Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam
    I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam
    I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam
    Ebook122 pages1 hour

    I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam

    By Pittacus Lore

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In this heart-racing 144-page companion novella to the New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series, discover what happened to Malcolm Goode—the one human on Earth who can help the Garde learn the truth about their past and help them save our planet.

    No one has seen Sam Goode's father, Malcolm, since he mysteriously disappeared years ago. Sam had always fantasized that he was abducted by aliens. But that was before he knew the truth: aliens do exist, and some of them seek to destroy our world. That was before he himself became another one of their captives. Now father and son are both missing. . . .

    But when a rogue Mogadorian named Adam, who now has Number One's memories, decides the only way to make up for his past atrocities is to return home and infiltrate the Mogadorian stronghold, he'll find the key to saving both Sam and Malcolm's life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateDec 26, 2012
    ISBN9780062218773
    I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam
    Author

    Pittacus Lore

    Pittacus Lore is Lorien's ruling Elder. He has been on Earth preparing for the war that will decide Earth's fate. He finished recounting the story of the invasion of Earth in the I Am Number Four series and is now ready to tell another story. His whereabouts are unknown.

    Read more from Pittacus Lore

    Related to I Am Number Four

    Titles in the series (15)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    YA Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Chouette

      Nov 12, 2021

      Chouette
      16 min read

    • Article

      Letters From The Pandemic

      Apr 27, 2020

      Letters From The Pandemic
      8 min read

    • Article

      Love, Lust, and More

      Feb 12, 2020

      Fleetwood Mac was singing She is dancing away from you now, and I squirmed in my seat. Kabir was rubbing my thigh as he drove, a gesture I once thought was reserved for me. Bah! I also used to think he only took naked selfies in bed with me, but then

      11 min read

    • Article

      Here’s What I Don’t Say

      Jun 1, 2019

      Here’s What I Don’t Say
      13 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Chosen

      Aug 2, 2018

      Chosen
      10 min read

    • Article

      Finding Peace

      Dec 31, 2023

      Finding Peace
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dispatches From the Trenches of Domestic Life

      Mar 2, 2018

      Six years ago my wife gave me a pair of house slippers. My first ever. A domestic present I thought signaled some new phase of my life. I thanked her. Tried them on. Plush fur lined the inside. I stood up to make a show of enjoying them. Then she han

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Wolf

      Nov 6, 2018

      The Wolf
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Silence of Witches

      Dec 10, 2019

      The Silence of Witches
      6 min read

    • Article

      A WING AND a prayer

      Sep 28, 2021

      A raven saved my life Cate McMurray, 47, from West Midlands I ’d always known I was different. As a small child, I used to see and hear people who weren’t there. One day, I was playing hide ‘n’ seek with my two sisters, and tucked myself away in a cu

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Billboard

      Nov 25, 2019

      The Billboard
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ben Marcus

      Jun 15, 2018

      My wife, Gin, once knocked gently on my head, as if it were a door. “Hello,” she kept saying. “Hello. Who’s in there?” She and our therapist, Dr. Sherby, laughed a little about this, so I did, too. What fun. Keep knocking on my head like that, like i

      23 min read

    • Article

      The Space Between Us

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Space Between Us
      8 min read

    • Article

      Counselor of Chippewa Cabin

      Jun 26, 2020

      Counselor of Chippewa Cabin
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Calling

      May 26, 2020

      The Calling
      2 min read

    • Article

      After-effects

      Feb 9, 2021

      After-effects
      12 min read

    • Article

      Why Nadia Came Back

      Mar 22, 2019

      Why Nadia Came Back
      6 min read

    • Article

      Motherhood as Muse

      Feb 15, 2018

      1. We were living in Philadelphia with our twin 13-month-old daughters when one night I returned from the store to find my husband holding E, her face blue. Her arms and legs made a slow but steady jerk jerk jerk, only her eyes were closed and when w

      6 min read

    • Article

      Waiting

      Sep 3, 2020

      Waiting
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Ecstasy And The Agony Of Being A Grandmother By Robin Marantz Henig

      Mar 4, 2021

      I was in the delivery room when my first grandchild was born. It was a gift from my daughter to be invited in at all–I know I can be overbearing sometimes–and I cherished the invitation like a rare and precious gem. During the long night of my daught

      5 min read

    • Article

      Lagavulin BAY

      May 10, 2023

      Lagavulin BAY
      6 min read

    • Article

      Dancing In The Dust Motes

      May 5, 2022

      Dancing In The Dust Motes
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for I Am Number Four

    4/5

    179 ratings130 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This novella wraps up both the Adam plotline and the Sam and his dad plotline in a very neat solution to both problems. Plenty of action and a nice twist to the basic Lorien vs. Mogadorian battle.
    • 1/5
      You guys don't have the series here. Only a few out of sequence
    • 4/5
      We listened to this one on audio, and except that the female voices all sounded slightly annoying done by the male narrator, it was very well done. (Fortunately, there's more male than female characters, so it didn't really detract.) We really enjoyed this book. The characters are fun and well-developed, and the action at the end is non-stop! It was fun trying to guess what was going on before "John Smith", the 15-year-old alien main character, figured it out. We were rooting for him, his guardian "Henri", and his brand-new best friends Sarah, the former cheerleader-turned-school photographer and Sam, the resident geek/ alien conspiracy theorist, and John's "dog", Bernie Kosar, throughout the novel. We haven't seen the movie yet (which I'm sure will vaguely resemble it), but will be looking forward to reading the sequel, The Power of Six, when it comes out.
    • 3/5
      Picked up toward the end ... the last 50 pages renewed my hope for the next ones in the series and might have possibly changed my mind about reading the others.
    • 1/5
      This was a really irritating read. I hadn't realised it was a YA (Young Adult) novel until I started it, but that in itself wouldn't have been a problem - a lot of my favourite novels are pitched at readers young enough to be my children. The problem is that while there is the potential for a great story here and some of the writing is occasionally good, the book for the most part is badly written and VERY poorly edited. I would almost venture to say unedited, as there are so many flaws and downright errors that you would think someone would have caught them if they had bothered to read it critically before publication (I wasn't trying to read critically, and they leapt out at me). It reads like a first draft, when ideas and rough dialogue are simply being dumped onto the page, not a finished product.

      I'm not going to go into extensive detail - life's too short and I've already spent more time on this than it deserves. Examples include contradictory sentences within the same paragraph, incorrect words that seem to have slipped through simply because they wouldn't have triggered spellcheck ('quip' where the meaning of the sentence clearly requires 'clip' is particularly memorable), and plot developments that simply don't make sense in light of what has happened up to that point. The teenage love story is unbearably cheesy. Plot and character are underdeveloped and the tone is uneven; short, simplistic, frankly hackneyed sentences are overloaded with sophisticated adjectives. They'd be fine if the prose style itself was more sophisticated, but here they're just out of place. It's the sort of book where the author uses 'astute' instead of 'smart' even though the overall style of the writing, and the fact that the narrator is a 15-year-old boy, is such that 'smart' would be the better word.

      All of this could have been fixed with help from a good editor and a bit more time and attention dedicated to the actual craft of writing. I'm sure of this because Pittacus Lore, whoever he or she is, is clearly not a talentless writer who'd simply stumbled onto a good idea. There are moments - unfortunately very brief - when the writing is quite wonderful. The first two paragraphs at the beginning of chapter 22 are a delight. Pittacus Lore has the ability to do far better than this, but sadly probably won't, as this book has somehow managed to be successful as it is. My edition includes the opening chapters of the sequel, which looks to be just as poor. I won't be reading it.
    • 5/5
      Even though this is classified as young adult, I as a sdult, was pulled into Number Four's story. I loved the book so much that I took me about 3 hours to read it from front to back and towards the end, I found myself gripping the book in anticipation for the conclusion.

      I would recommend this to anyone who likes the sci/fi factor and conspiracy theories about aliens.

      5 Stars:)

    • 1/5
      I think this book was a little over hyped. Actually to be very honestly, I couldn't even finish it. The idea is sound, but the execution just didn't grab me.

      UPDATE 11/13: Since reading the article on how this book came to be, i am now not surprised that I couldn't finish it. The idea that the actual writer had to sign away most of his rights and got pretty much nothing out of his work being published makes me quite sad.
    • 3/5
      This was a pretty good book. There was lots of action, aliens, 'super-powers' and a bit of romance to boot. I enjoyed the character development. I definately liked the character in the book better than the one in the movie. I thought that in the movie he just kind of came off as a rebellious brat that didn't want to listen. (That's not to say I didn't enjoy the movie. I really did) In the book he comes off as much more thoughtful, and as coming into his power and strength rather than rebellious.

      I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction about aliens.
    • 4/5
      Overall, I really did enjoy this one. It was definitely different than anything I've ever picked up before, as it was my first venture into the genre. The story kept me hooked from the beginning, and I only managed to put it down a couple of times. It wasn't perfect though- it was VERY predictable, especially the dog storyline, and what happened at Halloween. I kind of wished it had started with life on Lorien, because it seemed really interesting. I liked John, and Henri was very intriguing. I liked it for the most part, and really want to see what happens next.
    • 5/5
      One of my favourite series. It is a bit super hero-ish but I couldn't stop reading until it was finished (I finished the last book in 1 day) Not trying to knit pick or anything, but I wish he was called Four just like Six is called Six.
    • 4/5
      I read this book because I watched and enjoyed the movie. Like I expected the movie didn't do the book justice. I generally don't like books that are written in the present tense, I find it distracting, but I really enjoyed this book. This was an original, interesting story line and the characters are well developed. I like books that make me feel emotionally invested in the characters and this book did a good job of making me care about what happened to the characters.
    • 3/5
      I know I wrote a review for this one when I read it but I'm damned if I can remember what I said. Ah well, read it after watching the film and they're quite similar.
    • 5/5
      I Think The Story Is Good.. I Myself never found a BORING Part in the whole book...The Story is about the struggle of a Human-Like-Allien (John Smith or Number 4) and his Protector/Teacher.. Mogadorians have destroyed the planet of Lorien.. Somehow Nine Loriens Have managed to escape with their protectors... They Have been told by their elders to develop their legacies and return to Lorien And beat Mogadorians..The Loriens Are protected by a spell by A Lorien Elder, So They Can Only Be Killed in a specific order.. If Anyone tries to kill them out of order, He'll Get Himself Killed..Somehow The Evil Villains Have Killed 3 of the Nine Alliens (Loriens) Now They Are After Our HERO (No. 4).. John Smith Has Managed To Remain Hidden by Changing the Residing Places.. Now that he live in Paradise Ohio... He is in Love with A Local Girl Sarah Hart.. .. Thus begins A Romantic Story... This Makes Him Stay In The Town ... ... Now That he's in town and The Evil Villains attack them.. There's a fight... in which John's Protector dies...They Are Helped by Another Lorien Allien Number Six..
    • 3/5
      Strong start with an intriguing premise that quickly deteriorated into a poorly written love story... I mean the angst wasn't even remotely believable. Stick to the sci fi & maybe this series will be able to redeem itself. Plus the author wrote himself into the story as some mythic legend: blek.
    • 5/5
       “I Am Number Four” by Pittacus Lore began very quickly, this well-written book marking its existence on the very first page. Unlike most books that need explanation of history, Lore started with a fast-paced scene in Asia as his prologue instead of beginning with a chapter of explaining the characters tragic history. After the prologue, Lore gives a few brief paragraphs on fifteen-year-old John Smith’s history as a Lorien alien in disguise with a new name, address, and school every few months, also explaining the charm that forced the Mogadorians (aliens from a dying planet) to kill the Loriens in order of their number, 1-9. Afterwards, Lore immediately gets on to the actual story, a detailed science fiction/romantic novel with a lot of action, suspense, and danger. As the novel progresses, John and Henri, his guardian Cepan (undercover as John’s father), moves to Paradise, Ohio after the death of another Lorien, Three. There, John falls deeply in love with a junior named Sarah Hart and also manages to make an enemy in the process: Mark, Sarah’s old boyfriend, a senior at John’s new school. Sarah and John don’t truly begin to date until during the annual Halloween Hayride when Mark pulls a prank nastier than all the others on John, Sarah, her friend Emily, and John’s new friend Sam. A few days before, John had developed his first Legacy (a power given by the planet Lorien), which, given time, enabled John to be immune to fire and his hands to shine like flashlights. John uses his ‘lights’ and superhuman strength/speed to intimidate Mark, while revealing his unknown identity as a Lorien to Sam, who strongly believes that aliens had kidnapped his father at a young age, therefore revealing their existence and establishing Sam’s interest in space life. I picked up “I Am Number Four” with high expectations. Many had recommended this book and series to me, and after reading it, I realized that this novel met my expectations and beyond. Lore expertly wove the unknown, mysterious alien world into a magnificent species that did, in fact, exist and was mingling among humanity without our suspicions. Lore described the Loriens as creatures that looked like regular humans and easily spoke English and other foreign languages, while the Mogadorians didn't resemble the human nature at all. Interesting no doubt, but the dangers of being discovered-by the Mogadorians or the humans-justed added to the suspense. John couldn’t become a target at school, couldn’t participate in sports that might betray his strength and speed, and couldn’t become popular among his classmates to attract Mogadorians. He couldn’t become close friends in case he had to leave at a moments notice and he always had to be on the lookout. Lore made this book intricate by making sure all of these important keys were added, little hints hidden throughout the story, and making room for the tiny details to make “I Am Number Four” a masterpiece to be read for decades. In a situation that involves trust, hope, loyalty, danger, and even sorrow, John faces struggles that bring the story to life in an odd, but intriguing way. “I Am Number Four” is just the beginning of his journey to save Lorien, and Lore captures his readers in this amazing novel and takes them for a trip that doesn’t guarantee their return.
    • 4/5
      I know there is a big controversy about the author of this book, but in spite of that I liked it. I thought it was an intriguing premise, I liked the characters, and it was a quick and easy read. I did NOT like all the bad language. Numerous uses of the "s" word, the "h" word and the "d" word. And I found the ending highly implausible. I probably won't take the time to read the next books, but I want someone to tell me what happens!
    • 5/5
      I am number four is science/romantic novel set in present time where the main character john smith is criss-crossing across the country running away from the Magdorians 14 years later after the Magdorians destroyed lorien.Now John and his cepan "henri" come apon paridise,ohio where John discovers a reason why to stop running and fight.where are the rest?One reason why I liked this book is because in the book John moves from one place to the other constantly and since I have been in the states i have moved 5 times and saying good-bye to freinds is the worst part of it all and to me that is just relateable.
    • 4/5
      The book I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore is by far the best book I have ever read. I love the plot the Author made the book into and want to find out more on how he came up with these fantastic ideas for the story. This book has everything from action, romance and so much more. I suggest that everyone reads the book and I would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. I can’t wait to start the next two books that go along with this epic adventure.In this story John Smith, a 15-year-old alien from the planet Lorien, and Henri Smith, his guardian Cepan, runs from the Mogadorians, another alien race that is hunting John and eight other teenage Lorics on the planet Earth. They killed the first 3 Lorics on the planet and now it is John’s turn to be killed by the Mogadorians. John and Henri keep the move on as they leave Florida. Henri tells him they are going to Paradise, Ohio. Henri produces a new identity for Four, giving him the name "John Smith." In Paradise, Ohio John faces many new experiences. John later falls in love with the beautiful Sarah Hart. John finds himself caught up in life and is now surrounded by the evil Mogadorians. Find out if John makes it out alive in I Am Number Four.
    • 4/5
      So in my original review on my blog I did a comparison of the movie, book, and audio book. I've cut the movie part out here, since it's not fair to add that in on the book review.The audio book: Avoid this at all costs! It was absolutely dreadful. I've only listened to one other audio book, but if they are all like this one I don't think I'll ever like them. The narrator sounded like a middle-aged man and when it came time for the female characters to speak, it was the same middle-aged man suddenly trying to sound like a fifteen-year-old girl. The voices continued to go down hill from there and it didn't help matters that the narrator sounded like he was reading the book for the first time, pausing in the wrong spots, weird intonation. I made it to chapter seven before I couldn't handle any more, and I almost didn't go for the print version. The book: This was much better than I thought it would be after suffering through part of the audio book. There were certain elements in the book that I liked much better than the movie, such as Henri having an accent. In the movie there wouldn't have been a natural way of explaining why he portrayed himself as French, but in the book we get the background. That is really what made me like the book and movie equally. The book's pace was a bit too slow for me, while the movie missed some of the depth in the world building.My recommendation would be to read the book, then see the movie, and don't even bother with the audio book.
    • 3/5
      3.5/5 stars, rounded down to 3. Review of an ARCI am Number Four is a mix of science fiction and magic. I don't like reading science fiction, but this book wasn't so bad. The mixing of the two genres was not the best, because some things were just simply explained away with magic. I am Number Four is a suspenseful sci-fi with a touch of magic thrown in.Overall: The first 50 or so pages were exciting and fun to read. I loved the description of Lorien and other life-sustaining planets. But as it went on the pace slowed down a bit. And then near the end I started getting a little bored. Some stuff was pretty obvious though John didn't have a clue. The ending was a little messy because there was just so much going on.***!!!SPOLIER!!!***One thing I absolutley hated was Henri's death. It felt unnecessary to kill him off. Like Pittacus Lore did it just to make his reader's feel something. Maybe I'm wrong and his death will serve a purpose in the next book, but I really wished he hadn't died.***!!!END SPOILER!!!***Plot: I am not a fan of sci-fi. It's weird to me, but this book was popular enough to become a movie so I had to check it out. The summary sounded interesting enough. What really got me though was what it said on the inside. It was something along the lines of "The events that take place in this book were real. Names and places have been changed to protect identities." I have never seen that in a book before. That really got me interested. Though mine is an ARC so maybe the finished copy doesn't have that. Usually it's "The events in this book are fictional and made up by the author. Similar names and places are a coincidence." I liked the concept of the universe having several life-sustaining planets somewhat close to Earth. That seems realistic to me because the universe is huge and anything is possible. Lorien is a place where I would want to live. Mogadore, not so much. I would really like to learn more about the different planets. The plot moved at a good pace. Super fast and exciting in the beginning and starts to slow down later on, but not enough to make the story boring. Plus there is plenty of suspense and plot twists to keep things exciting.Characters: The actions of some characters really annoyed me. John for example seemed to make some pretty stupid decisions. Henri was probably my favorite character out of the whole book. And Bernie Kosar. (view spoiler) I'm a little skeptical of how 6 kids and their guardians are going to repopulate an entire planet. Maybe there are other survivors, but that still isn't enough. Maybe they will use humans to repopulate, even if their children will only be half Lorien(and probably won't have any Legacies).I would read the next book to see what happens with John. Where will he go next and what other Legacies will he discover?
    • 2/5
      Maybe my mistake was to see the movie first. But in general, books are better than the movies...There are exceptions to the rule apparently. The story itself was interesting. The premise was good and I wanted to learn more about the characters. The main problem was the writing. It felt emotionally flat and too descriptive. I skipped a good portion of the second half...
    • 2/5
      I was scanning through the movies on Vudu the other night and I ran across a preview for I Am Number Four. There wasn’t a trailer available on Vudu (which is a horrid fail, btw) so I googled it, watched it and yeah, it looked pretty good. I was going to rent the movie but it turns out you can’t. You can only buy it and even if it was good, it wouldn’t be the kind of movie I’d spend twenty bucks on. You can already sense the negativity, can’t you?So I bought the book.In hindsight it wasn’t worth those ten bucks either.Daniel John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith, is hot footing it out of town. About ever six months or so, he and his pseudo-father “Henri” load up the truck and move to a new town and change identities. It’s necessary, seriously necessary in fact because there’s an entire race of killer aliens after them. John is one of nine Super High-speed 4G Bluetooth hero children that escaped from the planet of Lorien in the midst of an attack by said killer aliens. As the last of his race, it’s crucial to his people’s survival that he and his kind stay hidden on earth until it’s safe to return to their home planet. The Mogadorians (killer aliens), having raped Loric for all its resources, have set their sights on the planet Earth and must destroy the nine super kids in order to carry out their evil, villainous plans. *Cue music*The nine can only be killed in sequential order. Meaning, you can’t kill three before killing one or it JUST WILL NOT WORK. I refer you to Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the scene in which they receive instructions on the use of the holy hand grenade. Three are dead. John is number four. Get it?OK, now to get to the root of my pissiness. I liked this story. It was incredibly entertaining in a Saturday morning cartoon sort of way. The plot was great. The action was intense. All the super hero badassedness was badass. All that. I read it in two sittings because I really did care about what happened and I was into it. I was into it despite the fact that the writing was unforgivably atrocious and seemed, for lack of a better way to put it, to be written by a child…in crayon.It read about like this:"I woke up. I walked to the refrigerator. I opened the refrigerator door. I took a moment to brood about how much it sucked that I might get killed by aliens. I really want to just be human and eat fruit loops. I can’t be human because I’m so badass. MAN AM I BADASS! I’m still going to eat fruit loops."That was the reenactment. Here’s an actual quote: “I go to the bathroom, enter an empty stall, and latch the door behind me. I open my hands. A slight glow in the right one. I close my eyes and sigh, focus on breathing slowly. A minute later the glow is still there. I shake my head. I didn’t think the Legacy would be that sensitive. I stay in the stall.”It brought to mind a traffic jam, with cars lined up for miles and miles behind each other, moving at the speed of one bumper length every fifteen minutes. Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Short, clipped little sentences written for the ADD afflicted in mind.Still, all in all, it’s a great story, and I hope it made a better movie. If “Pittacus Lore” would like to send my back my ten bucks, I’ll throw in the other ten and watch it.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book. I tried to like this book. I tried really, really, really hard. But I just couldn't get into it. It's rather disappointing because I feel like it just had so much potential. I really do believe it could have been something wonderful. The basic plot and story line are interesting, but the writing is where this book falls short. I found myself skimming through the later half of the book, waiting for it to be over rather than losing myself in the world Frey and Hughes have created. There were moments where my interest was caught, but these moments were few and far between. Character development was a big problem: there just wasn't a lot of it. I never felt very emotionally connected to the protagonist, John Smith, or his love interest Sarah. Their love connection didn't have enough depth to make it truly believable or realistic. It just came off as superficial. John lacked depth as a character, as well. I found him slightly boring and flat, even despite all of the fun, alien stuff going on around him. I preferred Kevin, John's rival for the earlier parts of the novel, over John. He had some growth, some texture. I generally think it is a bad sign when you enjoy reading about the school bully more than the protagonist, don't you agree? Sarah, too, was underdeveloped. It seemed like all we really got to know about her was that she is stunningly pretty and that she likes photography. I would really love to see the characters a bit more fleshed out. Characters are the medium through which your story is delivered. No matter how plot-driven your story is, characters need to be sufficiently developed. I do think that the book opens with a great hook. I really enjoyed reading the first couple of pages, where Number Three is tracked and killed. This scene had a sense of urgency and suspense that I felt missing from the later parts of the book. However, the true saving grace of I Am Number Four (and the reason it is getting two stars instead of one) is found in Bernie Kosar, John's guardian/pet. Oh, what can I say? I get all weepy and emotional over animals, especially ones so brave and loyal as Bernie! Overall, I feel like this was an interesting idea that went very uncultivated. It reads more like something someone threw together just to be done with it, or perhaps like the book was written from a screenplay. I find myself looking forward to the movie (which is being release on February 18!) a lot more than the sequel, although I do plan on continuing to read the series. Hopefully, we will see greater attention paid to character development throughout the rest of the series.CONCLUSION: Although Frey and Hughes have created an interesting premise, I found many parts of this book to be unsatisfying and underdeveloped. It does have its moments of brilliance, but I would recommend borrowing a copy from the library or a friend before you buy it!
    • 5/5
      I don't know why I didn't read this the first time it was recommended to me. After I watched the movie on tv, that was only when I decided to read this amazing book. The story is so great that I can't stop reading. There was a time when I woke up at 3 in the morning and I read until I fell asleep. Anyway, I'm still glad I read it just now because I won't have to wait anymore for the second book to be released.
    • 4/5
      Fabulous book. I love the little touches Author Lore puts in (like the grand leader's name) and the introduction page. This is a book that I couldn't put down. Fun characters that are well developed, just enough detail to help me form a mental picture, but not so much that I got bored. I was so excited I went out and rented the movie right away and that's when things went bust. The movie did not follow the book, in fact they took the relationship between "John" and "Henry" and made it antagonistic and not loving as it is in the book. That alone made me want to turn the movie off. Read the book and don't watch the movie - you'll be glad.
    • 3/5
      This book came highly recommended by one of my high school students. I had the feeling that the author had enough material for one good book and the publisher convinced her (or him - pseudonyms are nothing but trouble) to extend it to a money-making trilogy, which he (she) did by adding a lot of Twilight-esque romantic elements. Still, it was entertaining and fun - a good weekend read for fans of the YA genre.
    • 4/5
      A wonderfully written book that will keep you up late into the night reading. Don't be put off by the fact that it is about aliens, it is written in a new way that is very good.
    • 3/5
      Not great character development, and felt dialog forced between romantic leads, or at the least cliched, couldn't take many more, "hey, you"s. Beyond that I liked the premise and was able to get on for the ride!
    • 5/5
      Mini Book Review: Really enjoyed this one. The writing isn't the best, but the fast paced interesting plot really makes up for it. The characters are interesting and likeable and the story is non stop action with some humour and romance tossed in. My only real complaint, and not really much a complaint more of a a personal preference, is the love scenes are nauseatingly mushy. But you have to remember I am a 41 yr old women and these books are written for young teens. I was hooked in from the opening chapter and did not want to put the book down I was so engrossed in the excitement of the story. In fact I figured I was going to finish the book on the bus ride home so I purchased (For my Kobo) The Power of Six just in case my commute went a little longer. Highly recommend for teens and even adults who just enjoy a good story. Perfect book for a day at the beach. Now must go and read some more of The Power of Six on my lunch break.4.5 Dewey'sI purchased this for my Kobo (on suggestion from Liam)
    • 5/5
       Your whole family is gone, and you are on the run...constantly. The group started with nine, on, two, and three are gone. You are next. They want you dead. The future of your home planet is in your hands.Four had lived this way since he was young. He and the other eight kids left Lorien when they was little and when he got to Earth they had to split up. Each of them was assigned a guardian, this guardian will stay with them for the rest of their lives.Four has had to move from place to place. At the first sign of something suspicious his and his guardian would leave. Each time they left a place they came up with a new identity; name, age, birth certificate, story. By now Four was used to the constant change. He had just gotten used to Florida. But Four's guardian was in charge and he said they had to leave. Four was number four, the Mogadorians are hunting all nine of them down. Four is next so they have to be extra careful.Four and his guardian are going to Paradise, Ohio. Four's new name is John and his guardian's new name is Henry. Paradise, Ohio was a small farm town, it was small and secluded like Henry wanted.John makes friend with a girl named Sarah and a boy named Sam. Sarah is the school jocks ex-girlfriend and Sam is obsessed with aliens. Sam and Sarah help John through all of his adventures.The Mogadorians find out where John and Henry are, and are on their way. Henry wants to leave, but John wants to stay with Sarah and Sam. Staying could mean more time with Sam and Sarah but less time before the Mogadorians show up.John will have to choose whether to stay and fight or leave and never see his friends again.I loved this book. I give it five stars. “I AM NUMBER FOUR” was full of action, romance, drama. It packed everything that a good book needs into one tight little package of joy.The author, Pittacus Lore, wrote very well. His writing was descriptive and awesome. I felt like I was in the book. You know that it is a good book, if you feel what is going on in the book. Through the heart pounding moments and the soft quiet moments in John's head, I was there feeling and experiencing everything. I loved reading this book just because it was good writing. The plots to books can be good, but the only way a book itself can be good is if the writing that fills the pages is great. From cover to cover, the writing in this book was great.Good books can't be full of all action and adventure, there has to be something else there. In I AM NUMBER FOUR that something else was romance. I can't read books that are all romance, but I also can't read books that are all action. There has to be a happy medium. I AM NUMBER FOUR had this happy medium. The romance in this book was so sweet, I wanted to tear up at some points in the book. The romance isn't blatantly out there but it isn't hidden either. I wouldn't let the romance stop boys from reading it, it was full of action and adventure too.The action and adventure was heart pounding at some moments, but quiet and creepy at others. I loved the mix of everything. I dreaded the moment my I had to put the book down, especially in the middle of an action packed part. Normally I like Realistic Fiction, but this is like Realistic Fiction with some twists. I give the author two thumbs up.I AM NUMBER FOUR by Pittacus Lore was a great book. It was filled with everything a good book should have. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that it will hurt when you have to put it down. I AM NUMBER FOUR was like an adventure donut. It was oozing action out from the inside, it was glazed with a thin coat of romance, and had sprinkles on the top to add a little crunch.

    Book preview

    I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore

    CHAPTER 2

    Despite my exhausting middle-of-the-night run to Hannu’s hut, I manage to wake up with the other aid-workers the following morning.

    Look at you, getting up early, jokes Elswit. Sure you want to cut into your beauty sleep?

    I almost retaliate by teasing Elswit, calling him the prince like the other workers sometimes do. He earned the nickname when he arrived here with a bunch of expensive nonessentials, none more ridiculous than a luxurious pair of shiny silk pajamas. Nobody makes fun of him to his face, though: he also brought a top-of-the-line laptop with high-tech global wireless, a device he lets us all use and that no one wants to jeopardize their access to.

    As I get dressed, I notice that One is nowhere to be seen. She’s usually up before I am, hanging around. I figure she’s sulking from our fight in the jungle.

    That, or she’s just disappeared for a while. She does that sometimes. Once I asked her about it. Where do you go when you’re not here? She gave me a cryptic look. Nowhere was all she said.

    We step outside to begin our chores, only to find a light rain is starting. It’s good for the village, but it means the water project will be suspended for the day: the soil is too difficult to work with when it’s raining. So after our chores, me, Marco, and Elswit are free to loaf around, and to read or write letters.

    I ask Elswit if I can have an hour with his computer. He’s quick to say yes. Elswit might be a spoiled prince, but he’s a generous one.

    I take the laptop to the hut and begin poking around on news sites. When I get time with Elswit’s laptop, I always research possible Loric or Mogadorian activities. I may have removed myself from the battle, but I’m still curious about the fate of the Garde.

    It’s a slow news day. I double-check to make sure that I’m alone, then open up a program I’ve created and installed on Elswit’s laptop. I’ve hacked into the wireless signals from Ashwood Estates, my former home, and created a shadow directory that caches Ashwood IM and email chatter.

    I wish I could claim I was motivated by some heroic agenda. But the truth is my motive is so pathetic I’d rather die than discuss it with One: I just want to find out if my family misses

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1