TEEN: The Power of Six - Pittacus Lore

Release Date: 12/04/12  
BOOK BLURB:  
Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn't slept properly for six months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Now he is afraid to go to sleep. Sometimes he wakes to find himself paralysed, unable to move a muscle, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. According to his doctor, sleep paralysis and out of body experiences are harmless - but to Elliot they're terrifying. Convinced that his brush with death has opened up connections with the spirit world, Elliott secures a live-in job at one of England's most haunted locations, determined to find out the truth. There he finds Sebastian, the ghost of a long-dead servant boy hanged for stealing bread. He also meets the living, breathing Ophelia, a girl with secrets of her own. She and Elliott grow closer, but things take a terrifying turn when Elliott discovers Sebastian is occupying his body when he leaves it. And the more time Sebastian spends inhabiting a living body, the more resistant he becomes to giving it back. Worse, he seems to have an unhealthy interest in Ophelia. Unless Elliott can lay Sebastian's spirit to rest, he risks being possessed by him for ever, and losing the girl of his dreams...  

REVIEW:  
Having read the first book, I fell in love with the concept and writing of Pittacus and couldn’t wait for the second instalment. That was, of course, until I saw the film, which, in my opinion, didn’t do the title justice and also left me wondering if I’d imagined how good the first book was. So it was with a heavy heart that I delayed in picking up the second book and when I did, I braced myself for something that wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Thankfully the book was every bit as good as I hoped, the prose really came alive, the characters grew and friends of four and six returned with others of their kind to help save their own planet whilst on the run from their enemies and mankind. It’s quirky, it has plenty of action and when you add a pace that really keeps you going from start to finish, it’s a title that will be devoured in a very quick time. All round lots of fun and a magical reading experience, don’t let the film put you off this cracking series. 

 

TEEN: I Am Number 4 - Pittacus Lore

Release Date: 26/08/10

BOOK BLURB:

In the beginning we were nine. We left when we were very young, almost too young to remember. Almost. And now ...Three are gone. We are here to keep our race alive, which was almost entirely obliterated. We're just trying to survive. Six are left. But we are hunted, and the hunters won't stop until they've killed us all. They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. I am Number Four. I know that I am next.


REVIEW:

To be honest with you, the book blurb didn’t enthuse me with confidence. It just didn’t grab me and the first twenty pages felt like it backed my original thoughts to the hilt.

After that, however, I was pleased that I persevered as this book blends aliens into the superhero genre alongside a war secretly waged by the beings that massacred the heroes home planet to eradicate all survivors.

This title is well written, the leading character fascinating and the three principle support cast members really make this tale with their dialogue alongside the emotional interaction. By the end of this story I had made notes to seek out future releases in this series and I’d suggest that you help your young reader get the most from this by helping them past the initial set up.