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Trackers #1
Trackers
Bestselling author Patrick Carman pushes the vbook to the next level with this thrilling book/video/web experience.
In the 21st century landscape of bits and bytes, everyone leaves a digital footprint ... even the most advanced cyber criminals. And that’s where the Trackers come in. Four tech-savvy kids armed with high-tech video cameras and esoteric coding skills, the Trackers can find almost anyone, anywhere. Told through a collage of videos, text, and websites, Trackers #1 follows Adam, Finn, Lewis, and Emily as they become entangled in a high-tech, high-stakes game of cat and mouse with Shantorian, the world’s most dangerous hacker. At least, that’s who they think they’re tracking....
In the 21st century landscape of bits and bytes, everyone leaves a digital footprint ... even the most advanced cyber criminals. And that’s where the Trackers come in. Four tech-savvy kids armed with high-tech video cameras and esoteric coding skills, the Trackers can find almost anyone, anywhere. Told through a collage of videos, text, and websites, Trackers #1 follows Adam, Finn, Lewis, and Emily as they become entangled in a high-tech, high-stakes game of cat and mouse with Shantorian, the world’s most dangerous hacker. At least, that’s who they think they’re tracking....
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2010
74 people are currently reading
1171 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Carman
91 books1,602 followersI have been a lifelong writer and storyteller. Salem, Oregon is where I spent my formative years and I graduated from Willamette University. After college, I spent a decade living in Portland, Oregon where I worked in advertising, game design, and technology.
I've written young adult and children's books for Scholastic, Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publishers.
I've been fortunate enough to have had some bestselling series work: The Land of Elyon, Atherton, Elliot’s Park, 39 Clues, and Skeleton Creek. Here's a fun note...the books have been translated into approximately two dozen languages. Currently I'm developing a few new-media projects. Check out DARK EDEN to experience this type of cross-platform project.
When I'm not writing or creating a story, I spend my free time supporting literacy campaigns and community organizations, fly fishing, playing basketball and tennis, doing crosswords, watching movies, dabbling in video games, reading (lots), and (more than anything else) spending time with my wife and two daughters.
I've written young adult and children's books for Scholastic, Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publishers.
I've been fortunate enough to have had some bestselling series work: The Land of Elyon, Atherton, Elliot’s Park, 39 Clues, and Skeleton Creek. Here's a fun note...the books have been translated into approximately two dozen languages. Currently I'm developing a few new-media projects. Check out DARK EDEN to experience this type of cross-platform project.
When I'm not writing or creating a story, I spend my free time supporting literacy campaigns and community organizations, fly fishing, playing basketball and tennis, doing crosswords, watching movies, dabbling in video games, reading (lots), and (more than anything else) spending time with my wife and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
February 6, 2019
When it comes to experimental middle grade fiction, Patrick Carman definitely gets kudos. Combining videos and a traditional MG novel couldn't have been an easy sell, and so while I didn't really like this book, I totally admire it.
Trackers, like Patrick Carman's other experimental series Skeleton Creek, uses videos to help convey pieces of the plot; however, it is unique in that it is written in the form of an extended transcript prepared by someone named H. Ganz, an agent of some sort who is interrogating the protagonist, Adam.
The best part of this novel, as far as I am concerned, was Adam's narration. It was fast-paced, it perfectly fit with the confessional-MG-style, and it offered some insight into the mind of a teen genius, as it were. I would have been perfectly satisfied if Adam was the only narrator of the story (but more on that later).
The other compliment I can pay to the book is its use of video. Now, in all honesty, at some point I stopped logging onto the website and started reading the transcripts in the back because WHO has that kind of time, my friends? Still, if I were twelve, I would have found the videos intriguing and exciting and probably would have watched them all the way through. Even though I kind of bailed in the video department (sorry), I still think it's a really cool idea and it's super cool that they followed through with it. (Also, some could rightly call these videos low-budget, which is a-okay in my book and I approve of them all the same.)
Still, as creative as this book was, I still had to give it two stars for one big reason: the narration and plot are unbearably unsteady, and it screws up the whole book.
Firstly, the integration of a transcript interview and an MG first-person narrator is a move that is basically dead on arrival. Basically, we have brief conversations between Adam and Ganz placed in between long stretches of Adam's narration, which reads like your typical MG novel. Had this book been formatted like Illuminae , I could see the style going somewhere.
Unfortunately, in making Adam's first person narration and Ganz's interview two ongoing events, it ruined the narration's credibility and added way more vague mysteries than there needed to be.
To some extent, the book tries to justify its narration by casting Adam as a person with a photographic, geniusy memory, and so he is presumed to be (a) clever enough to just speak an MG novel on the fly and (b) fully capable of describing events exactly as they happened. This is a tragedy, y'all. For one thing, I think it demonstrates a misunderstanding of the point of confessional MG narration. The narrator isn't doing his confessing to get some faceless bureaucrat to trust him—he's doing it to get the kid reading his story to trust and identify with him. Think Percy Jackson. Speaking in that way to an adult in an interrogation setting isn't appropriate.
I also don't like it because trying to give your protagonist credibility as an unreliable narrator when the protagonist isn't the narrator is kind of a wasted effort. We're supposed to accept that Adam is telling the truth, but why make that kind of demand? As far as I know, Adam has every right to suspect the man interviewing him and it would make sense for him to lie. Furthermore, the transcripts we're receiving of the conversation have been prepared by the faceless Ganz himself, which means that he's had the power to alter, delete, or add details as he finds them necessary. Trying to make this interview "credible" when Carman just as easily could have leaned into the narrators' unreliability didn't really add anything to the story, which is a shame.
Finally, because the narration and transcript were simultaneous, all the conversations between Adam and Ganz ended up being too vague. Throughout the story Ganz will pop in to ask Adam if he kept going "No matter what the cost?" and so on and so on. Ganz kept asking Adam about his thoughts about the consequences of the actions he took and if he had any regrets about what happened to his friends without ever actually saying what bad thing happened. The vagueness tried to lend an air of mystery to the story, but instead it just made the story exhausting and boring to read because it's not really a mystery if there are no clues.
To be honest, if the climactic moment of the book had been used as a turning point either a fourth or half of the way through the book, it probably would have worked much better. I get that this was meant to be a backstory book, a book about setting up a concept to use in future stories. But honestly, without connection to the characters or any idea what awaits them, I'm just not interested in what happens next. The plot hyped itself up without paying any dividends, which leads me to believe future books would be like that, too.
Also, it is so small, but it also bothered me how much the word "legendary" was used throughout the book.
TL;DR: Overall, an interesting concept and a really inventive way to tell stories; however, not enough story was told and the story itself wasn't told as well as it could have been, which was a disappointment.
Trackers, like Patrick Carman's other experimental series Skeleton Creek, uses videos to help convey pieces of the plot; however, it is unique in that it is written in the form of an extended transcript prepared by someone named H. Ganz, an agent of some sort who is interrogating the protagonist, Adam.
The best part of this novel, as far as I am concerned, was Adam's narration. It was fast-paced, it perfectly fit with the confessional-MG-style, and it offered some insight into the mind of a teen genius, as it were. I would have been perfectly satisfied if Adam was the only narrator of the story (but more on that later).
The other compliment I can pay to the book is its use of video. Now, in all honesty, at some point I stopped logging onto the website and started reading the transcripts in the back because WHO has that kind of time, my friends? Still, if I were twelve, I would have found the videos intriguing and exciting and probably would have watched them all the way through. Even though I kind of bailed in the video department (sorry), I still think it's a really cool idea and it's super cool that they followed through with it. (Also, some could rightly call these videos low-budget, which is a-okay in my book and I approve of them all the same.)
Still, as creative as this book was, I still had to give it two stars for one big reason: the narration and plot are unbearably unsteady, and it screws up the whole book.
Firstly, the integration of a transcript interview and an MG first-person narrator is a move that is basically dead on arrival. Basically, we have brief conversations between Adam and Ganz placed in between long stretches of Adam's narration, which reads like your typical MG novel. Had this book been formatted like Illuminae , I could see the style going somewhere.
Unfortunately, in making Adam's first person narration and Ganz's interview two ongoing events, it ruined the narration's credibility and added way more vague mysteries than there needed to be.
To some extent, the book tries to justify its narration by casting Adam as a person with a photographic, geniusy memory, and so he is presumed to be (a) clever enough to just speak an MG novel on the fly and (b) fully capable of describing events exactly as they happened. This is a tragedy, y'all. For one thing, I think it demonstrates a misunderstanding of the point of confessional MG narration. The narrator isn't doing his confessing to get some faceless bureaucrat to trust him—he's doing it to get the kid reading his story to trust and identify with him. Think Percy Jackson. Speaking in that way to an adult in an interrogation setting isn't appropriate.
I also don't like it because trying to give your protagonist credibility as an unreliable narrator when the protagonist isn't the narrator is kind of a wasted effort. We're supposed to accept that Adam is telling the truth, but why make that kind of demand? As far as I know, Adam has every right to suspect the man interviewing him and it would make sense for him to lie. Furthermore, the transcripts we're receiving of the conversation have been prepared by the faceless Ganz himself, which means that he's had the power to alter, delete, or add details as he finds them necessary. Trying to make this interview "credible" when Carman just as easily could have leaned into the narrators' unreliability didn't really add anything to the story, which is a shame.
Finally, because the narration and transcript were simultaneous, all the conversations between Adam and Ganz ended up being too vague. Throughout the story Ganz will pop in to ask Adam if he kept going "No matter what the cost?" and so on and so on. Ganz kept asking Adam about his thoughts about the consequences of the actions he took and if he had any regrets about what happened to his friends without ever actually saying what bad thing happened. The vagueness tried to lend an air of mystery to the story, but instead it just made the story exhausting and boring to read because it's not really a mystery if there are no clues.
To be honest, if the climactic moment of the book had been used as a turning point either a fourth or half of the way through the book, it probably would have worked much better. I get that this was meant to be a backstory book, a book about setting up a concept to use in future stories. But honestly, without connection to the characters or any idea what awaits them, I'm just not interested in what happens next. The plot hyped itself up without paying any dividends, which leads me to believe future books would be like that, too.
Also, it is so small, but it also bothered me how much the word "legendary" was used throughout the book.
TL;DR: Overall, an interesting concept and a really inventive way to tell stories; however, not enough story was told and the story itself wasn't told as well as it could have been, which was a disappointment.
July 8, 2010
This is one of the coolest books I’ve read. It is the latest book in a new genre that is taking the reading experience to a different level. What am I referring to? The “Vook” genre; in other words, multi-media storytelling—a melding of traditional storytelling with online components. If you’ve got a kid at home (girl or boy) who would much rather be sitting in front of the computer screen than reading a book, this one’s for them.
The Trackers is a group of four friends who, although different in character, make a great team whose skills complement each other as they play spy games with highly sophisticated cutting-edge inventions. Their game suddenly becomes dangerous when they take up the challenge to track a dangerous criminal. Suspenseful, fun, and innovative, this book caught my attention.
The story unfolds as Adam, the team leader, sits in a classified location and is interrogated by a secret agent about his activities as a Tracker. He tells the story about how he met the other three friends who make up the Trackers, leading up to their hunt for the criminal hacker and culminating in an exciting and satisfying conclusion that opens up more questions and leaves us in expectation of Book Two.
I felt like an excited kid as I read the book and then went online to watch the videos accessed by typing in the passwords provided at intervals throughout the book. The novel delves into the world of high technology and how easily one can become embroiled in the world of Internet safety. It was a fascinating and fast-paced read. I have no doubt that middle-graders will devour this one quickly.
The Trackers is a group of four friends who, although different in character, make a great team whose skills complement each other as they play spy games with highly sophisticated cutting-edge inventions. Their game suddenly becomes dangerous when they take up the challenge to track a dangerous criminal. Suspenseful, fun, and innovative, this book caught my attention.
The story unfolds as Adam, the team leader, sits in a classified location and is interrogated by a secret agent about his activities as a Tracker. He tells the story about how he met the other three friends who make up the Trackers, leading up to their hunt for the criminal hacker and culminating in an exciting and satisfying conclusion that opens up more questions and leaves us in expectation of Book Two.
I felt like an excited kid as I read the book and then went online to watch the videos accessed by typing in the passwords provided at intervals throughout the book. The novel delves into the world of high technology and how easily one can become embroiled in the world of Internet safety. It was a fascinating and fast-paced read. I have no doubt that middle-graders will devour this one quickly.
September 27, 2010
This is another book that, first going into it, I really did not think much of it.
Once again, I was completely and utterly wrong.
I've never read a book that was written quite like this one. It was pretty much in first-person view, but different. This book actually felt like some kid named Adam was actually telling you a story. This book only took me a few hours to read since it was so short but during those few hours, I was completely hooked. I'm not exactly sure what made it that way, all I know was that it was a good, short read.
This book was cleverly put together, and I tip my hat to you, (yes, I'm wearing a hat) Patrick Carmen. Books like this are not usually my style as I usually like fantasy/science fiction books and this book was about computers and hacking. Very unique in it's own way. I recommend this book if you like spy books or if you like guys with computer hacking skills. I, personally, prefer nun-chuck skills, but that's just me.
Austin (13 years old)
http://ReadingTween.blogspot.com/
Once again, I was completely and utterly wrong.
I've never read a book that was written quite like this one. It was pretty much in first-person view, but different. This book actually felt like some kid named Adam was actually telling you a story. This book only took me a few hours to read since it was so short but during those few hours, I was completely hooked. I'm not exactly sure what made it that way, all I know was that it was a good, short read.
This book was cleverly put together, and I tip my hat to you, (yes, I'm wearing a hat) Patrick Carmen. Books like this are not usually my style as I usually like fantasy/science fiction books and this book was about computers and hacking. Very unique in it's own way. I recommend this book if you like spy books or if you like guys with computer hacking skills. I, personally, prefer nun-chuck skills, but that's just me.
Austin (13 years old)
http://ReadingTween.blogspot.com/
Read
October 8, 2019trackers was a really good book in my opinion solely because of the action and mystery but there was also a good bit of technology which intrigued me and I think the author aimed it towards a more middle audience like kids 10,11,12,13 years in age so I would recommend it if you are in 5th,6th,7th,8th grade and really like the feeling of being sort of in the future
January 5, 2017
Trackers
Personal Response
When I started this book I thought it was going to be really boring. After reading it for a while it got really interesting. Then right around the middle it changed and then the book was awesome. This book is a really good book.
Plot Summary
Computers and computer chips come in to the small shop. Mike works on all of this stuff. He's what a lot of people call a computer geek. He could fix anything that dealt with computers. He was also a hacker. He could hack into anything and everything. He actually would hack into companies computers then set up things so other people couldn't. With his band of hackers that's what they would do. Then one day things changed and instead of them being on top of the computer chain to being on the bottom. Then some really really good hackers pretty much kicked them off the top and made them work under them. When this happened that's when the cops came into the situation and put the good hackers in jail and are interviewing the trackers.
Characterization
Mike changed big time he went from a person who was on top to one the bottom same with all his other trackers. He also went from not working for anybody to working for the hackers.
Hackers they tried staying quiet but had to destroy the trackers. They also were in society but now are in jail.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to thrill seekers. Also to people who are ages 12 and up and to any gender. This book was a amazing book and it would be a great book for people like computers or hacking things.
Personal Response
When I started this book I thought it was going to be really boring. After reading it for a while it got really interesting. Then right around the middle it changed and then the book was awesome. This book is a really good book.
Plot Summary
Computers and computer chips come in to the small shop. Mike works on all of this stuff. He's what a lot of people call a computer geek. He could fix anything that dealt with computers. He was also a hacker. He could hack into anything and everything. He actually would hack into companies computers then set up things so other people couldn't. With his band of hackers that's what they would do. Then one day things changed and instead of them being on top of the computer chain to being on the bottom. Then some really really good hackers pretty much kicked them off the top and made them work under them. When this happened that's when the cops came into the situation and put the good hackers in jail and are interviewing the trackers.
Characterization
Mike changed big time he went from a person who was on top to one the bottom same with all his other trackers. He also went from not working for anybody to working for the hackers.
Hackers they tried staying quiet but had to destroy the trackers. They also were in society but now are in jail.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to thrill seekers. Also to people who are ages 12 and up and to any gender. This book was a amazing book and it would be a great book for people like computers or hacking things.
May 7, 2010
Trackers was a uniquely written, fast-paced book. Patrick's choice of style was different from what I'm normally used to. The whole story was told through an interview being conducted by a detective. The interviewee was Adam, a computer genius that can hack and fix any technological system. He was a loner who practically lived in his "vault." A safe haven where he could play and develop his gift for high-tech equipment. Eventually he meets Finn, Lewis and Emily who unite as the Trackers. Each character was different and entertaining. Finn, was the eccentric gamer and skateboarder, Lewis was the cautious computer nerd, while Emily kept the group focused.
The Trackers mostly specialized in testing cameras and encoding programs. There operations were based on experimenting and having a good time. However, Adam's curiosity got the best of him and he started mingling with serious, confidential information. Around this time, the book started getting interesting and I was eager to find out how the Trackers were going to get out of Adam's mess. Overall, the story was quite short but it did not lack substance. Everything was well balanced and the ending had just enough suspense to make me anticipate the sequel. Also, it had one of the coolest covers! It came with a plastic slip, just like some DVD's do, it was very original and will definitely draw attention to readers.
The Trackers mostly specialized in testing cameras and encoding programs. There operations were based on experimenting and having a good time. However, Adam's curiosity got the best of him and he started mingling with serious, confidential information. Around this time, the book started getting interesting and I was eager to find out how the Trackers were going to get out of Adam's mess. Overall, the story was quite short but it did not lack substance. Everything was well balanced and the ending had just enough suspense to make me anticipate the sequel. Also, it had one of the coolest covers! It came with a plastic slip, just like some DVD's do, it was very original and will definitely draw attention to readers.
October 3, 2014
Trackers Book #1
Patrick Carma
Adam Henderson is he is being interrogated by Detective Ganz; Adam is a boy who has lived around technology pretty much his entire life. Adam and a couple friends he meant at schools are trackers they are the opposite of hackers they do not break in and destroy instead they help alert people about security breaches and stuff. Most of the things they do is field tests, but they also become tied to finding Shantorian, the world’s most hazardous hacker.
I liked this book quite a lot because the main character and I kind of connect; we both like working with computers, but in a good way. My favorite part of the book would most likely have to be when they did the field test and their equipment got destroyed.
I rated this book 5/5 because It was one of the first books that relates to me so much. I reccomend this book to anyone that has an interest in computers or robots and stuff like that. This book is perfect for almost anyone, but I think that people in 4th to 8th with like this book.
Patrick Carma
Adam Henderson is he is being interrogated by Detective Ganz; Adam is a boy who has lived around technology pretty much his entire life. Adam and a couple friends he meant at schools are trackers they are the opposite of hackers they do not break in and destroy instead they help alert people about security breaches and stuff. Most of the things they do is field tests, but they also become tied to finding Shantorian, the world’s most hazardous hacker.
I liked this book quite a lot because the main character and I kind of connect; we both like working with computers, but in a good way. My favorite part of the book would most likely have to be when they did the field test and their equipment got destroyed.
I rated this book 5/5 because It was one of the first books that relates to me so much. I reccomend this book to anyone that has an interest in computers or robots and stuff like that. This book is perfect for almost anyone, but I think that people in 4th to 8th with like this book.
July 9, 2011
A neat, multi-media book that integrates online video clips and other info on a website into the story line. Alternatively, you can read transcripts of the video from the appendices if you don't have internet access while reading. This series does an even better job than 39 Clues Complete Collection of integrating the web material with the storyline of the book.
The story is told by Adam Henderson as he's being interviewed by someone with a high security clearance. Adam tells how he and his three friends got involved with Zara & Lazlo. Adam's team uses unique devices created by Adam out of various electronic games and computer parts to conduct surveillance missions. It started mostly as a way to test and refine Adam's creations, but there are certainly practical applications.
#bookaday
The story is told by Adam Henderson as he's being interviewed by someone with a high security clearance. Adam tells how he and his three friends got involved with Zara & Lazlo. Adam's team uses unique devices created by Adam out of various electronic games and computer parts to conduct surveillance missions. It started mostly as a way to test and refine Adam's creations, but there are certainly practical applications.
#bookaday
October 10, 2019
If I'm going to be honest when I started reading “Trackers, by Patrick Carman” I believed it would be about some teens on a quest to track someone down, luck for me, I was exactly correct! Trackers, a fiction novel by Patrick Carman is a book that tells the story of four teen friends who work together to track down people who may be doing wrong. This book left me on a hunch nearly every time I closed it, I always wanted to know what happened next. Later in the book, you will find that Adam, one of the members of the team, will be approached by someone who has a deal for him. This book includes twists, mystery, and a pinch of betrayal. In this book you will find a teen named Adam Henderson. Adam and his friends Lewis, Emily, and Finn are trackers on the hunt for any suspicious activity like normal until Adam, the main protagonist, is sent a message that reminds him of his past.
July 8, 2010
This story is interesting. From the beginning, Adam is being interrogated, but you don't know by whom. Initially, I was annoyed at having to go to a computer to watch video, but after a few trips, I started to get hooked on the video clips. You can read the transcripts of the videos in the appendix at the back of the book, and I admit, I started to, but it just wasn't the same. The story main focus is on computers and technology, but even a computer newbie would not be lost in the story. The details are simple enough for all computer skill levels to understand. The ending left you hanging, of course, to lay the groundwork for book 2, which is not due out until Jan. 2011! Ugh! A very intriguing story, all the same. Definitely a guy story.
March 8, 2015
I recently read Trackers by Patrick Carman and found it quite intriguing. I enjoyed the combination of book and computer, which allows more interaction between reader and book. The formatting of the book was a little confusing at first, with the different texts and interrogation style. However, as I kept reading, the style grew on me and compelled me to read more. I also enjoyed the suspense induced by keeping the reader in the dark. Over all, great book, but a little short. I will decently have to check out the rest of the books in this series!
September 11, 2013
Trackers is about a boy named Adam,he is an inventor he invents new types of cameras. Finn the athletic one he skateboards everywhere he has to pick up 13 markers. Lewis is the smartest one in the group but he is so bossy. Emily is the only one that is a girl out of the group of 4. She is the funniest one out of the group
November 11, 2019
Genre: Science Fiction
Grade: 5-8
Plot:
The story starts off with protagonist Adam Henderson being interrogated by an unknown person. Adam is being questioned for a crime regarding his friends' safety, and is told to retell the events of what happened. As the plot progresses, we learn that Adam and his three friends are all technology enthusiasts, who like to refer to themselves as the Trackers because of their penchant for uncovering and finding things in the digital world. Outside of Adam's time with his friends, Adam helps out at his father's computer repair store, and one day, a client drops off a hard drive that Adam takes longer than normal to repair. A few days after, Adam realizes that the hard drive was actually meant to hack into his computer system. Initially wanting to solve the problem on his own, Adam eventually enlists the help of the other Trackers to find the client through a digital game of cat and mouse. Unknownst to the Trackers, the digital game is something that ends with greater consequences than expected.
Why you chose it:
I chose this book because of its engrossing plot and character development. The plot is a very fast-paced one, with every chapter ending in a suspenseful cliffhanger. The pace of the plot resembles that of a TV series, as each piece of the story is well-written and paced appropriately so the reader is able to stay engaged. Carman also does a great job with fleshing out the personalities of each individual Tracker, along with the mysterious personality of the antagonist.
Use in a reading classroom:
The main plot is supplemented with appendices, which Carman constantly suggests the reader to refer back to. These appendices explore more of the plot points in detail, and elaborates on certain points not seen in the main plot. The appendices are excellent for doing a reader's theatre with because of the script-like writing, thus making specific scenes easier to reenact. Furthermore, these appendices are an excellent tool for creating connections and inferences within the main story.
Grade: 5-8
Plot:
The story starts off with protagonist Adam Henderson being interrogated by an unknown person. Adam is being questioned for a crime regarding his friends' safety, and is told to retell the events of what happened. As the plot progresses, we learn that Adam and his three friends are all technology enthusiasts, who like to refer to themselves as the Trackers because of their penchant for uncovering and finding things in the digital world. Outside of Adam's time with his friends, Adam helps out at his father's computer repair store, and one day, a client drops off a hard drive that Adam takes longer than normal to repair. A few days after, Adam realizes that the hard drive was actually meant to hack into his computer system. Initially wanting to solve the problem on his own, Adam eventually enlists the help of the other Trackers to find the client through a digital game of cat and mouse. Unknownst to the Trackers, the digital game is something that ends with greater consequences than expected.
Why you chose it:
I chose this book because of its engrossing plot and character development. The plot is a very fast-paced one, with every chapter ending in a suspenseful cliffhanger. The pace of the plot resembles that of a TV series, as each piece of the story is well-written and paced appropriately so the reader is able to stay engaged. Carman also does a great job with fleshing out the personalities of each individual Tracker, along with the mysterious personality of the antagonist.
Use in a reading classroom:
The main plot is supplemented with appendices, which Carman constantly suggests the reader to refer back to. These appendices explore more of the plot points in detail, and elaborates on certain points not seen in the main plot. The appendices are excellent for doing a reader's theatre with because of the script-like writing, thus making specific scenes easier to reenact. Furthermore, these appendices are an excellent tool for creating connections and inferences within the main story.
January 7, 2023
Patrick Carman has created another masterpiece. This story, much like Skeleton Creek, is told in two parts: first the books and then videos to supplement the story. Who or what are the trackers? They are a group of friends who have cutting-edge technology and really want 'to do good'. They desire to use their skills and technology to discover truths and bring them to the light.
The Trackers are: Adam, he's the brains behind the crew, the one who creates all the gadgets that start to get them into trouble; Lewis, the cautious one, who has computer skills, but also is the one to always worry; Emily - great skill with remote controls and nerves of steel. And finally Finn - he is the athlete, skateboarder, and always pushes the limits, but he is also the one who helps to take the edge off.
The team has spent their time building tools to use for surveillance and investigation. But something has gone horribly wrong. And now Adam is telling his story to the authorities. The website with the videos is excellent and the videos are incredibly well done. I have read the book twice - the first time with just reading the transcripts of the videos at the back of the book, and the second time watching the videos. It does work without the online videos but they do add to the story.
Adam was captured by someone posing as the Glyph Master who drew him to a website with puzzles from a secret language he helped create. He was drawn in, and by the time he realized he was in trouble it was too late.
This book is great and looks like it will be the beginning of an excellent series.
The Trackers are: Adam, he's the brains behind the crew, the one who creates all the gadgets that start to get them into trouble; Lewis, the cautious one, who has computer skills, but also is the one to always worry; Emily - great skill with remote controls and nerves of steel. And finally Finn - he is the athlete, skateboarder, and always pushes the limits, but he is also the one who helps to take the edge off.
The team has spent their time building tools to use for surveillance and investigation. But something has gone horribly wrong. And now Adam is telling his story to the authorities. The website with the videos is excellent and the videos are incredibly well done. I have read the book twice - the first time with just reading the transcripts of the videos at the back of the book, and the second time watching the videos. It does work without the online videos but they do add to the story.
Adam was captured by someone posing as the Glyph Master who drew him to a website with puzzles from a secret language he helped create. He was drawn in, and by the time he realized he was in trouble it was too late.
This book is great and looks like it will be the beginning of an excellent series.
May 8, 2020
This book is right at the boundary between a story for kids and a story for teens. Maybe it's a story for kids who think that this is what teens are like?
In any case, the story has exciting elements, but I had trouble believing in them as I was reading them. For instance, the main character, Adam, keeps stumbling over the fact that he's used to being the smartest one in the room, but that isn't always the case. He's been involved with computer stuff for long enough to KNOW that this isn't always the case, and yet he keeps making mistakes based on it. I really disliked the dad, whose computer repair business is only functional because of the work his son does, and the dad even has him skip school to repair computers. Really? Also, the thing with the bulk repair orders coming from Microsoft didn't feel right.
I did enjoy Adam and his friends, although the weird moments of ineptitude by Finn felt like a plot point, but by the end of this first volume they are apparently not. Lewis and Emily were really cool. I will probably read the second volume to see if that answers my questions about the story.
In any case, the story has exciting elements, but I had trouble believing in them as I was reading them. For instance, the main character, Adam, keeps stumbling over the fact that he's used to being the smartest one in the room, but that isn't always the case. He's been involved with computer stuff for long enough to KNOW that this isn't always the case, and yet he keeps making mistakes based on it. I really disliked the dad, whose computer repair business is only functional because of the work his son does, and the dad even has him skip school to repair computers. Really? Also, the thing with the bulk repair orders coming from Microsoft didn't feel right.
I did enjoy Adam and his friends, although the weird moments of ineptitude by Finn felt like a plot point, but by the end of this first volume they are apparently not. Lewis and Emily were really cool. I will probably read the second volume to see if that answers my questions about the story.
November 10, 2018
Okay, I don't read books like this normally. But it's Patrick Carman. . . who wrote my favorite fantasy series. And another fun trilogy for little boys that I loved. And a fascinating science-fiction fantasy-dystopian-modern book that I also loved. And another book I also immensely enjoyed.
Well. I loved this one too. :)
This book is fabulous.
It is also:
Highly intreging
Super cool
Modern but maybe slightly in the future
Full of cool science-y gadgets
Has.So. Much. Suspense. O_O
Our heros:
Adam Henderson. Genius kid. Builder of said cool science-y gadgets. He is telling the story to some mysterious person. He's the brains.
Finn. Super fun black kid. Loves to skateboard. The life of the party. I can hear his voice. Absolutely lovable. He's the voice of "let's do this thing!"
Lewis. Nervous geeky Asian kid. Brilliant. Super lovable. I need more of him in the sequel. He's the voice of reason.
Emily. Tough girl who is super tough and cool but is also afraid of the dark. She's the drive. Also lovable.
I've never read a book formatted like this before. It was really cool!
Well. I loved this one too. :)
This book is fabulous.
It is also:
Highly intreging
Super cool
Modern but maybe slightly in the future
Full of cool science-y gadgets
Has.So. Much. Suspense. O_O
Our heros:
Adam Henderson. Genius kid. Builder of said cool science-y gadgets. He is telling the story to some mysterious person. He's the brains.
Finn. Super fun black kid. Loves to skateboard. The life of the party. I can hear his voice. Absolutely lovable. He's the voice of "let's do this thing!"
Lewis. Nervous geeky Asian kid. Brilliant. Super lovable. I need more of him in the sequel. He's the voice of reason.
Emily. Tough girl who is super tough and cool but is also afraid of the dark. She's the drive. Also lovable.
I've never read a book formatted like this before. It was really cool!
February 6, 2020
Great for the struggling reader that has a difficult time with reading comprehension. I am a middle school librarian and mother of two. My daughter has Dyslexia and really struggled with reading comprehension until we came across these novels. The story combined with the videos was exactly what she needed to assist her in reading comprehension. It gave her the ability to have that "Mind Movie" that is needed to "picture" what is happening in the book. She went from reading Magic Tree House in the 5th grade to these novels to the Hunger Games in 6th grade. The video really backed up what happened in the chapter and also gave some hints for what was to come in the next chapter, making her want to read more. She truly thrived. I have since acquired these novels for the library at school and have suggested them to some of my struggling readers. They have all come back raving about these books and how easy it was to understand. They are now passing their tests, turning in great book reports and moving on to higher reading level books.
July 7, 2017
Adam Henderson is your typical child genius when it comes to technology. He started helping his dad repair computers when he was eight and by the time he finished middle school, he was creating sophisticated equipment and ruling an online empire worth millions of dollars. He found a group of friends who worked really well together;they became the Trackers. Using Adam's inventions and each of their own unique skills, Adam, Emily, Louis, and Finn unknowingly became wrapped up in a criminal plot.
It started out as just a puzzle for Adam to solve, but then quickly escalated into something that could change each of their lives forever.
Each section of the book comes with online videos (or transcripts in the book) to accompany the story. It is a really neat concept, but a little hard to follow. It wasn't as engaging as Carman's other 2 options.
It started out as just a puzzle for Adam to solve, but then quickly escalated into something that could change each of their lives forever.
Each section of the book comes with online videos (or transcripts in the book) to accompany the story. It is a really neat concept, but a little hard to follow. It wasn't as engaging as Carman's other 2 options.
September 21, 2019
Both my son (8 years old) and I read this book – and we both enjoyed it – but he was far more impressed than I. (Which, of course, makes sense.)
He thought it was awesome and thought the video clips made the book more interesting and interactive. He also appreciated the humor in the book and liked the group of Trackers.
I do have to say that he didn’t read it as fast as he usually does and didn’t inhale it the way he has books in the past (39 Clues, Percy Jackson, etc.) but he gave it a 9 out of 10 and is looking forward to the next book.
I thought the book was good and thought it did make for a good adventure. As an adult, I did find it wildly far fetched, but it wasn’t written for me.
Anyway – looks like we will be buying the second book in the series – especially since this one left a LOT of questions needing answers.
He thought it was awesome and thought the video clips made the book more interesting and interactive. He also appreciated the humor in the book and liked the group of Trackers.
I do have to say that he didn’t read it as fast as he usually does and didn’t inhale it the way he has books in the past (39 Clues, Percy Jackson, etc.) but he gave it a 9 out of 10 and is looking forward to the next book.
I thought the book was good and thought it did make for a good adventure. As an adult, I did find it wildly far fetched, but it wasn’t written for me.
Anyway – looks like we will be buying the second book in the series – especially since this one left a LOT of questions needing answers.
November 9, 2017
The book the trackers is book that there are these characters named Adam Finn and Emily might have to risk there live to track down the evil criminal known as Zara she has stolen all of Adams tools and gagets along with a drone in this book there will be stakeouts and spying on criminals in there hotels also Adam is trying to connected the internet because Zara said and if he did not do it in ten hours then he will lose all of his stuff.
in my opinion this book was a good book because it had spying and drones also it had life or death situation also it had people trying to save the wold along with awesome stunts and that is why the trackers is my favorite book.
in my opinion this book was a good book because it had spying and drones also it had life or death situation also it had people trying to save the wold along with awesome stunts and that is why the trackers is my favorite book.
September 11, 2022
The formatting of this book was really interesting. The videos and transcripts were a fun use of transmedia and would be really engaging as a student.
I like that it showed how savvy kids can be with technology and uplifted coding and the world of computer science for young teenagers. The writing was very quick-paced and I like the way friendship was portrayed.
For me, the story read very choppy and made it easy for me to set down and hard for me to pick up - BUT I know that the writing style is perfect for other readers.
This was an assigned text for a class in my library science graduate program.
I like that it showed how savvy kids can be with technology and uplifted coding and the world of computer science for young teenagers. The writing was very quick-paced and I like the way friendship was portrayed.
For me, the story read very choppy and made it easy for me to set down and hard for me to pick up - BUT I know that the writing style is perfect for other readers.
This was an assigned text for a class in my library science graduate program.
September 5, 2018
There's nothing wrong with this book but it's just not my style. I can see where it would be appealing to a lit of readers though. Adam and his group of friends are Trackers...they ise technology to track things and solve puzzles. It's kind of like hacking crossed with reconnaissance with cameras and drones. They are challenged by Zara and Lazlo who are enigmatic. Are they good or evil?
The format of the book is very transmedia. Every few chapters you are directed to a website with a video that adds to the story. Transcripts are included in the back of the boom.
The format of the book is very transmedia. Every few chapters you are directed to a website with a video that adds to the story. Transcripts are included in the back of the boom.
June 12, 2017
liked the interview style format and the premise of accessing supporting video and data online (not that i did, so thanks for the transcript appendix) - felt like it took a long time to get nowhere really and that the whole thing was just a long set up for book 2 that could have been significantly condensed
December 18, 2021
very interesting. More of a kids book and not for teens. Kinda has the feel of when authors are describing things to young kids. Good none the less. Love the technology aspect and the cool related videos that help move the plot along. I feel like it was meant to be a movie more than a book. The dialogue is too complicated to be in a book without it being confusing.
September 29, 2019
I loved the concept of this book. The interview format and integration of passwords that would lead you to online videos. It was a completely different reading experience than I’ve ever had before! But, I found the ending almost irritating. It left too many doors open for me
July 15, 2017
this is like a spy/mystery/adventure book. really liked it! there are videos that go along with it, but I only read the transcripts in the back.
July 30, 2017
I couldn't even finish it it was so boring
October 23, 2017
It was a well thought out book, just not my favorite idea.
June 12, 2018
Enjoyed reading this book because it was told in a different way. I really liked the characters and was drawn into their world. Now I must read the next in the series.
July 8, 2019
INTENSE! And so mysterious!!
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