The Ability

Gr 5–8—Twelve-year-old Christopher Lane's life is grim. His father is dead, his mother is severely depressed, and Chris has been expelled from school. Enter Miss Sonata of the Myers Holt Academy, a top-secret school under the auspices of Britain's MI5. Here Chris joins five other children, all of whom have been chosen for their unique ability to access and control people's minds. And of course, someone needs to be controlled. The only problem is that no one is quite sure who it is. Whoever is responsible for wreaking havoc on former students must be stopped, and Chris and his fellow classmates are the world's only hope. The Ability is another in a string of middle-grade tales replete with dysfunctional families, villains, heroes, and gruesome deaths. However, what could be a thoroughly engrossing, fast-paced adventure is marred by run-on sentences and awkward writing. This is unfortunate as Chris is an engaging hero; readers will want to sympathize with him, root for him, and celebrate with him as he finds his place in the world. Plus, there's the added bonus of not one, but three despicable villains, one of whom dies and sets up what is sure to be a sequel.—Mary Beth Rassulo, Ridgefield Library, CT