Teen Reviewer Taylor reviewing Open Minds

Kira Moore, a high schooler, is a loser. Not a reader in the telepathic world like everyone else. She has not gone through the change from zero to reader, that usually happens in junior high or early high school. She later finds out she can jack minds, controlling readers and other jackers. She has a unique set of jacking abilities which carries her deeper into secret clans and danger.

I absolutely adore this book! The characters were very believable for the situation, and also very relatable. I felt like I was with Kira throughout the entire book. I felt what she felt. Because of this, I could not stop reading.

I loved the idea of mind reading for a book! Quinn added enough information about mind reading so you could completely understand the story, but you still had questions about our future. In the future, could we read minds? Would the government try to stop jackers and actually experiment on them?

Most heroes are known for their strength like the Hulk, or their ability to fly like Iron Man, or both like Superman. I feel like this book if more like it come, would bring a superhero known for their mind, not strength. I thought of this new type of superhero because Quinn describes the fighting in one’s mind, like wrestling. Kira was like the strongest wrestler who always won.
Taylor

Teen Reviewer Amanda reviewing Open Minds

The first guest Review is from Amanda, a seventh grader, going into eight grade in the fall. 

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

In a dystopian society Kira is a zero, an outcast, a loser. But not because of her looks or personality. No, Kira is an outcast because she’s the one in one thousand that cannot read minds.. At least that’s how it starts. As the story moves on, we learn why Kira hasn’t developed her mind reading skills. It’s because she has a much more powerful skill, mind control. She’s soon plummeted into a world of secret clans and mind jacking.

    After just reading the first chapter of Open Minds, I knew I would love it. In a world where everyone can read minds everything works differently. From the way the kids learn, to the way technology works, Quinn really didn’t leave anything out. Although I would have liked it if she had elaborated a bit more on how the futuristic gadgets worked, it still gave a realistic view on what would happen if humans developed the power to read each others minds.

The characters in this book were incredibly consistent, and by the end of the book I was able to predict how they would act. This was both a good and bad quality in the book.]=]]=

This book was very fast paced and exciting. The characters were very relatable, especially Kira. I think everyone has felt like a “zero” at some point and it’s easy to connect with how she feels about the hierarchy in her high school. I also enjoyed the language used in the descriptions. It was simple, yet it elucidated enough so I knew what was going on. Perhaps the best part of this book was the plot. Just the first chapter hinted at an exciting dystopian society that kept me wanting more.

This book was an interesting look at the future and all it could hold. This brings up questions like: Can technology go too far? and, What secrets could the future hold? This book really has everything, a love triangle, FBI agents, and mind reading! It was a truly enjoyable read.

Sincerely,
Amanda