| Shapeshifting -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Indians of North America -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Fathers and sons -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Supernatural -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Indians of North America -- Fiction. |
| Paranormal fiction. |
| Spy stories -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Spy stories. |
| Young adult fiction. |
| Fiction. |
Available:*
Audience | Shelf Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen/Young Adult | Fiction | Book | YA FIC BRUCHAC | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Luke King, whose father is a black-ops infiltrator, uses the skills his father taught him to figure out his family's paranormal secret and save his kidnapped father and his own friends.
Luke King knows a lot of things. Like four different ways to disarm an enemy before the attacker can take a breath. Like every detail of every book he's ever read. And Luke knows enough-just enough-about what his father does as a black ops infiltrator to know which questions not to ask. Like why does his family move around so much?
Luke just hopes that this time his family is settled for a while. He'll finally be able to have a normal life. He'll be able to ask the girl he likes to take a ride with him on his motorcycle. He'll hang out with his friends. He'll be invisible-just as he wants.
But when his dad goes missing, Luke realizes that life will always be different for him. Suddenly he must avoid the kidnappers looking to use him as leverage against his father, while at the same time evading the attention of the school's mysterious elite clique of Russian hipsters, who seem much too interested in Luke's own personal secret. Faced with multiple challenges and his emerging paranormal identity, Luke must decide who to trust as he creates his own destiny.
Author Notes
Joseph Bruchac, a citizen of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, is the author of more than 100 books for children and teens, including multiple picture books published by Lee & Low Books, and the young adult Killer of Enemies trilogy, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews . A Rockefeller Fellow and an NEA Poetry Writing Fellow, Bruchac has received numerous recognitions and awards over his long-standing career. In addition to writing, Bruchac is an editor at Greenfield Review Press, a literary publishing house he co-founded with his wife. He lives in Greenfield Center, New York. To find out more about him, visit josephbruchac.com.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Lucas King has serious problems: he's still reeling from his mother's death, his father has disappeared into a haze of drugs and alcohol, they're living in a tin can of a trailer, he's in love with a girl from a strict Muslim family, and the new Russian students (aka The Sunglass Mafia) have taken an unwelcome interest in him. To make matters worse, his father gets kidnapped by some very dangerous people and they're coming for Luke, too. But if the bad guys think the teen is an easy target, they're in for a surprise. In addition to being preternaturally strong and fast-just like his dad-he has also been trained from an early age in martial arts and spy craft. His father is a black ops agent and he has given his son skills that would make James Bond jealous. Luke will need all of his cunning, some scary allies, and a little bit of shape-shifting to save his dad. As in Skeleton Man (2001) and Bearwalker (2007, both HarperCollins), Bruchac has created a tense, readable novel. He combines Native American lore, supernatural elements, genetic engineering, romance, geopolitics, and adventure in one story. At times this ambitious mixture stretches credulity, and in the hands of a lesser storyteller the novel would simply fall apart, but the mystery and edge-of-your-seat action are enough to keep readers hooked.-Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bruchac (Dragon Castle) delivers a fun twist on werewolf stories mixed with some mad science and espionage. Luke King's black ops father spent years teaching him various survival skills, and Luke's heightened senses also come in handy. When Luke's father is kidnapped, Luke discovers that these powers are only the tip of the iceberg. As he investigates his father's disappearance, Luke learns more about his real heritage as a beast and about the mysterious goings-on at the Maxico corporation, which has set up shop in town. Bruchac adeptly incorporates characters of various heritages: Luke is Native American; his best friend/crush, Meena, is Pakistani; and the Sunglass Mafia-a group of students who are more than they seem-are from eastern Russia. Luke also possesses a hefty amount of cultural and political awareness to go with his combat and espionage expertise, which serve him well (and make him a bit too perfect). There are some minor shortcuts-notably Luke's inconsistent tendency to disrupt some electrical objects, but not others-but the action and Luke's narration carry the book nicely. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
The mark on the back of Luke's wrist looks like an animal a wolf, perhaps? That is not the only thing about this Abenaki Indian that is unusual. He has exceptional strength and speed, and electronic devices like cell phones don't work for him what's going on here? And what does this have to do with Maxco, the giant research facility on the edge of town? Readers will find out as they meet Luke's single-parent father, whose mysterious missions have ended in a miasma of alcohol and drug abuse; as they encounter the seven mysterious dark-glasses-wearing Russian students in his high school; as they enter the deserted, possibly haunted mansion that harbors a dark secret . . . and, well, there's more. Drawing on Native American traditions and his own lively imagination, Bruchac has written a genre-blending novel that combines horror, science fiction, and adventure into a satisfying whole. The fast pace will hold readers' attention to the end, which yes leaves the door open to the possibility of a sequel.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist