Masterminds

Author: Gordon Korman

Pages: 366 pages

Genre: Science fiction

In a small city, in New Mexico, called Serenity, everything seemed perfect until  Eli, one of the children that lived there,  found a note from his  best friend who was forced to leave town. The note said “there is something screwy about Serenity” .

The book revolves around Eli and four of his friends (Amber, Malik, Hector and Tori) figuring out the meaning of the note.  They eventually discover that they are part of an experiment  - cloned from mastermind criminals! The experiment was to see how these clones would turn out if they lived in a perfect world.  The people they knew as their parents, teachers, doctors and neighbours were really illegal scientists. After the five kids realized what happened to them they planned to escape from Serenity. But, with all the adults watching every move they make how can they break free? And, with so little knowledge about the real world, how will they survive?

Masterminds  is a fabulous book that I highly recommend. I LOVED it and I rate it 5 out of 5.  I couldn’t put the book down.  There was a lot of suspense and each night I dreamed about the ending. The book felt like it was a movie and I think it would make a great one! Masterminds has important messages such as friendship, trust, loyalty, and honesty.

There is one thing I would change. In each chapter, the narrator switches to a different character. This, at times, confused me because sometimes I thought one character was speaking when it was another. But, other than that, Masterminds was INCREDIBLE! It was so good, that as soon as I was done the book, I started reading the second book called Criminal Destiny which is EVEN BETTER! Gordon Korman is a great author!!!

If you like fast paced, action packed, suspenseful books then Masterminds is the book for you!