Review: The New Phenomenon

Title: The New Phenomenon
Author: Chris Raabe
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Source: author

Every teenager wants to fit in, and Christian Pearson is no different. He is a phenomenon on the athletic field and in the classroom, but a terrifying accident on a fishing trip with his grandfather changes Christian's life forever. As he enters his freshman year of high school, Christian hides a secret that he plans to take to his grave. When the Pearson family moved from the city to the sleepy town of Red Oak, Iowa, before his freshman year of high school, Christian hoped for a smooth transition to small town life. Being the new kid in school has been a blessing and a curse. Most of the boys in Christian's class view him as a threat, so Christian struggles to fit it, but as an outcast, his secret is safe. When three freshmen, all from the same family, start school a week late, Christian senses something different about these new students. He reaches out to "The Three" seeking some semblance of friendship in his new hometown. When "The Three" confront Christian about the secret he hides, Christian is faced with a huge problem. Will this secret cost Christian his friends, his family, his freedom, and even his life?

Nancy’s Review:

This book was surprisingly good! I completely thought that it was about aliens, which I am not too fond of (they scare me a little), but it wasn’t. The concept of “phenomenon children” was very cool, they had special talents that no one else could do and the government was after them to kidnap them and use them for experiments. At the beginning of the book I wasn’t sure what was going on and so I was a little confused. It didn’t take long for me to fully understand, as everything was explained very well as the story progressed.

The book reminded me a little of Twilight (in a good way!) and I Am Number Four. The phenomenon children were amazing, their talents were very unique and the plot of the story was very exciting! I really grew to like Christian as a character. At the beginning of the book I saw him as the jock-type of person, but he wasn’t like that at all. He was actually very down to earth and smart! He was completely different from how I thought he would be and it made me enjoy the book so much more. I’m thinking that there’s a sequel to it and I really want to read it if there ever is one.