Customer Reviews

Welcome to the Ark

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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."

I'm going to be frank--I read this book because I am smart, and I wanted to know what the author's take on the world of smart people was.
I'm tired of stereotyping. You know who I am. There's one of me in every school. The Kid Who Makes A's On Report Cards--100s, even. The Smart Kid. The Geek. I'm that person, but I'm not like an stupid steroetype. I don't wear glasses, and I'm not a kiss-popular-butt-pushover. I'm loud and like to have fun.I just think a lot. I don't really like math or science--I like writing. I'm thirteen, and I'm writing a book. Unfortuantely, most people have bought into the Hollywood image of smart people: "geeks", interested only in facts. I'm not a geek. Facts are OK, but they're not that great.And I don't try to learn them. They just happen. It's not my fault, but most people think it is.
This is why I liked "Welcome to the Ark" so much. Stephanie S. Tolan completely understands how smart people think. We are normal. You just have to get to know us. Sure, we're a bit extraordinary, but we're still people. It was refreshing to read a book that depicted smart people as real.
I highly recommend that every teenager, intelligent or stupid, read this book. It will help you gain understanding for the smart kid in your school. We're really not all that bad, and Miz Tolan reveals that fact far better than I could. So please, read this book. It's an easy read, and at the end, you might just understand more than you did when you started it.
P.S. If you want a real review, read the Editor's Reviews. I've got better things to do.

Stephanie Tolan's experience in the real world of very gifted children is obvious in this well written story. It is one of the first books I recommend to parents of even moderately gifted youngsters. The best indication of this book's value, however, is that my 12 year old son has re-read "Welcome to the Ark" at least twice since we purchased it a year ago.

Welcome to the Ark, by Stephanie S. Tolan, is a book about four childen - Miranda, Doug, Taryn, and Elijah - who are incredibly intelligent, but, for various reasons, have been sent to Laurel Mountain Center for Research and Rehabilitation, a mental institution. Noah and Abigail Periodes, two of the scientists from the facility, start a family in their home with the children from the institution that they consider the most intelligent and able to function in a family. The company founded project is called the Global Family Group Home Project, but is known as the ARK. The Periodeses choose the four children to be part of the family, and the children, living together, are surprised to find that they have powers to stop evil, and they set about figuring out how to use them. The project is ruined by the head doctor of the institution, Harlan Turnbull. The children are dispersed and are not united till several years after, and even then, Elijah is not with them. They set about discovering the full nature of their power and finding Elijah.
Tolan writes in a way that is engaging and exciting, even exhilarating, but her writing is also provocative, making you think of the evil, and the good, that occurs in the world and how the world should be, and what we can do about it. It makes you contemplate the effects of violence, intelligence, greed, hatred, neglect, disfunction, and many other aspects of the modern day world, all while keeping a fun, suspenseful nature. It is also a look into the lives of children who are very intelligent who may not be in the best of situations for their level of intelligence. The book is one any child should read, and will not be able to put down, for he or she will be engrossed in the excitement of the story. Truly a must read.

With incredible intensity this tale of tortured youth struck such a chord of honesty with me years ago that I regularly suggest it as a "must read" to my friends. Problem is, over the years it became harder and harder to find and I have not been able to replace my long loaned out copy for a while. But, now that it has been reprinted, I am writing a grant for a classroom set. Buy this book! Read it while you have the chance.

I love it when an author bothers to be creative. And such is what happens in this novel, in the classic sense. Come on, who doesn't like a good story about people with strange abilities? Throw in some delightful/angsty character flaws and you have a good story.

This book is best when it deal with its characters and their psychological/social aspects.

However, after the book made all its social comments, I didn't feel it went anywhere interesting. We have a great set-up... and then with a few cheesy winks we are sent off all too suddenly.

I read this book for a class and I didnt really get into it that well. It was on one subject then after you get what they are talking about they change it on you. If it didnt do that so much I maybe would have enjoyed it more. The story line was confusing to me too. It kind of threw you in the middle of things and let you go from there.

I thought that this book was alright. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and their relationships. I however, didn't think the story line was that great. It was strange and lacked any real depth. Most of the time I didn't quite understand what was going on or what the author was referencing.