Bloom

By: Kenneth Oppel

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss

"The perfect book right now for young readers searching for hope, strength, inspiration — and just a little horticultural havoc."—New York Times

The first book in a can't-put-it-down, can't-read-it-fast-enough action-thriller trilogy that's part Hatchet, part Alien!

The invasion begins--but not as you'd expect. It begins with rain. Rain that carries seeds. Seeds that sprout--overnight, everywhere. These new plants take over crop fields, twine up houses, and burrow below streets. They bloom--and release toxic pollens. They bloom--and form Venus flytrap-like pods that swallow animals and people. They bloom--everywhere, unstoppable.

Or are they? Three kids on a remote island seem immune to the toxic plants. Anaya, Petra, Seth. They each have strange allergies--and yet not to these plants. What's their secret? Can they somehow be the key to beating back this invasion? They'd better figure it out fast, because it's starting to rain again....

Critic reviews

"What a story! Kenneth Oppel has written a thriller so exciting that the pages might well have been printed with adrenaline." —Wall Street Journal

"The book rockets off, and Oppel never eases up on the gas." —The New York Times

"A phenomenal kickoff to an enthralling trilogy. The conclusion is especially powerful, delivering an overwhelming roller-coaster ride of relief and horror." —School Library Journal, starred review

“Wilderness survival and alien invasion combine for an exciting page-turner.” —Booklist

“Action-thriller led by three characters whose backstories continue to unfurl with intriguing detail… will leave readers satisfied.” —The Bulletin

"In this fast-paced thriller, Oppel spins a richly drawn, incredibly fascinating world. Beginning with the brilliantly unique premise of a botanical alien invasion, the plot unravels satisfyingly, building readers' curiosity by creating 10 new questions for every answer given. A thrilling alien-invasion novel based on a chillingly nefarious premise." —Kirkus Reviews

"BLOOM is a lightning-paced adventure that grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. This book is ridiculously fun ... and by 'fun' I mean terrifying!" —Jonathan Auxier, author of The Night Gardener

"Absolutely riveting. Superb storytelling, great characters and an environmental crisis — readers will hardly be able to wait for the second book in the trilogy."—The Globe and Mail

“Steadily adds new horrors, potently escalating the story’s pace, stakes, and anxiety as the plants crowd out food crops, explosively release allergy-causing pollen, and begin exhibiting carnivorous tendencies." —Publishers Weekly

Invasion

Loved the pit plant aspect . Combines invasion of the body snatchers, little shop of horrors with alien X-men

good book

it a pretty good book and i might listen to tthe next one so yeah

What if the corona virus was an alien plant?

In this story we start with a pretty heavy dose of what makes teens feel like outcasts: zits, allergies, broken confidences and parentlessness. At the same time, the young characters seem usually competent; for example, in addition to the extensive science chatter, female expertise with chainsaws is notable. Action starts quickly and the death count is unusually high for young readers. Oppel spares us the eye-roll over incompetent adults, making them instead a great support base for the kids to literally save the world (no mere village-as-world story). You can see elements of world-threat of The SYLO Chronicles by D. J. MacHale and can anticipate that there will be similarities to James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. Thank you K. Oppel for another great story not centered in the UK and US, although Bellingham is mentioned.

A Must Read

The caption says it all, one of my favorite series of all time, so glad I bought the whole set

Ok but more for teenagers.

Booked started out good and I'm always one to finish a book even if it's bad. This book is more for teenagers. I won't be ordering the rest of the series.