Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

The setting is the future in a place called Quill. Life there is not easy, especially if it is decided that you are an Unwanted. At the age of thirteen, it is determined that each citizen is in one of the following groups - Wanteds, Necessaries, or Unwanteds. The Wanteds are a privileged group given the opportunity for higher education and positions of power in society. The Necessaries are just that; they provide the necessary services required in daily life. The Unwanteds are sent to the Death Farm and exterminated.

Alex and Aaron are identical twins turning thirteen. They already know their fates. Aaron will stay in Quill and become part of the Quillitary and most likely move up the ranks to become a powerful leader. As a young boy, Alex showed creative tendencies when he was caught drawing in the dirt with a chicken bone. Creativity is not valued in Quill, which means all those with artistic talents are classified as Unwanteds.

The departure of the Unwanteds creates barely a ripple in the lives of those left behind in Quill. Alex's parents and brother almost seem annoyed during the brief farewell required when Alex leaves for the Death Farm. He joins the others headed toward their uncertain end, with only a hope that death will come quickly and painlessly.

Alex and the others soon find that there is nothing to fear. Upon their arrival, they are welcomed by a mysterious magician named Mr. Today and countless other magical creatures. The world they have entered is called Artime, and it is filled with color and beauty beyond their wildest dreams. It is immediately obvious that life in Artime is all about living and enjoying the creative pursuits they were denied in Quill.

After a brief introduction and orientation about the rules and requirements of Artime, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds begin to explore this amazing world. In addition to learning about art, music, and theater, they develop their own magical talents. They are free to roam and appreciate all Artime has to offer, but as Alex settles in he learns there is a definite separation between Quill and Artime. No one in Quill must know about the Unwanteds who escaped extermination. Contact with family and friends would threaten this wonderful world's very survival.

Author Lisa McMann takes readers on an adventure very different than that in her previous novels. Her creation of these two extremely different worlds creates a sharp contrast that had this reader captivated. The underdog status of the Unwanteds pulled me into the story and had me cheering for them right up through the last page. If you are a fan of HARRY POTTER, THE HUNGER GAMES, or just enjoy fast-paced adventure and fantasy, you'll want to get your hands on this one.

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In the land of Quill, all thirteen-year-olds are sorted into one of three categories: Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds. Wanteds and Necessaries remain in Quill to keep the land running, and the Unwanteds are disposed to their deaths for their violations of creative expression.

Twins Aaron and Alex get separated when Aaron is chosen as a Wanted and Alex is Unwanted. But Death is not at all what Alex and the other Unwanteds expected. Instead, they are transported to the magical world of Artime, run by Mr. Today, who teaches the Unwanteds how to use their creativity in magical battle. For Artime is in danger of being exposed, and the Unwanteds will need all of their creativity and magic to overcome Quills armies.

A book being touted as the next Harry Potter certainly has a lot to live up to, and while Lisa McManns first middle-grade fantasy THE UNWANTEDS doesnt quite have the immortal boy with the lightning bolt scars charm and uniqueness, it nevertheless will be an enjoyable read for the younger reader.

Reading THE UNWANTEDS felt as if I were carrying out my childhood dreams. When you were little, did you ever daydream of living away from home in a magical mansion where every one of your whimsies was right at the tip of your thoughts? Yeah, that was probably the number one thing I thought about during my free time. In that sense, then, reading THE UNWANTEDS was almost a literal return to my childhood. The youthful delight of having near-complete control over your own life; of having magic at your command; of attending an eternal summer campthats part of what you get, reading THE UNWANTEDS.

But not all of it. THE UNWANTEDS contains distinctly dark themes of creativity versus logic, imagination versus asceticism, that make it darker than your usual magical childrens tale. This is part dystopia, after all. More sophisticated readers might find the literal impending war between creativity and pragmatism in the book a little too literal in terms of the books themes, but younger readers will probably get a kick out of the minimalization of gray areas.

My biggest problem with THE UNWANTEDS, the one that made me unable to finish the book, was that I simply didnt connect with or care for any of the characters. Alex and his Unwanted friends tended to blend indistinguishably into one another, and were being pretty snippy and immature pre-teens for the most part. Thats not the problemafter all, Harry Potter was pretty unbearable for many of his adventures; it was more the fact that I couldnt bring myself to feel bad for the characters or to care about how they ended up.

It is unfortunate that the power of such a magical premise was diminished by bland and unsympathetic characters. This wont deter all people from reading and enjoying THE UNWANTEDS, but as far as Im concerned, my lack of connection to the characters draws me away from this adventure and towards more character-driven fantasies.

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This is a good children's book. Well written with enough action to keep them motivated to keep reading.
I was a bit disappointed as it suggests it is part Hunger Games (Purge) and HP (magic) but without the depth one is used to in those books.
You can see how it is going to play out rather quickly but that goes with age.
A good series start.

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The dystopian world of The Unwanteds initially struck me as a cross between Lois Lowrys The Giver and Shirley Jacksons The Lottery, but it turns out to be nowhere near as bleak. In fact, this is probably the most upbeat dystopian novel Ive ever read. Here the cast-offs (called the Unwanteds, who are mostly removed for showing signs of creativity) dont end up dying; theyre saved and taken to live in a secret magical world full of fantastical creatures, some of whom teach them to use art and magic. I quite enjoyed the fantasy in this book, but I was really excited about the characters, who were definitely driving the story. In fact, I was so caught up in the characters that when I had to put the book down in the middle, I couldnt stop thinking about them until I could finish it that night.

My children loved it as well! ;)

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I think this is a great book for the recommended age range published on the back of it (ages 8 - 12). The concept of creative warrior artists is really fun and the magical animal hybrids are very cool. I appreciated the kindly adult figure in Artime and the real evil of enforced conformity in Quill which reminded me of Camazotz from A Wrinkle in Time. Although part of a series, The Unwanteds draws to enough of a close that I'm not left feeling cheated. I'll happily recommend this to the next 4th grader who asks me for a book idea.

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