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Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Teen Fiction Book Hardback | 120791001954682 | T CAR | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
You are indestructible . Three whispered words transfer an astonishing power to Jacob Fielding that changes everything. At first, Jacob is hesitant to use the power, unsure of its implications. But there's something addictive about testing the limits of fear.
Then Ophelia James, the beautiful and daring new girl in town, suggests that they use the power to do good, to save others. But with every heroic act, the power grows into the specter of a curse. How to decide who lives and who dies?
In this nail-biting novel of mystery and dark intrigue, Jacob must walk the razor thin line between right and wrong, good and evil, and life and death. And time is running out. Because the Grim Reaper doesn't disappear. . . . He catches up.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-Jacob Fielding, 15, is holding onto a number of secrets-including the truth behind the accident that killed his foster father, but which he survived without a scratch. While keeping some of his secrets to himself, Jacob reveals to his friends Milo and Oh that just before his death, Mr. Fielding gave Jacob the power of invincibility with three words: "You are indestructible." With Oh's prompting, Jacob and his friends try to use the power to save people. However, without a full understanding of the mysterious gift, they may have inadvertently caused much more damage than they could have anticipated. Steven Boyer skillfully narrates Patrick Carman's gripping supernatural thriller (Little, Brown 2010). His youthful voice is consistently believable as teenage Jacob, and his pacing is excellent. Listeners will be on the edge of their seats, cringing at some of the descriptions while mulling over the ethical dilemmas created by Jacob's unique situation.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this largely successful contemporary dark fantasy, Carman's first book for YA readers, 15-year-old Jacob Fielding has both a secret power and a guilty secret. He is literally indestructible-nothing can hurt him-but gaining this newfound ability cost the life of his kindly but mysterious foster father. When Jacob discovers that he can share his invulnerability with others, he, his friend Milo, and the school's new girl, Oh, test its limits (in cringe-inducing scenes involving a lighter, a 12-foot fall onto a lamp, and a batting cage) and begin using it to save lives. But they learn that playing God-even with the intent to help-has consequences, and as Oh becomes increasingly obsessed with borrowing Jacob's indestructibility, he realizes the power has a dark will of its own, with "unrelenting claws digging into my bones like a cancer." The novel occasionally suffers from moments of incoherence and its attempts at moral complexity can seem forced, but it produces serious chills and should appeal to readers who have grown out of Carman's Atherton and Land of Elyon series. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
You are indestructible," whispers Jacob's foster father before dying. This phrase creates a passing of invulnerability, which Jacob can also pass to--and then retrieve from--others. Jacob shares his power with two friends; in using it they discover its seductive and sinister side. Overlong deliberations about the ethics of taking and giving life dilute the intriguing premise, but the overall suspense survives. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A ward of the state for most of his life, Jacob has bounced from home to home until landing with the eccentric and mildly iconoclastic Mr. Fieldingwho, when the car they're in hits a tree at 60 miles an hour, dies, but not before passing on an unusual attribute. And with the same three simple words, the 15-year-old forever alters his life and the lives of his two friends, Milo and Ophelia, as he passes along his power of invulnerability. Using the power for altruistic purposes after a period of extreme experimentation, Jacob learns that protection from death comes with a steep price. Instead of offering a horror movie rip-off, Carman explores survivor's guilt and raises theological issues, all within an action-packed and twisted tale. Ophelia's haunting breakdown adds a second layer of complexity to the narrative, though Milo seems to avoid any sort of development. Mr. Fielding's journals offer slightly more exposition than is necessary, but the author pulls the story together without too heavy a hand. Page-turning suspense through the end. (Thriller. YA) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The author of the Land of Elyon series crafts a creepy fantasy-mystery for older readers. Grieving over the sudden death of his well-liked foster parent (and harboring a guilty secret about that), Jacob discovers that his inheritance includes the power of invulnerability. Bemused, he shares his imperviousness to pain or physical damage with his impulsive best friend, Milo, and a beautiful, intense new classmate named Ophelia and discovers that he can temporarily pass the ability on to them. He quickly comes to regret the sharing, as Ophelia engages in an increasingly dangerous round of tests, stunts, and life-saving rescues. Ominously, the power also begins to feel darker and wilder as it fends off death after death. Carman cranks the suspense up smoothly on the way to a horrifying revelation, a (literally) shocking climax, and a not entirely happy, but at least not tragic, ending. A provocative take on the theme that every superpower comes with a price.--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist