Annihilation Day

December 1, 2015

Gr 6-10-Flynn (pseudonym for writing duo Stuart Sherman and Elisabeth Donnelly) continues the catalogue of the teenage mishaps of Sarah Robertson, a Misshape who wields untrained dominion over weather forces. This second installment tackles the frenzy of the latest U.S. presidential election and its ripple effect into the quaint hamlet of Doolittle Falls. Sarah spends her time managing the personal dramas of her deadbeat brother, absent dad, and secretive best friend, while worrying about the suspicious partnership between fully fledged Heroes and powerful politicians. Though the cast of characters are encouragingly diverse, the protagonists suffer from too little development, and readers will be left craving more about these talented teens and their unique powers. Sarah takes steps to explore her own skills, but only when her male crush (a weather-working Hero named Sam) encourages her, at all other times remaining fearful of her abilities. Disappointingly, this volume fails to carry the spirit of The Misshapes: The Coming Storm (Polis, 2014), in part because there are frustratingly few details until late into the book regarding corrupt corporation PeriGenomics or of reported supervillain Lady Oblivion's abrupt disappearance. Teens are required to rely on the tension built up in the first novel to maintain their interest here, and new readers will not find any clues to the story arc, past or present. The writers wait too long to move the story along, instead creating a novel-length press of the pause button. VERDICT A lukewarm sequel to the previous energetic series opener.-Chelsea Woods, New Brunswick Free Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

kingkang_691 - Fifteen year old Sarah Robertson is no ordinary girl. She can control the weather with her emotions. But in Doolittle Falls, where superheroes walk the streets, Sarah's powers aren't enough to secure a spot in the prestigious Hero Academy, not to mention the fact of her mother has become the town's most notorious Super villain. Instead of acceptance to the school of her dreams, Sarah is marked as an outcast with powers a misshape. Sarah is stuck at public School, with a ragtag group of fellow Misshapes and the normal. Sarah's forced into a special class for misshapes, where she meets a kid who shoots paintball's out of his eyes, a girl who can talk to animals, and a boy that is followed by backup ghost singers. Sarah is determined to take charge of her powers and win a place at Hero Academy.