Freakling
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4.5 • 27 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A thrilling, fast-paced dystopian novel about the dangers of unchecked power and the dilemmas facing a boy torn between two ways of life. In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi — the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. But a humiliating incident at a sports tournament exposes his disability, and Taemon is exiled to the powerless colony. The "dud farm" is not what Taemon expected, though: people are kind and open, and they actually seem to enjoy using their hands to work and play and even comfort their children. Taemon adjusts to his new life quickly, making friends and finding unconditional acceptance. But gradually he discovers that for all its openness, there are mysteries at the colony, too — dangerous secrets that would give unchecked power to psi wielders if discovered. When Taemon unwittingly leaks one of these secrets, will he have the courage to repair the damage — even if it means returning to the city and facing the very people who exiled him?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Debut novelist Krumwiede offers a fast-paced dystopian novel that ably explores the corrupting influ-ence of power. In the future, people with "psi" (abilities that typically manifest as a type of telekinesis) have segregated themselves into a mountainous region, and those few without such powers are ban-ished from the main city. Taemon, a 12-year-old boy, has discovered that his psi goes beyond telekine-sis to include remote viewing and other gifts. His jealous older brother, Yens, believes himself to be the True Son predicted in prophecies, and he is willing to kill Taemon to secure his place. When an accident leaves Taemon powerless, he is exiled and begins to discover both the true nature of psi and the secret history of his people. Krumwiede's combination of conspiracy and corruption among the ruling class is familiar, with nefarious villains sometimes crossing into cartoonish territory. Still, readers who are not yet ready for The Hunger Games should be attracted to resourceful Taemon, as he learns that real strength comes in many different forms. Ages 10 up.
