The Whisperer by Fiona McIntosh - ADVISABLE

McIntosh, Fiona The Whisperer, 390 pages.  Knopf (Random), 2015.  $17.  

Mature Content: G; Language: G; Violence: PG (mildly graphic violence).  

Grif is just a poor, untalented carnival worker who follows his older brothers from town to town, staying out of the way – until the day the Master finds out his talent for reading people’s thoughts.   Now he has to quickly find a way out – not just for himself, but also for Tess and her menagerie of very special animal friends.  If they run, however, Master Tyren will be hot on their heel, using any ruthless means within his grasp in order to subdue his “property”.  One voice that is particularly loud in Grif’s head is someone else who sounds like they are also in dire trouble.  Lute happens to be the prince, now king, of a country that is in the throes of being overthrown by his own uncle – someone who wants what he thinks he is owed.  Both boys are fleeing life-threatening troubles and need each other and their tiny band of close friends in order to survive the next few days. 

McIntosh writes a fun, fast book that jumps from danger to danger.  The magic component is small, but this would still be a good option to hand sell to students looking for fantasy options. 

EL –OPTIONAL; MS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher