Welcome to the Ark [Paperback]

Stephanie S. Tolan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2000

In a world of random violence and multiplying militias, four brilliant young misfits are thrown together in a group home for troubled youth. Isolated by their special abilities, Miranda, Doug, Taryn, and Elijah are unable to cope in a society that regards them as freaks.

But in the experimental program they dub the Ark, the four discover they are not alone. Slowly, as connections form among them, they discover that their minds have a power they could never have imagined. Drawn together by their deep concern for the future, they embark on a mission to stop the violence that is engulfing the world. The challenge seems impossible ...until they face it together.

In this compelling, sensitively written story, Stephanie Tolan paints a disturbing portrait of a violence-ridden world. Yet her characters offer a bright ray of hope for anyone who cares about the fate of the earth. The story of the Ark is gripping, suspenseful, heartbreaking, and, ultimately, inspiring.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This science fiction adventure features four highly gifted but troubled teens brought to an experimental group home. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?This story is set in the near future at a facility for troubled youngsters in upstate New York. Two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 8-17, have been selected to take part in an experimental program. Living together as a family with two doctors as parental figures, the four highly intelligent young people are encouraged to learn from one another and reach out globally to other potential geniuses via the Internet. They soon recognize a shared concern about the increasing violence in the world and a compelling desire to halt it. Shared paranormal powers amplify the bond among the four and give new meaning to the "world wide web." When the director of the institution discovers the exciting new "paradigm shift" of the experiment, he plans to manipulate it to his own advantage, until he sees it as a liability and rapidly disbands the program. Years later, three of the four subjects have become functioning adults, still dreaming that psychic networking will save humankind. Tolan's skill with language, plus the dramatic tension between six sympathetic, if incomplete, characters and their nemesis make the novel readable. Its weaknesses, however, are greater than its strengths. The functional but unaesthetic format is a patchwork of journal entries, memos, e-mail, medical records, etc. A more serious problem is the shape-shifting focus. The ideas and issues raised are interesting and thought-provoking, but quickly dissolve into sentimentality.?Margaret Cole, Oceanside Library, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380733196
• ISBN-13: 978-0380733194
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There Are Reasons Why This Idea Is So Cliched..., November 23, 2005

By 

Felina Casso "Kat" (Bklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome to the Ark (Paperback)

It completely captivates you. I have read many books with a similar idea; gifted, misunderstood children on a quest to save the world. And yet, as unoriginal and overused as it is, this book still drew me in. The only answer I can think of is that we simply like to read about this sort of thing. Who doesnt feel smarter then they are thought by others? Who doesnt feel misunderstood at times?

Set in the not-so-distant future, we follow four "problem" kids as they embark on a quest to rid the world of evil. Each with their own painful past and a mental diagnosis, they are brought together in the "Ark", a group home where highly intelligent mental patients live together with two "parents", a couple with twin PHDs. Miranda, Doug, Elijah, and Taryn discover more about themselves, each other, and the world that is collapsing around them.

This book is well-written and makes you think, and I have always enjoyed books where they switch from one character to another. This is sure to appeal to child or young adult sci-fi addicts, though older readers might find it too shallow. A hesitantly reccomended read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Our Opinion, December 19, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Welcome to the Ark (Paperback)

We are 5 students in high school, who are reading this book because we had too. Once we started reading it we discovered how real it was. The book itself may not be a true story but it has real problems in it. Real problems that people go through everyday. Like there are really people who sterotype other people because of silly things. We are only halfway through this book and it has already made a big impact on us. We would recommend this book to others.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the Ark, March 28, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Welcome to the Ark (Paperback)

This book provided excellent insight into the lives of gifted children who felt rejected by society. The four characters all had special talents or abilities that the "normal" world could not see. So they were all placed in an institution for kids with psychological problems. However, two psychologists saw the potential in these four kids and made them their first patients for their new program in which they removed gifted kids from the mental institution and placed them in a family environment so that they could communicate with other kids with similar abilities.

However, the kids realize that they are all having the same dream, a dream that they find they are sharing with kids all around the world. They can also see each other's memories and feel each other's feelings without interacting with them. The four kids realize that they have an important mission, but do not know how to achieve it. They then discover that by joining their minds together they can deflect violence it from its intended target. However, just as they discover this important connection, the director of the mental health institution forces the special program to shut down. Can the kids continue to live as a family, or will all of the progress they had made during the months they spent together be lost?


I personally enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to read, as it depicts how society sometimes rejects talented children. I am one of the kids who always gets straight A's and wins every school academic event. I think the author did a very good job showing that intelligent people are not just "geeks" or "nerds". We don't all wear huge glasses and button our shirts up to our necks. I love to play sports and I play video games when I am at home. Yet, some people (especially other kids) seem to think that all of the "smart people" are nerds, who do nothing but read or study. It might be a little weird that we can solve math problems in our heads before other people are finished reading them, but as one of the characters in the book put it:
"Either everything is weird or nothing is."