Book review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Title: I AM NUMBER FOUR

Author:  Pittacus Lore

YA fiction – Science Fiction

Held at out Twin Lakes branch.

John Smith is not the fifteen year old he pretends to be.  He’s laying low, trying to blend in with the humans and avoid being noticed.  He and eight other children (now separated to avoid detection) were sent to earth when a sinister alien race destroyed the planet of Lorien.  The Magodorians are moving from planet to planet, eliminating the population and depleting the natural resources.  Earth is next.  But first, this malevolent alien race must hunt down and kill the nine Loric children before they develop the super powers (legacies) that will effectively allow them to do battle. 

It’s been ten years and the first three Loric children have been found and killed.  John is number four.  Constantly on the run, John and his guardian have recently arrived in Paradise, Ohio where John’s first legacy appears.  As the Magadorians zero in on the town, John must learn to control his fire power to fight against the evil race and save himself, his friends and the town. 

Definitely a page-turner, I AM NUMBER FOUR is the first of a multi-book series still being printed.      

Written in first person, present tense, the story has well developed characters that I was easily caught up in.  The book is a quick read you won’t be able to put down.  I can’t wait to see what happens in book two where John and number six team up to find the other Loric teens before the Magadorians do.  It’s Earths only chance for survival. 

review by Kathy Helgesen