The Whisper

January 15, 2012
This sequel to The Roar (2009) finds twins Mika and Ellie and the other mutant children using their maturing superpower talents. In a knockout science-fiction thriller, they attack the Wall that divides the poor multitudes in the North from the relatively few rich in the South. Mika explains at one pont: "We hear things you can't hear... we call them The Roar and The Whisper. The Roar is the sound of emotion and The Whisper is the sound of thought." Set in the not-so-far future in the British Isles and picking up right after the finale of The Roar, this story demonstrates thought turned into action. It extends readers' comprehension of the twins' world, providing knowledge of the characters and their superpowers, revelations about the origin of the Wall and details of the landscape of the South in greater depth than in the first book. The third-person narration alternates among the viewpoints of Ellie, Mika and Mika's friend, Kobi, adding interest and suspense, while the well-developed plot, lots of new and creepy monsters and tightly maintained tension keep readers entertained. Heavy themes of economic marginalization are leavened by gadgetry and action. Mixing science-fiction ideas with the tension of a thriller guarantees reader approval. (Science fiction. 10-13)

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March 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-Thousands of children are sleeping, ready to be activated as perfect fighter pilots and gunners, controlled by the completely unhinged Mal Gorman. Or are they? Taking place immediately after the events in The Roar (Scholastic, 2009), the story opens with the mutant Chosen Ones (Mika; his twin sister, Ellie; Audrey; and four other kids who remain entirely interchangeable) making their plans to stop Gorman (who has overdosed on Everlife-9 and is now a 13-year-old himself) and his equally scary counterpart, Raphael Mose, by taking control of... well, pretty much everything. Meanwhile Kobi (maybe the last free 13-year-old in London) and his father fall in with terrorists who will stop at nothing to blow up the towers where the rich people live. Amazingly, Mika and company, with the help of Kobi, Grace (Raphael's mutant daughter), and a few functional adults actually do exactly what they set out to do-save the world. And no one dies. Kids who like their science fiction moving at the speed of light and chock-full of evil villains, mutants, cyborgs, Star Wars-type air battles, psychic communication, poison gas, and big bombs will appreciate this one. Who needs character development anyway? Buy where the first book is popular.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 Most of the plotlines spun out in The Roar (2009) are resolved in this sequel, as an army of child soldiers freed and led by psychically linked mutant twins, Mika and Ellie, broker peace between the poverty-stricken millions confined behind a mammoth northern wall and the murderous capitalists who put them there in the name of environmental conservation. Readers who prefer their allegory well spiced with super science, fantastic mind powers, and large explosions will be pleased.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)