Lana Krumwiede

FROM AMAZON: Taemon has always known he’s a bit different. But in the walled city of Deliverance, where everyone possesses a form of telekinesis known as psi, being different is dangerous. Being different can get you labeled a freakling. Or worse, see you banished to the Powerless Colony, where even the simplest tasks, like getting dressed or turning on the lights, must be done by hand.

Taemon has learned to blend in, to pretend he’s just like everyone else in Deliverance. To pretend that he can’t send his mind wandering into objects and see exactly how they work. But Taemon’s brother, Yens, suspects the truth, and he’ll stop at nothing - even murder - to expose Taemon’s secret.

In this thrilling dystopian novel from newcomer Lana Krumwiede, Taemon must choose between accepting his life among the freaklings or fighting for the destiny he’s never wanted - and all that comes with it.… (mehr)

This review published by Brigham Young University's The Children's Book and Media Review

Itzy loves being a spider and the things he gets to do as a spider, but he hates his nickname. Everyone calls him Itzy Bitzy and he can’t stand it. He wants to convince everyone that he's not a spiderling anymore. His brother says that grown-up spiders catch their own lunches, so Itzy decides to leave the one his mom made him at home. He tries to build a web, but a girl scares the fly he’s chasing away. He sees another fly, but an old lady swallows it. When he goes to investigate, he gets swallowed, along with a lot of other things. He tries to go up the spout, but he gets washed out of it when it rains. He is about to give up, but when his brother needs help, he’s able to find a way to not be so Bitzy after all.

Fans of common stories and nursery rhymes will be amused at how one spider accidentally gets involved in familiar stories in his attempt to grow up. The spiders are drawn in a cute way so that they don’t look too much like spiders and even people who don’t like spiders can enjoy the book. Itzy teaches that if you “keep your eye on the fly” and don’t give up, it is possible to achieve a goal even if it seems impossible for a while. Itzy’s perspective of himself changes and he is able to realize that he can do hard things. Young readers who can identify with wanting to be more grown up than sometimes other people are willing to see them will enjoy this story and the nursery rhyme references in it.… (mehr)