Fourth World: Book One of the Missing Link Trilogy - Hardcover

Thompson, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 158234650X ISBN 13: 9781582346502

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2005

Synopsis

The first book in a trilogy about terrifying genetic experiments.

Danny is different. He's slower than other kids his age, and prone to violent outbursts. But when Danny runs off to find his biological mother, his older stepbrother Christie impulsively follows him. Along the way the two boys are joined by a runaway girl, a bird, and a dog that can speak to humans. However, nothing can prepare them for what they learn when they finally locate Danny's mother at her laboratory, Fourth World. It seems Danny's mother has been performing experiments-secret experiments-with terrifying genetic significance...

About this title

About the Author:

Kate Thompson lives in Yorkshire, England, where she writes novels for children. She has twice been awarded the Bisto Book of the Year Award by Children's Books Ireland.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8–In the midst of a near-future energy crisis gripping Great Britain, three teenagers set out on a journey. Danny, 15, has limited abilities and no future in the sheltered world he shares with his father and stepmother. His mother, Maggie, left him with money and the promise to show him what he really is, so he convinces his 13-year-old stepbrother, Christie, to help him find out. The boys head north into the Scottish winter, after picking up Tina, a homeless girl; Oggy, a talking dog; and Darling, the talking starling that has followed them from home. Unbeknownst to the kids, Oggy and Darling have been sent to escort them to Fourth World, Maggie's farm, lab, and experimental community, but it is their own courage, determination, and drive that get them there. The first part of the book follows their travels, and the last third brings the characters and readers back to the subject of Maggie's genetic experiments and their results, and the purpose of Fourth World. Christie's narrative voice seems far too sophisticated for his age–his reflections on the energy crisis, on Tina's psyche as a homeless child, and on the rights and wrongs of his parents' and Maggie's actions seem beyond most 13-year-olds. However, they add to the character development and atmosphere, giving this book more heft than the average plot-driven series opener. The story is compelling and the questions left open at the end are intriguing enough to lead readers who make it through the long journey into the promised sequel.–Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 158234650X
• ISBN 13: 9781582346502
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 316