Don't Even Think About It

October 27, 2014
When a group of 20 Manhattan 10th graders inadvertently receives telepathic abilities from tainted flu shots, things rapidly get chaotic (and noisy). Finding out too much information dramatically upends family relationships, friendships, and romances. No secrets are safe, and all this information overload results in the pinnacle of teen drama. The novel is written in a collective first-person perspective in which the “we” refers to the telepathic teens as a group, while the plot zeros in on a few central characters. Reader Spencer nails the comedic components of Mlynowski’s tale and aptly handles the multiple perspectives providing a hollow accentuation when voicing inner thoughts. However, the complex structure of the story, with its unique perspective, makes it hard to follow in Spencer’s rendition. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover.

Starred review from January 6, 2014
Mlynowski (Ten Things We Did ) continues to make comedy look easy in this smart and frequently hilarious novel, which features a collective first-person narrative that fits the premise like a glove. When a group of Manhattan 10th graders inadvertently receives telepathic abilities from tainted flu shots, things rapidly get chaotic (and noisy). Finding out too much information dramatically upends family relationships, friendships, and romances. Discovering the intimate details of their parents’ sex lives nearly undoes two teens, but others, like ultra-ambitious Pi, embrace their new superpower. Then there’s Mackenzie, who can no longer hide that she cheated on her boyfriend, and Olivia, whose quiet façade starts to crumble, whether she likes it or not (“Olivia sank even further. They can hear me worrying about my dumbness! And now they can hear me worrying about worrying about my dumbness. It’s a friggin’ house of mirrors”). Filled with heartbreak, hilarity, and some brutal truths, Mlynowski’s novel will leave readers thinking about the gaps between our private and public selves and the lies we tell others and ourselves. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary Agency.