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The Resource The Unwanteds, Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds, Lisa McMann

Creator
Author
Summary
In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
First Aladdin hardcover edition.
Extent
390 pages
Isbn
9781442407695
Instance
Label
The Unwanteds
Title
The Unwanteds
Statement of responsibility
Lisa McMann
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic
Member of
Storyline
Award
  • California Young Reader Medal, Intermediate, 2014.
  • Mark Twain Award (Missouri), 2014.
  • Nutmeg Children's Book Award, Intermediate category, 2015.
Review
  • Gr 4 – 7 — A young teen leaves his mundane world for a school where he will learn magic under the direction of a kindly head master. A precocious girl reads extensively and thus discovers spells unknown to her friends. McMann takes these familiar elements and makes them her own through the creation of two realms. In the dystopian land of Quill, 13-year-old Alex is judged by society to be an Unwanted and is sentenced to be cast into the Lake of Burning Oil, which is hidden behind a gate that is unlocked but once a year. He is stunned when the Death Farmer reveals himself to be, in reality, a benign mage and, rather than face a painful death, Alex and the other Unwanteds are welcomed to the magical world of Artimé. There they are instructed in the arts, which are forbidden in Quill, and eventually learn magical skills. Alex can't stop thinking about his twin brother, who is living as a Wanted in Quill. Aaron is rising quickly at Wanted University and becomes a protégé of High Priest Justine. In Artimé, McMann has created a world of magical whimsy full of talking blackboards; intelligent statues; and spells that are sung, painted, and recited. There's never really a sense of menace as the Quillians are more mean-spirited than frightening, and their technology is pitiful. This is a good starter fantasy or dystopia without the darkness in titles for older readers.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI --Eric Norton (Reviewed August 1, 2011) (School Library Journal, vol 57, issue 8, p111)
  • In her foray into middle-grade fiction, McMann (Cryer's Cross) delivers a fun mix of magic and science with a retro SF novel whose setting echoes classic artificial dystopias of the 1960s like Logan's Run and Make Room! Make Room! In the city of Quill, all signs of creativity are shunned, and any children who so much as sing or draw are declared "Unwanted" when they turn 13 and sent off to be killed. When Alex is culled from his family and sent to die, he is surprised to discover that the Unwanteds are actually taken to a hidden city called Artimé, where they are not only trained in the traditional arts, but also in the magic that these arts unlock. McMann juggles a handful of point-of-view characters nicely (focusing largely on Alex), showing their fear and wonder as they learn more about their world. The subplots—including young romance and murderous conspiracies—are skillfully interwoven, and if some of Quill's harshness borders on caricature (the city makes Sparta seem decadent), it serves the story well. Ages 8–12. (Sept.) --Staff (Reviewed July 18, 2011) (Publishers Weekly, vol 258, issue 29, p)
  • The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter in this middle-grade departure from McMann's string of paranormal mysteries with romance for young adults. On the day of Purge in totalitarian Quill, which is run by the High Priest Justine, 13-year-olds learn if they are deemed Wanted to attend the university, Necessary to tend the land or Unwanted and purged by execution. Without a good-bye from his Wanted identical brother Aaron, Alex Stowe and the other Unwanteds travel to the Death Farm. Instead of death, they meet the lush and magical world of Artimà ̈, kept secret from Justine by mage Marcus Today. In a third-person narration characterized by even pacing and whimsical inventions, Alex and his peers learn that their creativity threatened Justine's power. Surrounded by talking blackboards, transporting tubes and such fantastical creatures as an octagator (with the head of an alligator and body of an octopus) for instructors, the teens hone their drawing, music and acting skills while also wielding paintbrushes for invisibility spells and iambic pentameter to stun attackers during Magical Warrior Training, in preparation for battle against the Quillitary. As the youths explore fear, responsibility and free thinking, their spells may be used sooner than they think when Alex's twin bond is tested and rivals vie for Aaron's new position in Justine's government. Blending elements from two popular genres, this is sure to be a double hit. (Dystopian fantasy. 10-14)(Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2011)
Awards note
California Young Reader Medal, 2014.
http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI
10005069
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
McMann, Lisa
Dewey number
[Fic]
Index
no index present
Intended audience
  • Ages 8-12
  • Middle School
  • 880
Intended audience source
Lexile
Interest level
  • MG
  • 6-8
LC call number
PZ7.M478757
LC item number
Unw 2011
Literary form
fiction
http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/minGradeLevel
  • 4
  • 7
Reading level
  • 5.7.
  • 5.7.
  • 5.7
  • 5.7
  • 5.7
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
Series statement
Unwanteds
Series volume
1
Study program name
  • Accelerated Reader
  • Reading Counts!
  • AR
  • Accelerated Reader AR
  • Reading Counts RC
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Creative ability
  • Magic
  • Brothers
  • Twins
  • Fantasy
  • Creative ability
  • Magic
  • Brothers
  • Twins
  • Brothers
  • Creative ability
  • Magic
  • Twins
Target audience
pre adolescent
Label
The Unwanteds, Lisa McMann
Instantiates
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
ocn693810559
Dimensions
22 cm
Edition
First Aladdin hardcover edition.
Extent
390 pages
Isbn
9781442407695
Lccn
2010043836
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)693810559
Label
The Unwanteds, Lisa McMann
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
ocn693810559
Dimensions
22 cm
Edition
First Aladdin hardcover edition.
Extent
390 pages
Isbn
9781442407695
Lccn
2010043836
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)693810559

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