Customer Reviews

The Power of Un

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been reading a lot of books to my kids lately -- they are right at the age where they enjoy books that I can enjoy reading to them. We did all the old classics (Narnia, Hobbit, Earthsea, Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. F., etc.) and a few obvious ones (the Harry Potter series) and then started reading some newer ones that were recommended to us. So much that is out there has interesting or clever premises but is either terribly written (e.g. the Animorphs series) or is fairly light and weak on content (e.g. even though my kids love them, I'd have to put the Lemony Snicket books here - yes they are clever and well-written, but in the end they are just stories about an implausible series of, well, unfortunate events that happen to implausibly bright and resourceful children).

The Power of Un, though, is both very well written and raises lots of interesting and provocative questions. At the core of the book is the idea that what you do matters, that actions have consequences -- and anything that can convey that message to children without boring them or making them feel like they are hearing a lecture is a good thing. My kids didn't want me to put it down for the few nights it took to read it, and I didn't want to either. A good book, whose author deserves high praise -- though not quite as high as I gave it (I'd give it four stars but I accidentally hit five and Amazon won't let you change that for some reason).

Looking for a thought provoking book for your kids? My kids would not put it down so I read it myself. Great fun, better than Star Wars!

I loved this book! It explores fascinating questions, like what would happen if we *could* go back just a little bit in time and undo a mistake, while staying fast-paced and exciting. The characters- narrator Gib Finney, his sister, Roxy, and friend, Ash are all likable and unique. I had a hard time putting it down!

I am nine years old. "The Power of UN" was so interesting it took me only 4 hours to read it! I liked Lorraine Froggner best because she is a good student a lot like me, or I try to be! Gib is also a chacter I like because he's brave to stop everyone getting killed in the street!

Wow, I read this book about two years ago and I loved it!!! Now I'm re-reading it. It really makes you think. It makes you ask questions and forces you to predict what will happen, all in a way any person young or old can understand.

This book digs really deep. It goes into confusing concepts like time. How a single thing can happen and cause the domino effect. Everything has a conciquence and this book teaches that very nicely. It has humor, saddness and detail. The plot moves along quickly but you still catch the erie-ness of it. A great book for all ages. Even though I am re-reading it, I still am amazed at what happens. My heart still starts to speed up when the action rises even though I know what is going to happen. And my heart breaks when certain things happen even though I know how everything is going to work out eventually. Only a truly amazing book can do this to someone.

I would definately recommend The Power of Un to any of my friends. And I'm sure that after reading it they would recommend it too.

Yours Truly,
A kid Reviewer

This is my second year of teaching 5th grade, and both years I've used this book in Language Arts. The kids LOVED it, both years we've read it. It's also a breeze to pull out spelling words and vocabulary words from.
The kids can totally relate to Gib, his relationship with Ash, Rainy, his little sister, and of course, the dreaded 'Ol Shrapnel. The book has the kids' attention the whole time, and it's great to be able to watch my students actually WANT to read and see what event is going to happen next. I even caught a few students who just HAD to read ahead.
I'd say that this book is a classic for 5th and 6th graders, and my students and I would love to see it made into a movie soon! A+

I am a fith grade student at Waldron Mercy Academy.(AMN)

Gib Finney is not your average kid. He is a kid who likes to cause frustration at school by shooting spitballs at people and messing around with science experiments. But soon he finds a device that can change his life forever. He can erase all mistakes he has made in the past with this device. But then there is a terrible disaster that he can not erase no matter what he does it will still be there in some way. Then he has to find out what mistakes are worth erasing and which ones are not. I thought that this was a really good book. You should read it too!

Have you ever wanted to go back in time or change an event? Well I have. This book is about this kid who has this machine. He can go back in time when he made an error. He figures that it is the perfect thing to have when you're a kid, but then he realized some things are better left alone. He uses the power for stupid thing...and all these stupid things turn out to be a big deal in the end. This book is exciting and it keeps you on your toes. If you want to know more about this exciting and toe tipping book you will just have to read it.

I read this book a few weeks ago and it was amazing!!
I really recomend this book to anyone who wants to read a good story!!!

This is a fantastic book! I couldn't stop reading until I finished it. Ms. Etchemendy does a fantastic job keeping the reader asking questions. As a fourth grade teacher, I can't wait to read it to my students. I know they'll love it too. I hope Ms. Etchemendy will continue to write about the further adventures of Gib. He's a great character!