Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind [Paperback]

Marilyn Kaye (Author)

Book Description

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

Queen of Mean Amanda Beeson, 13, gets the shock of her life when she wakes up one morning to find herself in the body of one of her victims, Tracey Devon. Amanda discovers that Tracey, ignored at home and school, has the ability to become invisible. When Amanda finds herself in a special class that Tracey usually attends, it becomes clear that at Meadowbrook Middle School the definition of “gifted” has a whole other meaning. Can Amanda rescue her one-time target from obscurity and get her own life back on track? In order to do so, she will have to reveal her own startling gift and take her rightful place among Meadowbrook’s very secret clique. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

School Library Journal

Kaye draws her readers in from the get-go, satisfying them in each book, but leaving them wanting more. Strong female characters take the lead in each title, but the author also brings in perspectives of the other “gifted” students throughout. Both selections are fast paced and entangling, giving them wide appeal, particularly for reluctant readers.

 

Shelf Awareness

Kaye (Penelope) uses her trademark mix of clever plotting and edgy humor to skewer the middle-grade mafia. No one is safe. . . . [T]he author's wit keeps readers turning these pages.

 

Booklist

Bodysnatching and loss of control are great metaphors for adolescent life changes, and Kaye ably explores these changes of identity. . . .

 

Southwest Ohio and Neighboring Libraries

This book is a great recommendation to readers who want a new type of supernatural reader.

 

 

About the Author

Marilyn Kaye is a former associate professor of library sciences and the best-selling author of numerous books and series, including Replica. Her book, Penelope, was recently made into a feature film starring Christina Ricci.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher; 1 edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753462834
• ISBN-13: 978-0753462836
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 14, 2010

By 

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

This review is from: Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Paperback)

Does anyone remember the REPLICA series by Marilyn Kaye? It was quite popular with my middle school students about 10 years ago. (Geez, that's probably before most of you younger bloggers even knew how to read.) Anyway, Marilyn Kaye has a new series, and I'm predicting it will be just as popular with my students.

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND is book #1 in this new series. Once again there is something special about a group of young people. This time there are nine teens that are "gifted". These "gifts" include things like being invisible, reading minds, and seeing future events before they happen.

A girl named Amanda stumbles across this unique collection of individuals when she discovers a "gift" of her own. Usually, Amanda is known as one of the mean girls around school. She struts around like a queen bee and verbally harasses her classmates. What people don't know is that her behavior is a cover-up. She learns as a little girl that if she feels sorry for someone, she becomes that person. She sort of inhabits their body so that she feels their pain, both mental and physical. This time she accidentally feels sorry for geeky Tracey, and the next thing she knows she is waking up in Tracey's bed in Tracey's body.

It's all confusing for Amanda/Tracey until she finds herself in one of Tracey's classes. It is a special class Amanda never knew existed. After several days living as Tracey and attending this class, she is beginning to understand that the small group of students has powers they call "gifts", and they may be more important than she ever realized.

Book #2 is titled BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, and book #3, HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW came out in October. These books are fast-paced and simply written, but just like Kaye's earlier series, they are addictive. I'm starting book #2 and will most definitely purchase any others that follow.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Gifted: Bad plot and no tension, August 21, 2009

By 

A. Papadopoulos (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Paperback)

Gifted is a very light read about a middle school girl, Amanda, who is the ruler of the school and Tracey, one of the most bullied and picked on girls in the school. Each of them have something in common even though they don't know it, they are both gifted. Amanda has the ability to take over someone's body but she can't control it and so it happens usually when she feels pity, which is hardly ever, and Tracey has the ability to disappear but also like Amanda she has no control over it. How do these two connect beside there supernatural abilities? This is how, while bullying Tracey one day, a pastime that Amanda loves; she feels a pang of pity for Tracey thus forcing her into the hidden and unknown world of Tracey's. While in Tracey's terrible life Amanda discovers several things about the poor girl who suffers so much abuse. Can Amanda put Tracey's life back on track and regain her old one? This book has a very boring plot and has no real direction to it, leaving the book falling short. It does take a good look at the main characters giving great flashbacks of their lives, whether they are privileged or poor. Although the plot is bad it does have some good meanings about the lives of people and how quickly they can change for the better or worse. Overall a disappointing book, but perhaps the sequels will be better.

Grade: C+

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gifted: Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind, June 24, 2009

By 

Kilee Hayes (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Paperback)

I have to admit, I was very excited when I bought this book. I read what it was about and thought that this would be a cool story but that's not the way I see it. When a 13 year old is already the "Queen Bee" at her middle school, I knew that this was not going to be as good as I expected. Amanda Beeson is the queen bee at her middle school but when a switch into another girls body, she gets the shock of her life when she finds out what Tracy Devon's secret class is.

The only character that I really liked was Jenna Kelly. I felt like this book was a Gossip Girl type but without the sex, drugs, & cussing. Just the drama and that sort of thing. It just had that feel to it. The plot was good but I wished that it would have been a little better. Hopefully the second book will be better.