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onceuponacarm's review
4.0
12 year olds possess the Ability to control the world with their minds. This includes learning at an incredible rate, telekinesis, telepathy, and mind control. Pretty exciting idea for readers who are approaching or are at the age of twelve. Chris, a poor student who cares for his severely depressed mother, is on the verge of being kicked out of school when he is select my for an elite program because his Ability is particularly strong. With his 5 classmates, he learns to strengthen and control his ability in order to protect the prime minister and others around him from a woman bent on revenge.
I found the prologue quite confusing and think it would have been better to include that part of the story a few chapters in when the character Dulcia shares her history with her sons. And Chris's mom is pretty awful, though not unrealistic as others have argued--just perhaps a bit much for many young readers to understand. This is a book that won't appeal to all kids, but my students (strong readers at a gifted school between the ages of 8 and 11) loved this book and just awarded it our annual Newbery-inspired medal. Upon a rereading, I don't know if the quality of the writing would really warrant an award or if the story is unique enough, but it is certainly appealing to kids.
I found the prologue quite confusing and think it would have been better to include that part of the story a few chapters in when the character Dulcia shares her history with her sons. And Chris's mom is pretty awful, though not unrealistic as others have argued--just perhaps a bit much for many young readers to understand. This is a book that won't appeal to all kids, but my students (strong readers at a gifted school between the ages of 8 and 11) loved this book and just awarded it our annual Newbery-inspired medal. Upon a rereading, I don't know if the quality of the writing would really warrant an award or if the story is unique enough, but it is certainly appealing to kids.
pacifickle's review
3.0
Mystery, adventure novel where 5 ordinary children are trained to be extraordinary spies. Part Mysterious Benedict Society, part Spy Kids, all set in London. Writing has some flaws, but it's a good beginning to a new series with well-rounded characters and a few deliciously evil villains.
brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of Bibliophile.
I am a lover of boarding school stories and stories with mystery and intrigue so was excited to discover The Ability by M.M. Vaughan. It has all the elements of a great spy story.
I like what Vaughan did with the idea of "the special kid needed for important work and gets trained for it" concept. It's been done so many times. What I like about it here is that all kids have the potential for the special abilities Chris and his friends are being trained for, yet some can access it better than others. I also enjoyed how the Ability has nothing to do with magic, it's all about brain power. The fact that they only have the Ability from age 12-13 and then lose it is an interesting twist.
Chris is a great main character. He is slightly more extra special than the other kids, but he also has weaknesses. I enjoyed his relationship with his fellow students and how their personalities came out in different ways. It was nice that they all had good and bad elements to their characters and she didn't turn anyone of them into the "bad" kid to create tension. There was plenty of tension in the story without setting the six chosen students against each other. (Any more than six middle school age kids with very different personalities naturally would.)
Kids who like adventure, mystery, and stories of spies will enjoy this one. I appreciated how there are real consequences for the things they do in this book. The Ability is dangerous, wielding it difficult, and when things go wrong there are real consequences. Too often in MG books of this sort there are no real consequences to be faced because the bad guys are some kind of fantastical evil and healing can be obtained by magical means. Neither of these things is true here. It adds some realism to the story, while it also makes it slightly more mature than some books of it's ilk. I really like how this year has seen a growing number of these sort of books, perfect for the 10-13 age group.
I am a lover of boarding school stories and stories with mystery and intrigue so was excited to discover The Ability by M.M. Vaughan. It has all the elements of a great spy story.
I like what Vaughan did with the idea of "the special kid needed for important work and gets trained for it" concept. It's been done so many times. What I like about it here is that all kids have the potential for the special abilities Chris and his friends are being trained for, yet some can access it better than others. I also enjoyed how the Ability has nothing to do with magic, it's all about brain power. The fact that they only have the Ability from age 12-13 and then lose it is an interesting twist.
Chris is a great main character. He is slightly more extra special than the other kids, but he also has weaknesses. I enjoyed his relationship with his fellow students and how their personalities came out in different ways. It was nice that they all had good and bad elements to their characters and she didn't turn anyone of them into the "bad" kid to create tension. There was plenty of tension in the story without setting the six chosen students against each other. (Any more than six middle school age kids with very different personalities naturally would.)
Kids who like adventure, mystery, and stories of spies will enjoy this one. I appreciated how there are real consequences for the things they do in this book. The Ability is dangerous, wielding it difficult, and when things go wrong there are real consequences. Too often in MG books of this sort there are no real consequences to be faced because the bad guys are some kind of fantastical evil and healing can be obtained by magical means. Neither of these things is true here. It adds some realism to the story, while it also makes it slightly more mature than some books of it's ilk. I really like how this year has seen a growing number of these sort of books, perfect for the 10-13 age group.
wiseowl33's review
4.0
Wow! Great start to a new series! Intersting concept. Love the pace and the bits of humor. Fun to read. Enjoyable characters. Looking forward to book two to find out what happens next!
alexandritewiz's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
2.5
Pretty much the same as other books in this genre and doesn’t have much that makes it stand out. Still a pretty good book on its own but given the context it’s a lower rating for me.
iffer's review
3.0
2.5 stars
The short version...
There's nothing really new in The Ability for anyone who has read a children's magic and/or spy boarding school book before, but, in my opinion, The Ability does rather well, even if it does have a lot of the same tropes. (As an aside, yes, indeed, there are plenty of boarding school books that *aren't* Harry Potter, many of which were even written BHP - Before Harry Potter, go figure!). In a lot of ways, including the characters, The Ability was very much a first, introductory novel (and also the author's first novel), but I do think that it has potential to grow its characters, plot and world-building. All in all, I think that this would be a well-written, entertaining book that kids would like.
The longer version...
The story was engaging and entertaining enough, and despite the fact that I'm not too keen on the "The Ability" as the name for the psychic power that 12-year-olds are able to access, I think that Vaughan's idea that a child's capacity to access the Ability is limited to one year, the 12th year. I'm interested to see what happens to the children after they no longer have their "magic" powers. I think that the story could've been paced better, since it felt like no "action" happened until the very end, and then the book was over. The characters were somewhat stock and not very well developed: the main character who's a nice guy; the annoying loud kid; the shy girly girl (blond of course); the short-tempered/feisty other girl (brown coloring, of course); the geek; and the charming but goofy Spanish kid.
There are times when it seems like Vaughan is trying to make the story more realistic and ethically gray, for instance making the villain a traumatized girl who is taking revenge for being abandoned, but I don't think that her writing has yet matured enough to do so very successfully. I didn't have very much sympathy for the "villain," because she was pretty vile, nor were we provided with more detail about her past to make her a three-dimensional character. Similarly, even though we as readers are supposed to feel suspense because people are being driven insane, a fate worse than death, it really doesn't seem like a big deal, since only the distasteful people were ever affected. Not to spoil anything, but due to the events in this book, it appears that another "good" person may be driven to do "bad" things, thereby becoming the new villain. I hope that the author delves more into the complexities of these things, and develops the characters more so that this novel, which is only ok/good, can lead to a series that good/great :)
The short version...
There's nothing really new in The Ability for anyone who has read a children's magic and/or spy boarding school book before, but, in my opinion, The Ability does rather well, even if it does have a lot of the same tropes. (As an aside, yes, indeed, there are plenty of boarding school books that *aren't* Harry Potter, many of which were even written BHP - Before Harry Potter, go figure!). In a lot of ways, including the characters, The Ability was very much a first, introductory novel (and also the author's first novel), but I do think that it has potential to grow its characters, plot and world-building. All in all, I think that this would be a well-written, entertaining book that kids would like.
The longer version...
The story was engaging and entertaining enough, and despite the fact that I'm not too keen on the "The Ability" as the name for the psychic power that 12-year-olds are able to access, I think that Vaughan's idea that a child's capacity to access the Ability is limited to one year, the 12th year. I'm interested to see what happens to the children after they no longer have their "magic" powers. I think that the story could've been paced better, since it felt like no "action" happened until the very end, and then the book was over. The characters were somewhat stock and not very well developed: the main character who's a nice guy; the annoying loud kid; the shy girly girl (blond of course); the short-tempered/feisty other girl (brown coloring, of course); the geek; and the charming but goofy Spanish kid.
There are times when it seems like Vaughan is trying to make the story more realistic and ethically gray, for instance making the villain a traumatized girl who is taking revenge for being abandoned, but I don't think that her writing has yet matured enough to do so very successfully. I didn't have very much sympathy for the "villain," because she was pretty vile, nor were we provided with more detail about her past to make her a three-dimensional character. Similarly, even though we as readers are supposed to feel suspense because people are being driven insane, a fate worse than death, it really doesn't seem like a big deal, since only the distasteful people were ever affected. Not to spoil anything, but due to the events in this book, it appears that another "good" person may be driven to do "bad" things, thereby becoming the new villain. I hope that the author delves more into the complexities of these things, and develops the characters more so that this novel, which is only ok/good, can lead to a series that good/great :)
tylexie's review
4.0
Great book, but not the best. It drew me in to read it, but I was still able to stop reading (as opposed to being unable to stop reading because the book is so good).
thedizzyreader's review
3.0
An interesting plot that ultimately fails to realize it's potential.
Building sympathy for a character can be a finicky business, and it's not something that I think the author does particularly well here. Readers can only take so much woe and saintly sadness before losing patience... Also, although the setting was presumably modern day, the dialogue definitely didn't feel that way. It was odd.
That being said, I'm still curious enough to pick up the sequel.
Building sympathy for a character can be a finicky business, and it's not something that I think the author does particularly well here. Readers can only take so much woe and saintly sadness before losing patience... Also, although the setting was presumably modern day, the dialogue definitely didn't feel that way. It was odd.
That being said, I'm still curious enough to pick up the sequel.
the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
We read MM Vaughan's Friendroid, and loved it, so before our library closed in March for COVID-19, we pulled this and a few of her other books from the shelves. They're older, and reflect a not quite as sophisticated writing style, but they were a good summer read.
The Ability starts with a bit of backstory, a scene from 30 years in the past. It's a writing technique you don't see often in children's literature, but then this duology is a bit older.
A van with several students and two instructors (note their names), and a briefcase full of money, plan to wipe the minds of their blackmailers. Except everything goes wrong, and one of the kids -- Anna (you're deliberately not given her last name) -- is kidnapped instead. Her classmates think she's dead, pushed over a cliff, and leave without trying to rescue her.
Thirty years later, the British minister of schools is reduced to a quivering coma of fear by a boy sitting in the front row of a school visit. The boy utters a single word, "INFERNO!"
The attack rings bells and causes the Myers Holt Academy to be brought out of mothballs, as the other surviving teacher -- now the general director of MI5 -- re-enacts a WWII anti-espionage program, utilizing children's telepathic abilities that manifest at age 12.
Fast forward to present-day Christopher Lane. He's a punching bag for bullies at school, ever since his father died and his mother "checked out" in grief -- hasn't left the house in years.
His school participates in a special test and when he overhears the examiner, Ms. Sonata, say she wishes for a cup of coffee and he directs her to the staff lounge, he catches her attention. Because she hasn't said anything, not a word. And she isn't testing for regurgitation of geography facts. Wink, wink.
Despite his teacher and the principal conspiring to keep him from being tested, Christopher earns a spot in the prestigious Myers Holt Academy, a boarding school that shows him the true limits of his Ability -- and what it's like to be taken care of, and have friends, for the first time in years.
In Darkwhisper Manor, a palatial mansion, twins Ernest and Mortimer are thick in training how to use their Abilities with their horrible, adoptive mother -- Dulcia Genever. Mortimer was the boy in the front row who reduced the education minister to a quivering ball of jelly, and he's mastered using Inferno.
No so much his brother, Ernest. Ernest justifies all the cruel deeds by his brother and mother, who he thinks genuinely love him. But Dulcia Genever has a plan, and she's not really telling her "boys" what all it entails -- just that they, with their Abilities, are her means to that end.
Will Christopher be able to stop the Genevers? And even if he does, what'll be the consequences? Because Christopher's about to learn, despite all his skills with telepathy and telekinesis, he doesn't have precognition and nothing he does prepares him for what happens.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/
The Ability starts with a bit of backstory, a scene from 30 years in the past. It's a writing technique you don't see often in children's literature, but then this duology is a bit older.
A van with several students and two instructors (note their names), and a briefcase full of money, plan to wipe the minds of their blackmailers. Except everything goes wrong, and one of the kids -- Anna (you're deliberately not given her last name) -- is kidnapped instead. Her classmates think she's dead, pushed over a cliff, and leave without trying to rescue her.
Thirty years later, the British minister of schools is reduced to a quivering coma of fear by a boy sitting in the front row of a school visit. The boy utters a single word, "INFERNO!"
The attack rings bells and causes the Myers Holt Academy to be brought out of mothballs, as the other surviving teacher -- now the general director of MI5 -- re-enacts a WWII anti-espionage program, utilizing children's telepathic abilities that manifest at age 12.
Fast forward to present-day Christopher Lane. He's a punching bag for bullies at school, ever since his father died and his mother "checked out" in grief -- hasn't left the house in years.
His school participates in a special test and when he overhears the examiner, Ms. Sonata, say she wishes for a cup of coffee and he directs her to the staff lounge, he catches her attention. Because she hasn't said anything, not a word. And she isn't testing for regurgitation of geography facts. Wink, wink.
Despite his teacher and the principal conspiring to keep him from being tested, Christopher earns a spot in the prestigious Myers Holt Academy, a boarding school that shows him the true limits of his Ability -- and what it's like to be taken care of, and have friends, for the first time in years.
In Darkwhisper Manor, a palatial mansion, twins Ernest and Mortimer are thick in training how to use their Abilities with their horrible, adoptive mother -- Dulcia Genever. Mortimer was the boy in the front row who reduced the education minister to a quivering ball of jelly, and he's mastered using Inferno.
No so much his brother, Ernest. Ernest justifies all the cruel deeds by his brother and mother, who he thinks genuinely love him. But Dulcia Genever has a plan, and she's not really telling her "boys" what all it entails -- just that they, with their Abilities, are her means to that end.
Will Christopher be able to stop the Genevers? And even if he does, what'll be the consequences? Because Christopher's about to learn, despite all his skills with telepathy and telekinesis, he doesn't have precognition and nothing he does prepares him for what happens.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/