John Honor Jacobs
Carolrhoda, 2013
$17.95, Hardcover
978-0761390077
Genre: Action
Age: 12+
Description: Shreveport “Shreve” Cannon is the biggest candy dealer in
the Casimir Pulaski Juvenile Detention Center where we was sent after he
compulsively decided to take a joyride in a neighbor’s truck and then was
actually shot by said neighbor who thought someone was trying to steal the
truck. Instead of getting some sympathy, Shreve is sent to a tough as nails
juvie where he spends most of his days annoying the warden who has no proof of
his candy dealing business and dreams of getting out so he can go take care of
his brother who is stuck in the trailer park with an alcoholic and absentee
mother. So Shreve’s day looks up when he gets a new cellmate, Jack Graves. Jack
is super quiet and shy so when a mysterious man named Mr. Quincrux arrives to
ask Jack questions, Shreve decides to protect Jack like he does his little
brother. What he isn’t prepared for it to learn that Jack has twelve fingers
and twelve toes and his extra extremities somehow seem to be linked to some
very odd supernatural powers that caused the unexplainable accident that got
Jack stuck in juvie. Jack, scared and not wanting to go with Quincrux, ends up
breaking out of Casimir Pulaski and they go on the run where they find that
Jack isn’t the only one with powers. Will they be able to figure out just what
the heck is going on?
Opinion: I had been waiting for this book for some months when I had
first heard about this trilogy. I was super excited to receive it as an ARC for
our YA Galley Group and my teens were happy to get a few copies since supplies
where limited. Sarah, who is quoted below, read it and was texting me the
minute she finished telling me, “OMG, you have to read this book so I have
someone to talk to about it!” We both definitely agree that it is a great start
to a series that will appeal to guys and possibly those reluctant readers.
Sarah was distraught at the end because while there isn’t necessarily a
cliffhanger (we both agreed that it ended alright if there wasn’t a second book
coming) there are a lot of unanswered questions. The premise of these teens
have some kind of supernatural superpower is intriguing. However, there is a
lot left in the dark. What is the purpose of these powers? Where exactly does
Quincrux want to take Jake (I envision it as kind of a villainous X-Men like
school)? What happened in Maryland that makes that state (and anyone from it) a
weakness of Quincrux’s? The world is interesting and I would like to learn more
about it. While I enjoyed the book overall, I did find myself at times
struggling with keeping interest. I do recommend it and will read the rest of
the books.
Here’s what some of my teens had to
say:
Sarah, 15, says, “Is Quincrux a good guy
or a bad guy? He seems pretty sketchy to me. I hope that Jack gets away from
him if he is purely evil. I wonder because it seems that Quincrux might have
good intentions (maybe helping Jack with his powers) but goes about it all
wrong—if he is good why would he shoot an innocent person and why bring a woman
who seems to have a taste for eating people into the picture? That just ain’t
right. I like the world it set up but I am interested in knowing more about it
like what is up with people getting bloody noses after someone has taken over
their mind? What does Quincrux want Jack for? So many questions! I can’t wait
for the sequel.”
Haley,
17, says, “An epic book about a boy who is unusual and for very weird reasons
and his friendship with another boy when he enters, and escapes from, juvie. The
cover kind of reflected the contents. I like the coloring of the extra fingers
on the hands. The most compelling aspect of the book is the friendship that the
two boys share. I also like that it is clear from the beginning that Jack has
X-men like superpowers and, while on the run, Shreve realizes he just might
have powers too.”
*Thanks to Katie O'Neel at Carolrhoda Lab for including this ARC in the YA Galley Project!* 
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