Gifted: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow [Paperback]

Marilyn Kaye (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Gifted

Shy, dreamy Emily Sanders is able to foresee future events with the gift of premonitions, but they aren’t always quite right. With frustration, Emily can not yet manage to control her visions, and the other students usually don’t take her seriously. As Emily works on controlling her gift and her premonitions become clearer, her classmates find themselves in a situation where they are forced to listen to her, but will it be too late?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Emily thinks her ability to see the future should be great, but her visions never seem to make sense. Then students from her "gifted" class begin vanishing and she is determined to learn to use her talent and save her friends. Teen issues including fitting in, dealing with low self-esteem, and bullying are subtly woven into the fast-moving plot. Emily and her classmates are realistically drawn characters. Kaye pays special attention to hard-edged Jenna (a mind reader) and soft-spoken Tracey (who can become invisible) as they are Emily's two closest friends. As the girls struggle to deal with their special gifts and navigate the rough waters of middle school, they build an intense bond that will ring true with the intended audience. Even minor characters are given depth through Kaye's descriptive text. With both teen angst and tightly woven supernatural suspense, the book will have readers clamoring for the next volume.—Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI END

From Booklist

Emily’s visions of the future are often confusing and hazy, so when she “sees” that fellow eighth-grader Carter is missing, she doesn’t know whether to trust her second sight. But when other students from the gifted class begin disappearing, Emily knows she is the one who can save them. Kaye’s third entry in the Gifted series is more of the same, so fans will enjoy it, but plot and character predictability weaken the ever-popular paranormal angle. Readers discovering the series through this book won’t be lost without reading the others first, but here’s hoping there are some surprises in the next installment. Grades 5-8. --Cindy Welch

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753463105
• ISBN-13: 978-0753463109
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quick and easy but entertaining read, December 6, 2009

By 

flamingo1325 "A Good Addiction" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gifted: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Paperback)

Considering this is a middle grade novel (Grades 5-9), I actually really liked this book. In fact, I think even older elementary kids would enjoy it. I have read the first 2 and liked them both. They are very quick, very easy reads but do keep me entertained. You certainly need to read the first two books to really get this one but it is written in a way that you could get by without it.

The plot of this one was interesting- the gifted students are being taken, one by one, and no one knows why. Kaye plays several different theories into the story- many of them plausible and made me think and consider them before finally revealing which on was correct. One thing I do like about this series is that each book so far focuses for the most part on one of the nine students but all the students are involved- you learn about each one despite the shifting focus.

The writing is very simple and straightforward- there are few big vocab words but it still flows nicely. The characters are interesting and are actually developed pretty deeply within each of their own stories/focus. Most of the powers are common- seeing the future, reading minds- but not all are easily and quickly manifested. One character can have super strength, but only when he is bullied and on the verge of a breakdown- otherwise, he is scrawny and weak. One girl who felt basically invisible to the world became invisible but some of them are more original, such as being sucked into someone's body but still fully aware of who YOU are all because you felt really sorry for the person.

Overall, I do like this series. It is quick and fun with a pretty interesting plot. Yes, it's easy and straightforward- but its geared toward middle school more than high school/young adult and with that in mind, I give this book 4 stars for a great take on a somewhat common idea, well developed characters, and a smooth plot. I also like the covers- each person who the book focuses on appears on the cover, and they are shiny. I know how that sounds, but admit it- we all like shiny things.

4.0 out of 5 stars Here Today..., August 4, 2011

By 

Jennifer Rummel - YABookNerd (Norwich, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gifted: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Paperback)

Emily's part of the Gifted class at school. Her specialty is premonitions, even if she doesn't always see the future accurately. She's working on puzzling out their meanings. However, one by one her gifted classmates are disappearing. No one knows anything, except that sometimes Emily has mini visions. When she's given instructions to meet at the corner, she too is taken. She finds her friends together in a house, with food and entertainment. Emily begins to realize they're there for their gifts. At the moment, the kidnappers plan to use them in bank robbery as a test of their skills. When Emily looks to the future, she sees them committing this act against their will. Will they use their gifts for evil or will something change this vision?

The third volume in the Gifted series take everyday school and home life and presents it with a twist for middle school students. Other gifts included invisibility, telekinesis, mind control, mind reading, and talking to ghosts. Marilyn Kaye pens another great chapter to this series.

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, December 4, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: Gifted: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Paperback)

Life is difficult for thirteen-year-old Emily. Not only are her visions consistently fuzzy, but her mother doesn't believe that she even has them.

Add this to the fact that her latest visions show people in her Gifted class at school going missing, and you've got a heap of trouble. So when these visions start to actually come true, she's not sure what to do.

Suddenly, the opportunity to save her friends presents itself. Will she rise to the challenge and free them, or get so caught up in the mess that she ends up bringing everyone down with her?

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW was a great look into a supernatural world where not everything is perfect and nothing happens the same way twice. I liked how Emily's powers weren't always helpful, as it seemed to make her more of an everyday person. Her visions sometimes didn't happen the way she sees them, or even at all, which adds mystery to the story - will her vision come true or not?

I will be interested to read the rest of the GIFTED series and learn about all of the other characters!

Reviewed by: YoungBibliophile