True Talents

This book is wonderful. I think everyone in the world should read it. The characters are compelling, the plot is intriguing, and the entire concept of it is wonderful. If you like Holes and you like superheroes (I do), this is your sort of book.

I thought this was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I recommend it to those who have also enjoyed Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters Trilogy.

It's been over a year since teen Eddie and his friends from Edgeview Alternative School have discovered their special hidden talents, which involve PSI and other extra-sensory abilities: now they are back with their families and looking for normalcy, when a kidnapping involves the group in both a rescue and a battle against an organization which seeks to use their talents for evil. A dramatic story of confrontation and courage evolves in an excellent, fast-paced story teen leisure readers at the middle to high school grades will relish.

"As I headed for the stairs, I sensed someone behind me. The footsteps matched my own. I sped up. So did the steps that followed me. I wanted to run. But that would be a mistake. Running would get me noticed. Notice would get me caught. "Someone whispered in my ear. Three words. 'Be cool, Trash.' " "School days were such happy days Now they seem so far away" --The Kinks I fondly remember those school days that were so uncomplicated and happy, those younger days that revolved around friendships amongst a group of guys. Sadly, a devastating house fire two decades ago scatted the ashes of a long-cherished photograph to the wind, but I can still see that photo perfectly in my mind's eye. It was taken the afternoon of my twelfth birthday, exactly forty years ago, today. March 4th in 1967 fell on a Saturday. We were all dressed quite nicely -- mostly button-down shirts and even some blazers -- and we were all at my house, downstairs in the rec room, gathered close together at that moment, mugging for the camera. It would be the last big occasion I'd ever share with many of them, for we were in what would today be called a charter school, and many of those guys would begin the next school year at a distant junior high school situated at the other end of the large school district. The crowd that day included the lanky Mike O'Brien, an upcoming basketball player who could expertly pick out "Do You Want to Know a Secret" on his acoustic guitar. There was Paul Marino, who could pull faces that would crack up a Sphinx. David Cripps was my steady homework buddy -- we'd been the school's math stars for the past couple of years. Brian Staab and I had gotten together and collaborated on the sort of memorable science fair project that required incendiary devices. Sure, I was also friends in those days with some girls. (Not that there were any at that party.) It was back when girls were still just people, with all the adolescent self-consciousness and weirdness somewhere yet on the horizon. Nevertheless, I just didn't have the kind of camaraderie with girls that I did with the guys. All the significant females in my life at that point in time were caregivers; in contrast, those guys played a significant role in who I was. "When I woke on Friday morning, Martin was already up, watching TV with the sound turned low. " 'I have a perfect plan,' he said. 'We stay here. The food is great. They have all the good cable channels.' He pointed to the TV section from the paper. 'There are some cool shows on tonight. The beds are comfortable, and there's a maid to clean up after us. What do you think?' " David Lubar's 1999 tween novel HIDDEN TALENTS is a middle school treasure-of-a-story. I was turned onto it years ago by an eighth grader who announced in one of Shari's English classes that "Anyone who likes HOLES will love HIDDEN TALENTS." (That sure got us to read it in a hurry, and we've been booktalking it ever since.) HIDDEN TALENTS is the story of six troubled

True Talents is the follow up book to Hidden Talents, and it's even better than the first book! I don't think you need to read Hidden Talents before you read this one, but you'll be missing out on a lot of fun if you pass up on it. Plus you'll miss all the introductions into the characters and how they come into learning what their hidden talents really are. And that's where the beauty of the first book lies. This book takes a turn from the first book by switching character perspectives. The first book was from Martin's voice. This one is from Trash's view. I wasn't sure what to make of that at first, but as I read the book I found that this was a better story seen from Trash's eyes. The author comments on this point in the book. He originally wrote the story with Martin telling it, but something bothered him about it. It was Trash's voice that was wanting to be heard. So he scrapped the book and started over. I think he made a great choice with the change there! The story itself begins with Trash waking to find himself not only drugged, but held captive in a testing facility. Even worse is that he is the lab rat. He made a mistake when he tested his telekinetic powers out in a bank. Even though he didn't steal anything, he was caught on tape using his talent. And that's where the bad guys come into the picture. After seeing what Trash could do, they kidnap him with the intent to use his abilities for their own purposes. And it's up to his friends he met at Edgeview Alternative School to help save him. Lubar weaves some wonderful twists and turns in the story that kept me from putting it down. I had to just finish it as quickly as I could. It's the characters I loved most though. I liked that each kid had to deal with the good and the bad of having the gifts they have. There were wonderfully absurd moments in there too that just had me laughing. And there were some great heartwarming moments in there as well. I just had a good time reading this and hope you will too. Enjoy!