Everybody's Got A Talent
Hello! I just started college, so I have been super busy, but this week I finally had time to finish a book! This one was actually a reread for me- Hidden Talents, by David Lubar. I first read this book in about 8th grade, so it was really like reading it for the first time again. I loved it just as much the second time!
Hidden Talents tells the tale of Martin, a skinny young guy with an attitude problem. He's been kicked out of so many schools that he's on his last chance- Edgeview Alternative, a beat-up and run down dump of a school. He's suddenly surrounded by the worst of the worst, kids who have been kicked out of even more schools than he has. People like Torchie, his roommate, who is constantly setting fires; Cheater, who always manages to have the exact same answers as his neighbor; and Lucky, who can't seem to stop stealing things. But soon, Martin realizes that there may be something bigger going on at Edgeview, and he's determined to get to the bottom of it.
Lubar excels at making his characters relatable. At one point or another, we've all felt like Martin in this story, someone out of place in a world we can't always control. But as Martin grows as a character and understands his place in the world, the reader has the opportunity to grow and learn right along side him.
I'm a fan of Lubar's writing, and how he incorporates pictures and asides that help the reader understand the story on another level. They make the story more real. Also, sometimes, they serve as foreshadowing, one of my favorite literary devices.
When it comes down to it, Hidden Talents is a book that I can come back to over and over and still appreciate. I highly recommend it for all ages, especially middle and high schoolers.
There's also a SEQUEL! It's called True Talents, and I'm reading it next, so you'll hear about it soon!
(picture courtesy of vanessapaolantonio.com)
Hidden Talents tells the tale of Martin, a skinny young guy with an attitude problem. He's been kicked out of so many schools that he's on his last chance- Edgeview Alternative, a beat-up and run down dump of a school. He's suddenly surrounded by the worst of the worst, kids who have been kicked out of even more schools than he has. People like Torchie, his roommate, who is constantly setting fires; Cheater, who always manages to have the exact same answers as his neighbor; and Lucky, who can't seem to stop stealing things. But soon, Martin realizes that there may be something bigger going on at Edgeview, and he's determined to get to the bottom of it.
Lubar excels at making his characters relatable. At one point or another, we've all felt like Martin in this story, someone out of place in a world we can't always control. But as Martin grows as a character and understands his place in the world, the reader has the opportunity to grow and learn right along side him.
I'm a fan of Lubar's writing, and how he incorporates pictures and asides that help the reader understand the story on another level. They make the story more real. Also, sometimes, they serve as foreshadowing, one of my favorite literary devices.
When it comes down to it, Hidden Talents is a book that I can come back to over and over and still appreciate. I highly recommend it for all ages, especially middle and high schoolers.
There's also a SEQUEL! It's called True Talents, and I'm reading it next, so you'll hear about it soon!
(picture courtesy of vanessapaolantonio.com)
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