The Gift is the electrifying continuation of the epic tale of Witch & Wizard that so vividly reminds us: Never take your gifts for granted.
JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. He is the author of two other popular series for young readers- Maximum Ride and Daniel X. This is as well as writing three of the top detective series around - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club and Detective Michael Bennett novels - and many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He lives in Florida with his wife and son. James is passionate about encouraging children to read. He was inspired by his own son, who was a reluctant reader, to write books specifically for young readers. James has also formed a partnership with the National Literacy Trust, an independent, UK-based charity that changes lives through literacy. In 2010, he was voted Author of the Year at the Children's Choice Book Awards in New York.
Gr 7-9-In the second installment (2010) of James Patterson and Ned Rust's dystopia fantasy series, Whit and Wisty are on the run from New Order goons who want to capture them and exploit their magical gifts. The siblings use their burgeoning magic to escape one hopeless situation after another as they try to find their captured parents and lead the resistance movement against a maniacal magical dictator. As in Witch and Wizard (2009, both Little, Brown), both plot and dialogue are bogged down by cliche. Patterson tries so hard to include plot devices that he thinks will appeal to teens that he loses sight of the tale's overarching direction. As a result, the story tends toward melodrama which is reflected in the audio production. Narration is performed by three voice actors who do a good job of portraying the teen roles, but occasionally overact. There is similar dramatic musical accompaniment between sections and during heightened tension, and it begins to sound hackneyed long before the end of the book. Although there are elements that will appeal to the target audience, both the writing and recording of Patterson's Maximum Ride series are done with more finesse.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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