Helpful Score: 1
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.
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.
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.
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.
I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Amazon Vine. I enjoyed McMann's Wake Trilogy and was very excited to read some middle grade fantasy from her as well. This was a great book. It was a great fantasy full of wonder mixed with dytopian elements. Think The Giver by Lois Lowry mixed with the first Harry Potter book.
Alex and Aaron are twin brothers living in the drab city of Quill. But while Aaron is a Wanted, Alex is an Unwanted. Alex has had many infractions for being creative in a world where creativity is illegal, as a result he is labeled as an Unwanted and sent to his death. Alex is surprised to find that instead of being put to death in the Lake of Boiling Oil he is actually transported to the land of Artime where creativity is encouraged and respected.
This was a fantastic book, it is very well written and creative. The beginning of the book reminded me a lot of The Giver; you have a dystopian society where people are encouraged to only follow orders and not express emotion. People who are too old are put to sleep, people who are too creative are sent to death. It's a pretty radical extreme, I found it hard to believe something like this could actually happen, but if you just accept that's how that world works then you should be good to go.
Things really start getting interesting when Alex is sent to Artime. Artime is a magical world that is only limited by your imagination. This was a fun world to read about and I seriously want to go and live in Artime for a while after reading about it. The methods of instruction, fighting, and creating that McMann comes up with are creative, fun, and very entertaining to read about. This is the part of the book that reminded me of the first Harry Potter book where Harry first goes to Hogwarts and is introduced to all of the wondrous and magical things.
As things come to a head between Artime and Quill an epic battle scene ensues. This battle scene was very well done and I loved all the creative magics that the Artime kids came up with during the fight.
The characters throughout are wonderful. There are a number of animalistic teachers in Artime that are lots of fun to learn about. Mr. Today, who runs Arttime, will remind of Dumbledore from Harry Potter.
Not everything is fun and magic though. Many other things are dealt with in this book; friendship, sibiling relationships, the whole idea of a dystopian society, and what is right and wrong. This is also Alex's coming of age story as he learns to accept who he is as a person and, even more importantly, to accept who the people around him are too.
Overall I really enjoyed this book; it was a wonderful middle grade dystopian fantasy adventure. Excellently written and paced, with fun characters, and a magical world to explore. A great novel to introduce the middle grade age set to the concept of a dystopian society, yet still a very fun read full of creative magic. Highly recommend this to any middle grade fantasy fans out there.
Alex and Aaron are twin brothers living in the drab city of Quill. But while Aaron is a Wanted, Alex is an Unwanted. Alex has had many infractions for being creative in a world where creativity is illegal, as a result he is labeled as an Unwanted and sent to his death. Alex is surprised to find that instead of being put to death in the Lake of Boiling Oil he is actually transported to the land of Artime where creativity is encouraged and respected.
This was a fantastic book, it is very well written and creative. The beginning of the book reminded me a lot of The Giver; you have a dystopian society where people are encouraged to only follow orders and not express emotion. People who are too old are put to sleep, people who are too creative are sent to death. It's a pretty radical extreme, I found it hard to believe something like this could actually happen, but if you just accept that's how that world works then you should be good to go.
Things really start getting interesting when Alex is sent to Artime. Artime is a magical world that is only limited by your imagination. This was a fun world to read about and I seriously want to go and live in Artime for a while after reading about it. The methods of instruction, fighting, and creating that McMann comes up with are creative, fun, and very entertaining to read about. This is the part of the book that reminded me of the first Harry Potter book where Harry first goes to Hogwarts and is introduced to all of the wondrous and magical things.
As things come to a head between Artime and Quill an epic battle scene ensues. This battle scene was very well done and I loved all the creative magics that the Artime kids came up with during the fight.
The characters throughout are wonderful. There are a number of animalistic teachers in Artime that are lots of fun to learn about. Mr. Today, who runs Arttime, will remind of Dumbledore from Harry Potter.
Not everything is fun and magic though. Many other things are dealt with in this book; friendship, sibiling relationships, the whole idea of a dystopian society, and what is right and wrong. This is also Alex's coming of age story as he learns to accept who he is as a person and, even more importantly, to accept who the people around him are too.
Overall I really enjoyed this book; it was a wonderful middle grade dystopian fantasy adventure. Excellently written and paced, with fun characters, and a magical world to explore. A great novel to introduce the middle grade age set to the concept of a dystopian society, yet still a very fun read full of creative magic. Highly recommend this to any middle grade fantasy fans out there.
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.
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.
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.
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! ;)
My children loved it as well! ;)
