I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I Am Number Four 

by Pittacus Lore

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books - but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.


They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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Fascinating concept and world and delivery and a fun series to read. I find it sometimes more difficult to express why I liked something rather than why I didn't, so let's get this straight - I liked it. Enough to keep reading the series and look forward to finally getting my hands on the 3rd book (please tell me the 3rd book is the last? Which I guess is proof enough that I liked but didn't adore this book. Books I adore can go on and on and on.) I loved Bernie Kosar and Six and Sam and Henri and even Sarah. John, however, kind of bugged the crap out of me. Only sometimes! In fact, I really liked him up until he makes a horribly selfish decision that causes all sorts of horrible ramifications. Frustrating! John! Get your act together! Seriously! Sometimes you can be incredibly short sighted, which isn't all that great when you are supposed to be saving the world. I'll cut him some slack because he is a teenager. Maybe.

There was also more action in this book than I prefer. So much action! Fighting those bad guys! Which means it would probably be a great book for teenage boys. My brain kind of shuts down during action sequences in books, very similar to how it shuts down when sports is on T.V. It really doesn't interest me all that much, so I start skimming while my brain computes "blah blah blah fighting ... blah blah blah shooting ... blah blah blah more fighting" until it's done. No worries, there is plenty of plot without the action, but there is still plenty (plenty!) of action. You are hereby warned.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: heavy; Profanity: yes, a bit; Sex: making out