We are the last defence. I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened to John Smith. To the world he's a mystery, but to me . . . he's one of us. Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us, if we all still believe in our mission. There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another, but our Legacies are developing and soon we'll be ready to fight. Is John Number Four - and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who might be strong enough to bring the six of us together? They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio . . . and failed. I am Number Seven. And I'm ready to fight.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up-Following on the heels of the action-packed I Am Number Four (HarperCollins, 2010), The Power of Six opens with the introduction of a new character, Number Seven, also known as Marina, who, with her Garde, Adelina, has been confined to a convent in Spain for several years following their arrival by spaceship from the planet Lorien. One afternoon, while exploring the Internet for her allotted 10 minutes, she comes across a reference to John Smith of Ohio, which gives her the impetus to flee her relatively safe hideout and search for the remaining survivors. As they age, the Lorien children's Legacies, or powers, are beginning to emerge and strengthen, leading them to take the fight to the heart of the Mogadorian stronghold. While this second book in the proposed six-book series has many of the same weaknesses of the first-a lack of character development, pedestrian dialogue, and uneven continuity-the nonstop action and violence-packed fight sequences will keep fans of the first novel happy. Think Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles instead of Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Readers should expect mayhem and monsters rather than traditional science fiction, but the popularity of the first book and the movie will create a demand for this and subsequent titles.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.