I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am Number Four.
I am next.

After reading this summary, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. Murder, mystery, and superheroes? What’s not to love?

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The voice is on the quieter side, which fits with John’s (aka Number Four) need to blend in to the background. True to form for any kid his age, he gets tired of moving around and wants to form some real friendships in his new town. With that comes the unexpected desire to stand up for himself.

This is a great concept. The need to not be noticed conflicting with the need to establish himself set a fantastic tone and kept me interested. Some of the scenes where John stands up to the local bully were a bit too full of testosterone for my taste, and the middle of the book slowed down a bit because John got too caught up in ‘setting that bully straight.’ But when we get back to the fact that he’s being hunted, the pace picks back up. And, of course, by the end of the story, everything has changed for all of John’s people.

I’m looking forward to the next book, and finding out how everything is going to unfold. I am hoping, though, that there will be less posturing and more exploring of newfound abilities.

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