Genius Squad [Hardcover]

Catherine Jinks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

Once Cadel was going to take over the world. Now he's stuck in foster care.

(20080331)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—In Evil Genius (Harcourt, 2007), Cadel Piggott used his amazing brain for crime, and lived to regret the results. In this entertaining sequel, he joins a secret group of computer whizzes working on a more constructive, but still dangerous project. While using his hacking skills and forging friendships, he tries to steer clear of his notorious father, who threatens his safety even from prison. The first half of the book focuses on setting up elaborate schemes and establishing characters, and the details slow the plot down a bit. Action really picks up in the last 100 pages or so, though, as Cadel and the people he loves the most are endangered by his father. Readers who relished the complex plotting, sharp characterizations, and technological intrigue of the first book will enjoy this one, which includes a shift in atmosphere that gives this installment a slightly different flavor. Having rejected the destructive philosophy of his tutor/father, Cadel truly wants to do good this time. New relationships and powerful, sometimes conflicting, emotions affect the way he now applies his talents. As a character, he's less instantly engaging than he was in the first book, but ultimately more interesting. Fans of Evil Genius will have the easiest time catching on to the action, but others should be able to keep up. A satisfying ending answers some questions regarding Cadel's personal situation while setting the stage for a future showdown.—Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR
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From Booklist

Cut loose from his manipulative guardians in Evil Genius (2007), 15-year-old Cadel now endures the humiliations of social welfare (e.g., a foster mom who says things like “This is sleep time, Cadel. This isn’t computer time”) on top of the stresses of being a protected witness in the Axis Institute investigations. So when Cadel and his math-genius pal, Sonja, are offered spots at a group home “for bright kids,” the friends quickly agree—fully aware that they’re actually joining a group of teen computer hackers recruited to take down a rotten corporation. This sequel is an odd mix. Amid confusing, technical details of cyberespionage, Cadel’s relationships with two kind, concerned grown-ups often are more the stuff of heartwarming middle-grade fiction than YA technological thriller. Also, wheelchair-bound Sonja doesn’t do much beyond inspire Cadel’s compassionate reflections about the challenges of cerebral palsy. The novel lacks the sly tone and psychological depth of its predecessor, but readers craving high-tech escapades will find plenty of them here, along with a revelation-spiked finale that lays the groundwork for the trilogy closer. Grades 7-10. --Jennifer Mattson

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152059857
• ISBN-13: 978-0152059859
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CATHERINE JINKS was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and later spent four years studying medieval history at the University of Sydney. After working for several years in a bank, she married a Canadian journalist and lived for a short time in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is now a full-time writer, residing in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with her husband Peter and their daughter Hannah.Catherine is a three-time winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award, and has also won a Victorian Premier's Literature Award, the Ena Noel Award for Children's Literature, and an Aurealis Award for Science Fiction. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian Children's Literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed and exciting, July 24, 2008

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genius Squad (Hardcover)

Cadel Piggott returns in this action-filled sequel to EVIL GENIUS, but he's not the same teen. The Cadel readers knew in the first book loved to create havoc just for the fun of it. However, after his life-threatening experiences at the Axis Institute with his father, Prosper English, he just wants to be a good person --- and even happy. He is helped in this change of conscience by his best friend, the paraplegic math genius, Sonja. In GENIUS SQUAD, other allies help fight Prosper and his evil, but he also finds more layers of enemies and surprises.

Cadel has an earnest social worker named Fiona who tries to protect him in a new foster home. He can go nowhere without police protection, though, as authorities are aware that Prosper once tried to kill him. He is now a key witness to the evils that went on at the Axis Institute and to Prosper's many illegal activities. Prosper is behind bars, though Cadel knows that barrier is nothing to another genius like himself and has seen the lengths to which Prosper will go. But he still feels that he's safe; after all, Prosper did not kill him when he had the chance before.

Prosper is always good at making trouble, and he is now denying that he's Cadel's father. This means that Cadel has no father on record, and with a dead mother, no citizenship in any country. So he cannot leave Australia, though the country will not recognize him. He is not allowed to take classes of any kind and is desperately bored. The foster home is run by well-meaning parents, but they are also the caretakers for a couple of other children, including the bully Mace. While Cadel tries hard to stay on the path of good, Mace pushes his buttons too far, and he develops a strategy to hurt him while still looking innocent. Mace promises revenge.

In the meantime, the very smart and stubborn Detective Saul Greeniaus has been assigned to Cadel's case and stops by frequently to give him updates on Prosper's situation and how it may affect him. When visiting Sonja one day, Cadel is approached by some adults who run the new Clearview House, a cover for Genius Squad, a group of gifted teens who will work to bring down GenonMe, a company linked to the deceased P. Drakkon and his minions, which included Prosper. They offer Sonja and Cadel $50,000 each and a home while they work on the computer hacking and coding with the other teens to find out what happens at GenonMe and who is behind it. The money and offer of living with Sonja are too good to pass up; the cash would buy Sonja good care well into the future. The problem is that they cannot tell Fiona or the detective. So Cadel begins a secret life again, but this time he seems to be working for good.

As the team works to bring down GenonMe, Prosper gets more active, even from prison. Cadel has to stay on his guard and trust his new allies to keep himself and Sonja safe.

GENIUS SQUAD is even more fun than EVIL GENIUS as Cadel Piggott is more likable when he is working for good. His new allies and friends add another layer of good guys to root for as well. The evil of Prosper English knows no bounds, even with the Axis Institute demolished. Without that school, it is harder to identify his helpers, despite clues throughout the book. The spy games and suspense are complicated at times, but the surprises will inspire readers to keep turning pages right until the end, when the next installment in the series is unveiled.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 22, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genius Squad (Hardcover)

Cadel, the scrawny, nerdy boy from EVIL GENIUS, is back in GENIUS SQUAD, a bit more grown up, a lot more responsible, and trapped in a foster home with a bully and without a computer.

He's miserable as he tries to bide his time until the slow-moving authorities can find out who he is and where he belongs. It is as he is waiting that the Genius Squad approaches him.

Devoted to bringing down one of Dr. Darkkon's operations, GenoME, the Genius Squad wants Cadel to help them. But Cadel is naturally suspicious and paranoid.

Can he really trust the Genius Squad, or is his hesitance to trust them warranted?

This book has even more action and quick thinking than the first! Each page builds up suspense that culminates into a surprise scenario that will leave you scrambling to catch up. Though it contains more computer and hacking references than its prequel, that doesn't deduct from its appeal.

This is one series that is sure to entrance even the most reluctant reader, especially with an ending that is wide open to accommodate another sequel, THE GENIUS WARS.

Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good next step, but the mystery isn't there like Evil Genius, October 27, 2009

By 

Michael Fleming (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Genius Squad (Paperback)

I enjoyed Evil Genius, largely because of the sense that I couldn't quite figure out where Cadgel's morals would take him. Having more or less settled who he is by the end of the first book, the second one didn't have that same tension, and thus didn't quite captivate as much. Still, a good follow-up, and I can recommend it (but only after you've read the first book). (It's labeled for young adult, and I guess that's right, but I'm a bit older that that category and still liked it!)