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Wake Up Missing
Meet Quentin, a middle school football star from Chicago...
Sarah, an Upstate New York girls' hockey team stand-out...
Ben, a horse lover from the Pacific Northwest...
And Cat, an artistic bird watcher from California.
The four have nothing in common except for the head injuries that land them in an elite brain-science center in the Florida Everglades. It's known as the best in the world, but as days pass, the kids begin to suspect that they are subjects in an experiment that goes far beyond treating concussions....and threatens their very identities. They'll have to overcome their injuries - and their differences - to escape, or risk losing themselves forever.
"Kate Messner combines a fascinating concept with page-turning suspense. . . . Reading this book is like a wild roller-coaster ride through the Florida swamps."
- Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of The Missing and the Shadow Children series
Sarah, an Upstate New York girls' hockey team stand-out...
Ben, a horse lover from the Pacific Northwest...
And Cat, an artistic bird watcher from California.
The four have nothing in common except for the head injuries that land them in an elite brain-science center in the Florida Everglades. It's known as the best in the world, but as days pass, the kids begin to suspect that they are subjects in an experiment that goes far beyond treating concussions....and threatens their very identities. They'll have to overcome their injuries - and their differences - to escape, or risk losing themselves forever.
"Kate Messner combines a fascinating concept with page-turning suspense. . . . Reading this book is like a wild roller-coaster ride through the Florida swamps."
- Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of The Missing and the Shadow Children series
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2013
95 people are currently reading
2066 people want to read
About the author
Kate Messner
124 books1,670 followersKate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, both Lake Champlain historical novels published by North Country Books.
Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com
Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner
...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner
Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com
Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner
...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner
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January 27, 2013Yes...I read this one again...and again...and again! Excited for you to read it, too. WAKE UP MISSING comes out from Walker/Bloomsbury Kids in September '13, but for now, here's are a few blog posts about my process of researching & writing it.
http://www.katemessner.com/hiking-in-...
http://www.katemessner.com/real-revis...
http://www.katemessner.com/why-writin...
Enjoy! And I hope you'll check out WAKE UP MISSING in the fall!
http://www.katemessner.com/hiking-in-...
http://www.katemessner.com/real-revis...
http://www.katemessner.com/why-writin...
Enjoy! And I hope you'll check out WAKE UP MISSING in the fall!
March 24, 2014
This book is SCARY!
I love everything Kate Messner writes. I love her versatility. Wake Up Missing is a winner.
Buy it.
Read it.
Share it.
I love everything Kate Messner writes. I love her versatility. Wake Up Missing is a winner.
Buy it.
Read it.
Share it.
August 24, 2014
It's like Lois Duncan's Down a Dark Hall, with a science fiction-y Margaret P Haddix twist, set in Carl Hiaasen country with some Gary Paulsen-esque adventure/survival suspense. And yet wholly original! So, pretty much a perfect middle-school read. I'll be recommending it to kids, parents, and teachers looking for a great classroom read-aloud.
January 3, 2016
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Four kids at a clinic to treat head injuries, when they begin to realize something isn’t right, will they be able to save themselves before it’s too late?
Opening Sentence: “If you hit your head hard enough, your brain gets shaken up inside your skull.”
The Review:
Cat is 12 and on her way to the I-CAN clinic in order to get her life back. She fell out of a tree and sustained a concussion. Since that injury she has lost friends, time at school and the ability to do anything she used to do before the accident. Shortly after arriving at the clinic in the swamps of Florida, she meets Sarah, Ben and Quentin, who are all in various stages of treatment for head injuries.
Not long after arriving Cat overhears an odd conversation between the two doctors at the clinic, at the time she dismisses it as just a little odd. But later when Sarah tells her how much Trent has changed since his Stage three treatment. Cat begins to wonder just what is going on at the clinic. It’s not long before Sarah and Cat are trying to figure out what is going on and then stumble across some odd emails containing the DNA sequences for some pretty famous scientists.
Will they be able to figure it all out, and will they be able to save themselves in time?
I don’t usually read a lot of middle grade books, really for no other reason than it just isn’t my thing. While I didn’t love this book, I did really enjoy it and I found it a great read. In fact, I would heartily recommend this book to any parent with kids into mystery or thrillers. The premise was legit a scary concept and the author executed it flawlessly. I found myself trying to figure out what was going, and really hoping that these 12 year old’s would be able to get free. I have to say that I really like the ingenuity of the kids, and the way they worked together, and kept it together to get out of all the sticky situations. I think at 12 I wouldn’t have figured out half of what they did and I probably would have just been a big mess.
I really liked the science behind it, while it seemed a tad far fetched, it also seemed really plausible, which is why I said the premise was legit scary. I find sometimes if you can just stretch reality enough and deliver a story that really feels like it could happen it is often more scary than a regular horror novel. I think this is a story that pretty much everyone would like, but I do think it is really going to appeal to pre-teens and teens a bit more than older adults. That’s just because adults like complexity, romance, and twists. This one had complexity, and some twists but no real romance. It’s a straight forward science fiction thriller.
Notable Scenes:
“I missed who I used to be, and if this clinic in the middle of nowhere could bring me back, it was worth anything.”
“These were doctors, after all, and this was where I needed to be to get better.”
“The right group of scientists might be able to cure cancer or fix global warming or find new energy sources.”
“On a list of passengers leaving for Moscow in a few hours.”
“I wanted to go home so badly it was all I could do not to curl up on the floor of the van and cry.”
FTC Advisory: Walker Childrens/Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Wake Up Missing. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Four kids at a clinic to treat head injuries, when they begin to realize something isn’t right, will they be able to save themselves before it’s too late?
Opening Sentence: “If you hit your head hard enough, your brain gets shaken up inside your skull.”
The Review:
Cat is 12 and on her way to the I-CAN clinic in order to get her life back. She fell out of a tree and sustained a concussion. Since that injury she has lost friends, time at school and the ability to do anything she used to do before the accident. Shortly after arriving at the clinic in the swamps of Florida, she meets Sarah, Ben and Quentin, who are all in various stages of treatment for head injuries.
Not long after arriving Cat overhears an odd conversation between the two doctors at the clinic, at the time she dismisses it as just a little odd. But later when Sarah tells her how much Trent has changed since his Stage three treatment. Cat begins to wonder just what is going on at the clinic. It’s not long before Sarah and Cat are trying to figure out what is going on and then stumble across some odd emails containing the DNA sequences for some pretty famous scientists.
Will they be able to figure it all out, and will they be able to save themselves in time?
I don’t usually read a lot of middle grade books, really for no other reason than it just isn’t my thing. While I didn’t love this book, I did really enjoy it and I found it a great read. In fact, I would heartily recommend this book to any parent with kids into mystery or thrillers. The premise was legit a scary concept and the author executed it flawlessly. I found myself trying to figure out what was going, and really hoping that these 12 year old’s would be able to get free. I have to say that I really like the ingenuity of the kids, and the way they worked together, and kept it together to get out of all the sticky situations. I think at 12 I wouldn’t have figured out half of what they did and I probably would have just been a big mess.
I really liked the science behind it, while it seemed a tad far fetched, it also seemed really plausible, which is why I said the premise was legit scary. I find sometimes if you can just stretch reality enough and deliver a story that really feels like it could happen it is often more scary than a regular horror novel. I think this is a story that pretty much everyone would like, but I do think it is really going to appeal to pre-teens and teens a bit more than older adults. That’s just because adults like complexity, romance, and twists. This one had complexity, and some twists but no real romance. It’s a straight forward science fiction thriller.
Notable Scenes:
“I missed who I used to be, and if this clinic in the middle of nowhere could bring me back, it was worth anything.”
“These were doctors, after all, and this was where I needed to be to get better.”
“The right group of scientists might be able to cure cancer or fix global warming or find new energy sources.”
“On a list of passengers leaving for Moscow in a few hours.”
“I wanted to go home so badly it was all I could do not to curl up on the floor of the van and cry.”
FTC Advisory: Walker Childrens/Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Wake Up Missing. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
December 3, 2013
Oh man oh man! I'm afraid I haven't been able to get into Kate Messner's speculative fiction novels as much as I do with her realistic fiction ones. Maybe it's because I feel like the thing I like most about her MG novels--the adorable relatability of her MCs--doesn't translate as successfully into her speculative MG novels, due to the additional work of world-building, which I feel like doesn't always pass muster with the "ease of credibility" factor--that is, how effortlessly we readers can sink into the world and its problems that the author has created.
September 20, 2013
My students and I love all of Kate Messner's books, but this may be our new favorite. Suspenseful and interesting with believable futuristic science elements.
July 22, 2022
Why did I decide to read this after just finishing (and strongly disliking) Breakout? I have no idea. But I did! (And the fact that I currently have no books of my own certainly contributed to the reason I was looking for one of my brother's again...)
This book was soooooo much better than Breakout--more fast-paced and with nothing about racism. I loved it! I would recommend for anyone aged 12-14, especially anyone interested in science. :)
This book was soooooo much better than Breakout--more fast-paced and with nothing about racism. I loved it! I would recommend for anyone aged 12-14, especially anyone interested in science. :)
February 9, 2022
I’ve loved this book ever since I first read it 5 years ago, and still do! Very fun and exciting!!!
October 26, 2013
Imagine going through your days, having to deal with persistent headaches, not being able to remember tasks that used to be second nature to you, having to refrain from any physical exercise that would bring even more headaches. Welcome to the life that Catherine (Cat) has lived since falling from a tree while bird watching and suffering a concussion. Since that day it seems her life has fallen to pieces and parts of her life and memory have gone missing. So when an opportunity arises for Cat to go to a specialized, world-renowned clinic for treatment to return her life to normal she and her mom jump on it. When she arrives she finds that the clientele is small, it appears there are only five others there - all teens about her age, and all with the same kind of injury. But when the treatments start to work, Cat is overjoyed and begins to believe her life could return to normal.
That is until the day she meets Trent. Trent is in phase three, and according to Sarah, one of the other girls at the hospital, his personality has completely changed. Once a happy-go-lucky kid that Sarah played hoops with and joked around with, now he seemed obsessed with fixing circuitry and spending time in a lab. Sarah is convinced that something is going on, and when Cat overhears some conversations she begins to agree. Certain that Dr. Ames and Dr. Gunther are planning on altering all of their personalities, Cat and Sarah are determined to find help and convince the others that they are all in danger.
This book will have you turning pages late into the night. It is definitely a thriller, with danger all around and plot twists that make you wonder who you can trust. With the setting in the Everglades of Florida, not only do the children face the menace of the doctors but also danger from nature around them. Can't wait to share this with students!
That is until the day she meets Trent. Trent is in phase three, and according to Sarah, one of the other girls at the hospital, his personality has completely changed. Once a happy-go-lucky kid that Sarah played hoops with and joked around with, now he seemed obsessed with fixing circuitry and spending time in a lab. Sarah is convinced that something is going on, and when Cat overhears some conversations she begins to agree. Certain that Dr. Ames and Dr. Gunther are planning on altering all of their personalities, Cat and Sarah are determined to find help and convince the others that they are all in danger.
This book will have you turning pages late into the night. It is definitely a thriller, with danger all around and plot twists that make you wonder who you can trust. With the setting in the Everglades of Florida, not only do the children face the menace of the doctors but also danger from nature around them. Can't wait to share this with students!
February 13, 2018
I think I actually enjoyed this more the second time. My first read was two years ago, but this time I was reading it thinking about how the students in my district will respond to it. So, much fun imagining how the parts where the pacing gets faster, and the when events are foreshadowed. There is a lot to love about this book. I also enjoyed the Author's Note which shares some of the research links that provided inspiration for parts of the story.
dnf
September 11, 2013Pages read: 31
Though that doesn't seem like much, it's over ten percent of the book, and I'm just not feeling it. The dialog and narration feels a bit stilted, and it's not looking like the sort of middle grade I typically enjoy. I suspect it would be a meh read, and I don't feel like forcing myself through.
Though that doesn't seem like much, it's over ten percent of the book, and I'm just not feeling it. The dialog and narration feels a bit stilted, and it's not looking like the sort of middle grade I typically enjoy. I suspect it would be a meh read, and I don't feel like forcing myself through.
December 12, 2015
3.5 Stars | Started off extremely promising but fell a little short when the action unfolded. Plot is far-fetched and plot twist felt contrived. I liked the characters but the dialogues were thin. My empathy didn't soar for the four kids as I hoped it would. Still enjoyed it nonetheless.
October 3, 2013
What a frightening book. I wanted to fly down to the Everglades and save Cat and her friends! A page turner until the very end.
September 12, 2016
Solid 4.5! Thrilling story! Great read! Set in the Everglades. Loved the chase scenes!
February 4, 2017
This one is a definite page turner. I read it all in one sitting and was hooked right from the beginning. Loved it!
January 18, 2018
Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner is an excellent thriller. The story starts when Cat is seeking medical attention for a concussion whose effects have been haunting her life for months. She convinces her parents to send her a to a summer camp of sorts, where two Doctors, Dr. Ames and Gunther, have facilities specially designed to treat patients with brain injuries. In the novel, science, specifically genetic experiments, is discussed throughout the novel. It starts as a simple and healthy way to treat concussions, and gradually becomes a symbol of evil and abuse.
Granted, a thriller obviously should have a lot of action, and Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner is no exception. However, I would argue that foreshadowing and action begin to take place too early and there is not enough time to understand the characters highlighted in the exposition. The plot is still gripping, of course, and the reader will find themselves on the edge of their seat, rooting for Cat and her friends. Speaking of the characters, I find them to be realistic and relatable. Two things irk me about, though, and prevented me from relating to Cat and Ben. Cat is dramatic and anything that is said or done tends to be a hot, emotional moment in which she blows things out of proportion. For example, Quentin said something nice to Ben, and Cat “felt bad” that Quentin had to say something to help Ben feel better about his hobby. Cat has a flashback to middle school where she was asked to help new students get used to her school. She has many of these moments throughout the story, and she is not very dynamic as a result. Ben is just belligerent, insubordinate hard-head throughout the book and is also relatively invariable throughout the story, in regard to his character developing. The differences in the personalities of the characters are focussed upon. They start as a division between the characters. Overtime, the differences become marginal issues the group can put aside and work together as close friends.
I would recommend this book to anyone in middle or high school who have an interest in science or nature. I think that it is a fun book to read and it is not too easy. It is not AP worthy, however I stand by the age group who I recommended it to.
Granted, a thriller obviously should have a lot of action, and Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner is no exception. However, I would argue that foreshadowing and action begin to take place too early and there is not enough time to understand the characters highlighted in the exposition. The plot is still gripping, of course, and the reader will find themselves on the edge of their seat, rooting for Cat and her friends. Speaking of the characters, I find them to be realistic and relatable. Two things irk me about, though, and prevented me from relating to Cat and Ben. Cat is dramatic and anything that is said or done tends to be a hot, emotional moment in which she blows things out of proportion. For example, Quentin said something nice to Ben, and Cat “felt bad” that Quentin had to say something to help Ben feel better about his hobby. Cat has a flashback to middle school where she was asked to help new students get used to her school. She has many of these moments throughout the story, and she is not very dynamic as a result. Ben is just belligerent, insubordinate hard-head throughout the book and is also relatively invariable throughout the story, in regard to his character developing. The differences in the personalities of the characters are focussed upon. They start as a division between the characters. Overtime, the differences become marginal issues the group can put aside and work together as close friends.
I would recommend this book to anyone in middle or high school who have an interest in science or nature. I think that it is a fun book to read and it is not too easy. It is not AP worthy, however I stand by the age group who I recommended it to.
October 10, 2017
This book was pretty good, it had a lot of adventure and I enjoyed it a lot. The only bad part was that you could kind of tell what was going to happen.
October 26, 2017
I really like all of the plot twists but killing one of the main characters was a bad idea. I also like the personality changes and the fact that some of them were forced.
November 15, 2023
Wake Up Missing
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5 (3.5/5) or 7.00/10 overall
Characters - 7
Atmosphere - 8
Writing - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 6
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5 (3.5/5) or 7.00/10 overall
Characters - 7
Atmosphere - 8
Writing - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 6
August 3, 2023
It was nice, and I actually learned a little about retroviruses and DNA. But there were many unnecessary parts that made the book boring, and there was no character development in any of the characters. The only development was when they toughened up and gained the courage to escape, which isn’t a major development. The plot was nice tho.
September 8, 2017
I couldn't connect with the characters, so...
September 9, 2013
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Looking for an adrenaline pumping edge of your seat read? Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner is just the book.
Wake Up Missing is a mind bending twisty ride full of adventure and intrigue. Messner sets the tone perfectly from the beginning. There is a sense that nothing is quite right or as it seems. The reader is kept off balance from chapter one, which fits with Cat's difficulty in keeping hers. The clues are revealed slowly, and just when you think you know what's going on there is a shift. The twisty plot comes with boat chases through swamps, conspiracies, fears of who to trust, quick risky escapes, and some rather seedy bad guys of more than one variety. Messner maintains a real sense of danger for the kids, while keeping it from being too terrifying at the same time. I also appreciate Messner's willingness to show the messy outcomes inevitable in such a plot.
The kids are typical 12 year olds. Some of the things they choose to do (searching offices, sneaking around, taking a kayak out on the swamp in an attempt to escape) are not the best plans, but perfectly in tune with a middle school mentality. They all have different personalities and issues, but have to work together. Cat is telling the story, but all of them are key members of the team. It was interesting to see how each of them reacted to what they discover, and how they chose to deal with it.
Wake Up Missing had my heart pounding in many places and I was frantically flipping pages to see what was going to happen next. My kids were forced to wait for their dinner. I can see this having the same spell binding effect on the kids who read it. Messner is one of my daughter's favorite authors and I know she's going to be thrilled by this one. (She has to wait for the actual copy to come as I wouldn't let her run off with my Nook.)
I read an e-galley received from the publisher, Bloomsbury Walker, made available via NetGalley. Wake Up Missing is available for purchase September 10.
Looking for an adrenaline pumping edge of your seat read? Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner is just the book.
Wake Up Missing is a mind bending twisty ride full of adventure and intrigue. Messner sets the tone perfectly from the beginning. There is a sense that nothing is quite right or as it seems. The reader is kept off balance from chapter one, which fits with Cat's difficulty in keeping hers. The clues are revealed slowly, and just when you think you know what's going on there is a shift. The twisty plot comes with boat chases through swamps, conspiracies, fears of who to trust, quick risky escapes, and some rather seedy bad guys of more than one variety. Messner maintains a real sense of danger for the kids, while keeping it from being too terrifying at the same time. I also appreciate Messner's willingness to show the messy outcomes inevitable in such a plot.
The kids are typical 12 year olds. Some of the things they choose to do (searching offices, sneaking around, taking a kayak out on the swamp in an attempt to escape) are not the best plans, but perfectly in tune with a middle school mentality. They all have different personalities and issues, but have to work together. Cat is telling the story, but all of them are key members of the team. It was interesting to see how each of them reacted to what they discover, and how they chose to deal with it.
Wake Up Missing had my heart pounding in many places and I was frantically flipping pages to see what was going to happen next. My kids were forced to wait for their dinner. I can see this having the same spell binding effect on the kids who read it. Messner is one of my daughter's favorite authors and I know she's going to be thrilled by this one. (She has to wait for the actual copy to come as I wouldn't let her run off with my Nook.)
I read an e-galley received from the publisher, Bloomsbury Walker, made available via NetGalley. Wake Up Missing is available for purchase September 10.
September 11, 2013
When I started reading this I thought it was young adult and was a bit surprised when the kids all turned out to be 12. I checked here and found out it was MG, and that shifted my thoughts a little bit. I don't know why, but as soon as I found out that Cat was only 12 I just felt SO overprotective of her. Anytime something bad seemed as if it was going to happen I just wanted to hug her and protect her from whatever it was. So my heart was in my throat the ENTIRE BOOK.
I normally shy away from MG because I don't feel that I can really understand the younger characters that much. I'm not a teen anymore, but with YA I can still reflect back to those years (they weren't THAT long ago) but I honestly don't remember much from my pre-teen years (hmmm, maybe I'm older than I think...) so it's harder for me to think about how I'd react if I was that age in that situation. But I'm glad that I read this because it was quite a refreshing change.
This book starts off with Cat going to a well known clinic that's supposed to help her recover form a concussion that she suffered while bird watching. She meets some other kids who are staying at the clinic, all of them having suffered from a similar injury. The kids start to become suspicious that things aren't quite what they seem and Cat and her friends start to do some digging and find out that these doctors aren't quite what they seem to be...
I loved how REAL all of the kids felt. They're sick and scared and just want their parents, but they know right from wrong and they're so trusting but at the same time able to see through the bullshit and rely on themselves.
The pacing, tone and action in this book was so well done. I loved the writing too! I was pulled right in and cared about these kids and what happened to them SO much.
The end made me cry too. Always trust a mom. God, hugs to all these kids, all around.
I received an ARC of this from Netgalley and wrote this review to say thank you.
I normally shy away from MG because I don't feel that I can really understand the younger characters that much. I'm not a teen anymore, but with YA I can still reflect back to those years (they weren't THAT long ago) but I honestly don't remember much from my pre-teen years (hmmm, maybe I'm older than I think...) so it's harder for me to think about how I'd react if I was that age in that situation. But I'm glad that I read this because it was quite a refreshing change.
This book starts off with Cat going to a well known clinic that's supposed to help her recover form a concussion that she suffered while bird watching. She meets some other kids who are staying at the clinic, all of them having suffered from a similar injury. The kids start to become suspicious that things aren't quite what they seem and Cat and her friends start to do some digging and find out that these doctors aren't quite what they seem to be...
I loved how REAL all of the kids felt. They're sick and scared and just want their parents, but they know right from wrong and they're so trusting but at the same time able to see through the bullshit and rely on themselves.
The pacing, tone and action in this book was so well done. I loved the writing too! I was pulled right in and cared about these kids and what happened to them SO much.
The end made me cry too. Always trust a mom. God, hugs to all these kids, all around.
I received an ARC of this from Netgalley and wrote this review to say thank you.
January 16, 2014
This book, Wake Up Missing was about these four kids who all got concussions from either doing sports or something they love to do. Quentin got his from playing football. Sarah, got hers from playing hockey. Ben got his while he was riding his horse and Cat got hers when she was sitting in a tree admiring birds. All of them met when they went to an elite brain center in the Florida Everglades. None of them had anything in common except for the brain injury. On there website it says they promise to return the child back to normal and so they remember everything. But as days pass, they seem to think that they are suspects in an experiment that goes far past getting them back to there normal self.
I rated this a book 4 out of 5 stars because I thought that it was kind of slow during the first chapter. But then after that it got really interesting. I just really liked this book.
I rated this a book 4 out of 5 stars because I thought that it was kind of slow during the first chapter. But then after that it got really interesting. I just really liked this book.
September 6, 2013
This is a great new thriller from Kate Messner! Cat suffered a concussion several months back, and hasn't felt the same since. The headaches, the dizziness, the forgetting -- all she wants is to be her old self again. When her mother finds information about the ICAN brain institute, it seems like maybe she has a chance. Quickly accepted into the program, Cat heads off to the Everglades to hopefully get better. When she arrives at the clinic, however, she is only one of 6 "patients." Comparing stories with the others, she starts to learn that things are not exactly what the seem. In fact, something seems to be terribly off. A compelling read. I couldn't put it down! Recommended for grades 4-8.
eARC provided by publisher.
eARC provided by publisher.
September 20, 2013
Yet another fabulous book by Kate Messner. This one is very action/adventure. It is set in what feels like current time, even though it is science fiction. You could easily imagine this all taking place RIGHT NOW.
Genetics, brain science... this story will spark interest in lots of science topics.
And, as always, Kate does a great job of making girls and boys equals in intelligence, drive, and courage.
Full review http://www.mariaselke.com/2013/09/sci...
Genetics, brain science... this story will spark interest in lots of science topics.
And, as always, Kate does a great job of making girls and boys equals in intelligence, drive, and courage.
Full review http://www.mariaselke.com/2013/09/sci...
September 15, 2013
I give this three stars for my personal reading as an adult -- I liked it but saw a lot of plot contrivances that I found harder to believe than the science fiction DNA treatments -- but four stars for the middle-grade readers, including my nephew, that I will recommend it to. It's a suspenseful middle-grade science thriller that would be excellent as a book group book, since there are so many ways to talk about the real science behind the premise and what role DNA plays in determining identity, sense of self.
July 29, 2016
Wake Up Missing is a well-written, quick-paced little morsel of a sci-fi novel. Written for tweens (wait. I hate that word. Pre-teens? Let’s roll with that.) Ahem. Written for pre-teens, its characters are smart, active, and dynamic enough to hold a slightly younger audience’s interest.
I read this book with my ten-year-old boys in mind, but I have to say that I became absorbed in it almost immediately.
...Read more of this review at fefferbooks.com.
I read this book with my ten-year-old boys in mind, but I have to say that I became absorbed in it almost immediately.
...Read more of this review at fefferbooks.com.
March 1, 2016
Cat is sent to I-CAN hospital in Florida for a concussion, but something is terribly wrong with the institution. It is up to her and three of her fellow patients to uncover the secrets behind what is believed to be the best neurological hospital in the U.S.
I absolutely loved this book. It is unlike anything I've ever read, turning a science fiction novel into a thriller- all in a current setting. It's a great book, but it definitely didn't help me get over my fear of doctors. It's so realistic that you'll think twice about scheduling your next doctor's appointment.
I absolutely loved this book. It is unlike anything I've ever read, turning a science fiction novel into a thriller- all in a current setting. It's a great book, but it definitely didn't help me get over my fear of doctors. It's so realistic that you'll think twice about scheduling your next doctor's appointment.
April 28, 2016
This book was exciting, made you feel for the characters, and had a lot is supense. But the best part was how in the character's point of view, it's actually written the way the character might write. For example, at the beginning, when she has a concussion, it's written in a depressing manner, and all the details are a bit fuzzy. I definitely recommend this book.
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