Hatch

By: Kenneth Oppel

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss

Fans left desperate for more at the end of Bloom will dive into this second book of the Overthrow trilogy--where the danger mounts and alien creatures begin to hatch.

First the rain brought seeds. Seeds that grew into alien plants that burrowed and strangled and fed.

Seth, Anaya, and Petra are strangely immune to the plants' toxins and found a way to combat them. But just as they have their first success, the rain begins again. This rain brings eggs. That hatch into insects. Not small insects. Bird-sized mosquitos that carry disease. Borer worms that can eat through the foundation of a house. Boat-sized water striders that carry away their prey.

But our heroes aren't able to help this time--they've been locked away in a government lab with other kids who are also immune. What is their secret? Could they be...part alien themselves? Whose side are they on?

Kenneth Oppel expertly escalates the threats and ratchets up the tension in this can't-read-it-fast-enough adventure with an alien twist. Readers will be gasping for the next book as soon as they turn the last page...

Critic reviews

"Riveting. Oppel’s chillingly beautiful, detailed world is the perfect backdrop to the action-packed plot." —Kirkus Reviews

"Thrilling." —Booklist

"The appeal of fantasy, suspense, horror, and relationships will be too strong for readers to resist, and they will be avidly awaiting the final book in this series. An impressive addition to the outstanding trilogy. This belongs on all young sci-fi thriller shelves." —School Library Journal

"With peril around every corner and plenty of raw emotion, Oppel has crafted a compelling story about what makes a person a human being." —The Horn Book Magazine

Complexity Rules.

The opening minutes were so surreal; the Canadian military seemed so American. Fortunately they were merely collecting for the military medical experimentation in that country to the south. The un-marked choppers swooping in to the American compound was classic! Based on the chopper range from Vancouver and the always-handy slow freight train to help folks get around unseen, readers can plot the secret lab location before the characters themselves figure it out (the kids need the magic of a found GPS unit). If you need to know what to do in a plummeting elevator or how to order an end-of-the-world meal at McD, you can get lessons here ("actually cheaper if you have the combo").

The strength of the story for me is in the complexity of viewpoints within the group of abducted teens, within the Canadian military and within the invading entity. Weaknesses: the apparent dismissal of laws of physics regarding the transmogrification of matter; and the reality-defying boat trip (travel by broom would have been more believable).