Book Summary and Reviews of The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds

by Lisa McMann

  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (9):
  • Published:
  • Aug 2011, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths

Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret--behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.

In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.

But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Blending elements from two popular genres, this is sure to be a double hit. Ages 10-14." - Kirkus Reviews

"The subplots - including young romance and murderous conspiracies - are skillfully interwoven, and if some of Quill's harshness borders on caricature, it serves the story well. Ages 8 12." - Publishers Weekly

"This is a good starter fantasy or dystopia without the darkness in titles for older readers." - School Library Journal

This information about The Unwanteds was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Jullia

Amazing
This is the best book.

YeetDragon

The good YEET
Great mix of magic and other great things. READ IT.

bobjeffswag

This book is amazing!
This book is really good and I recommend it to anyone!

Kristina Burloch

AMAZE BALLS!
I love this book greatly. I am a 5th grade teacher at Lunderwood Elementary School and my kids rated this an average of 5 stars. They really enjoyed doing sticky notes and having group discussions about each chapter.

bookworm

Amazing Read
The theme of The Unwanteds is things are not always what they seem. Being "eliminated" means that you are sent to a beautiful world where expressing what you feel through music, art, acting etc. is welcome. Instead of being sent to death you are saved. The little gray shack on the plot of land where Alex and the other Unwanteds first saw where they were going to be living turned out to be a mansion with unlimited space.

996op

Bweat book ever
This book was amazing and everyone should read it ... what are you waiting for? Go and buy it!

...3 more reader reviews

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More Information

Lisa McMann is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy; Cryer's Cross; and the middle-grade dystopian fantasy series The Unwanteds. She lives with her family in the Phoenix area.

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