The Unwanteds
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
“Imagination runs wild in this creative adventure.” —Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Beyonders and Fablehaven series
Twin brothers have their fates diverge in this first book in the New York Times bestselling middle grade dystopian series that’s a “fun mix of magic and science” (Publishers Weekly).
Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds who go to university, hardy Necessaries who take on menial tasks, and the artistic Unwanteds who are sent to their deaths.
In a nearly unprecedented verdict, thirteen-year-old twins Alex and Aaron are separated. Alex can barely keep it together as he’s led away from his Wanted brother to his own Unwanted fate. But when Alex reaches the death farm, he discovers it’s really a mirage hiding a stunning secret: the land of Artimé.
Each child in Artimé cultivates their creative abilities and learns how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. It’s a whole new world and a whole new life for Alex, but he still can’t help but miss Aaron.
But there’s a threat looming on the horizon that threatens the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother—stretching their bond until it just might snap.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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 Artim , 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.
