a normal life. Adrian has crafted a tension-packed spy novel about a likable teen with a special power and his equally likable family and friends. Twists of plot, kids outsmarting the bad guys, and a relatively low-tech but fascinating superpower ratchet up the action to a bizarre conclusion that begs a sequel. With a grandfather that would make Richard Peck or Joan Bauer proud, and government goons, male and female, who morph between good and evil with a single look or comment, this is a must-read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)