Watermark's Cool Summer Reads #9:
"Quantum Prophecy 01: The Awakening" and "Quantum Prophecy 02: The
Gathering" by Michael Carroll (Puffin & Philomel, 9780142411797 and
9780399247262, $7.99 and $16.99, for ages 9 and older)
Fans of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, NBC's "Heroes," or James
Patterson's Maximum Ride series will get a kick out of the action-filled
Quantum Prophecy books by Irish writer Michael Carroll. They contain as much
excitement, suspense, and heroism as any blockbuster this summer.
The first book, "Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening," shows us a world where
kids study super heroes in school, where every year they celebrate Mystery
Day to remember the day ten years earlier when all of the Earth's
super-humans disappeared in a giant, world-threatening battle. No one knows
what happened to those special, heroic men and women, and no one ever again
expects to see anyone with such awesome powers--but a few young kids
continue to hope.
When Colin's friend Danny begins moving at lightning speed and Colin
discovers that he can bend steel and hear for miles, he realizes that the
time for heroes has come again. The world's superheroes were never really
missing: they were in hiding, powerless, but they passed their abilities on
to their children, and his and Danny's parents were among the most powerful
ever. Together with their new friend Renata--the youngest survivor of the
earlier age of heroes--the two boys must protect their families, foil the
plots of a new wave of super-villains, and work to stop a disastrous
prophecy that predicts that one of them will become the worst villain the
world has ever known.
In the brand-new second book, "Quantum Prophecy: The Gathering," Colin,
Danny, and Renata's continue fighting crime while facing a tricky new
challenge: someone has leaked their secret identities to the world, putting
their families in danger and putting the three young heroes on the run.
They're not sure who they can trust, but they know that it will take all
their powers and skill to make it through.
These books are fun, quick-paced adventures that will appeal even to
reluctant readers. Begin with "Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening" then
continue with book two, "The Gathering."
Review by
Mark David Bradshaw, July 3, 2008
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