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The Ability #1
The Ability
Delve into the extraordinary abilities of the twelve-year-old mind in this thrilling start to a middle-grade series that expands the possibilities of power.
No one has any confidence in twelve-year-old Christopher Lane. His teachers discount him as a liar and a thief, and his mom doesn’t have the energy to deal with him. But a mysterious visit from the Ministry of Education indicates that Chris might have some potential after all: He is invited to attend the prestigious Myers Holt Academy.
When Christopher begins at his new school, he is astounded at what he can do. It seems that age twelve is a special time for the human brain, which is capable of remarkable feats—as also evidenced by Chris’s peers Ernest and Mortimer Genver, who, at the direction of their vengeful and manipulative mother, are testing the boundaries of the human mind.
But all this experimentation has consequences, and Chris soon finds himself forced to face them—or his new life will be over before it can begin.
No one has any confidence in twelve-year-old Christopher Lane. His teachers discount him as a liar and a thief, and his mom doesn’t have the energy to deal with him. But a mysterious visit from the Ministry of Education indicates that Chris might have some potential after all: He is invited to attend the prestigious Myers Holt Academy.
When Christopher begins at his new school, he is astounded at what he can do. It seems that age twelve is a special time for the human brain, which is capable of remarkable feats—as also evidenced by Chris’s peers Ernest and Mortimer Genver, who, at the direction of their vengeful and manipulative mother, are testing the boundaries of the human mind.
But all this experimentation has consequences, and Chris soon finds himself forced to face them—or his new life will be over before it can begin.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2013
48 people are currently reading
3593 people want to read
About the author
M.M. Vaughan
9 books81 followersThe daughter of South American parents, Monica Meira Vaughan grew up in Spain before moving to London at the age of five where she learnt English by watching Sesame Street and reading every Roald Dahl book she could get her hands on.
On leaving school, and after a brief stint in public relations, Monica decided to train as a primary school teacher. She has spent the last eight years working in special needs, mostly with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Monica likes to start writing after midnight and it has been, until recently, her secret hobby. On the weekends she likes to try to catch up on her sleep.
She lives in London, England.
(From Curtis Brown Literacy Agency)
On leaving school, and after a brief stint in public relations, Monica decided to train as a primary school teacher. She has spent the last eight years working in special needs, mostly with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Monica likes to start writing after midnight and it has been, until recently, her secret hobby. On the weekends she likes to try to catch up on her sleep.
She lives in London, England.
(From Curtis Brown Literacy Agency)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
July 12, 2013
AWESOME BOOK!!!! The story is about a boy called Chris who finds out he can enter people's minds. The minds in The Ability are like cities and each city is different for every person. The characters are really believable and interesting. For example, at the beginning, you think that Rex is a bully but as you read on you learn that Rex is actually really funny and just gets things wrong. Chris has a really hard life but he is such a nice person even though he's gone through everything that he has had to go through. The Ability is funny, smart, sad (a bit) and clever. I think anybody who liked The Mysterious Benedict Society or Harry Potter (there is no magic in The Ability but there are similarities like it being in England and having special powers) will LOVE this!!!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
April 25, 2013
Best book ever according to my son! He got his copy a day before release and, not only did he finish it but he's already started to read it again - that's how much he loved it.
I can see how this will be a 5 star or 1 star book - 1 star from adults who are uncomfortable with the dark content (and boy is it dark at times!) and 5 stars from anybody who gets how much kids will like it for exactly that reason! It's funny too.
On a side note, from a parent point of view, it brought up some great issues for us to discuss. It also had some interesting concepts with the whole mind thing that even got me thinking! And, now this is just a personal thing, but I really liked that it wasn't all informal and slapstick - think more like Harry Potter than Diary of Wimpy Kid.
Overall, I have to say this author knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote this - she got it just right. S. is already asking about when the next one will come out!
I can see how this will be a 5 star or 1 star book - 1 star from adults who are uncomfortable with the dark content (and boy is it dark at times!) and 5 stars from anybody who gets how much kids will like it for exactly that reason! It's funny too.
On a side note, from a parent point of view, it brought up some great issues for us to discuss. It also had some interesting concepts with the whole mind thing that even got me thinking! And, now this is just a personal thing, but I really liked that it wasn't all informal and slapstick - think more like Harry Potter than Diary of Wimpy Kid.
Overall, I have to say this author knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote this - she got it just right. S. is already asking about when the next one will come out!
June 8, 2013
The excitement at my school about this author is unprecedented! A group of students went to see her speak when she came to visit from England on her book tour and it has had a snowball effect. I finally got round to reading it and can see exactly why the book has had such a reaction - it is fast-paced, full of details about the mind that are original and clever and full of humor. There are criticisms - I do think that some of the side characters need fleshing out (but it is the first in a series) and the prologue is a little confusing on first reading but these are just minor issues. Personally I loved it - great fun and the most awesome concept. Even better, it's the first time I've seen kids this excited about a book since Harry Potter - we have five people waiting to take the book out! We have ordered a class set for the library and teachers are talking about doing work around it next year to take advantage of the buzz around this. Next HUGE book - wait and see!
May 6, 2013
I am a total sucker for middle grade novels about special schools and kids with powers. Perhaps it's because I grew up reading Harry Potter, and am still on the hunt for that elusive book that will mean as much to me, though I know that will likely not happen, because I'm an adult now and less able to appreciate the magic. Still, for all that I'm not likely to find something as amazing as Harry Potter is, my middle grade choices have yet to fail me. The Ability is a darker-than-usual middle grade novel with humor and action aplenty.
The main hero of The Ability is young Christopher Lane, just turning twelve years old and at wit's end for how to take care of himself and his mother, ruined by the death of his father. Like so many scrappy heroes, everything falls to Chris. He struggles in school, marked as a troublemaker and is finally expelled for a weird incident where he somehow beats up a bully without touching him. But, thankfully, salvation comes in the form of a test to study at an elite, strange prep school, Myers Holt Academy, which Chris passes with flying colors. After his test, the proctor presents him with a surprise birthday cake.
Note: Chris is not a wizard.
Now, there are certainly a few shades of Harry Potter obviously, like the cake, but The Ability does not read like a retelling. What's most similar is actually the tone, more than the story itself. Harry Potter begins as a fairly light story for children, but then becomes progressively darker as the children age. The Ability is not a kid's book and I would recommend it for the upper end of the middle grade age group. There's some death and injury, and some ethical lines that get crossed. I really liked how dark this was, and that there are shades of gray to the characters. The bad guys aren't just evil; they have backgrounds that explain how they became the way they are. Similarly, the children and their teachers are flawed and imperfect.
There's a lot of humor in The Ability too. Most of the funny moments center around Rex, definitely the least likable of the six kids in this class at Myers Holt Academy. However, just like the other five students, the readers can't help but be glad that Rex is there, because he's so funny, both accidentally and on purpose, even if many of his jokes are rather mean-spirited. There are also some more standard middle grade jokes, like food fights and that sort of thing. The funniest moment for me, though, was this scene where Chris is sent to a fancy department store to buy some new clothes and the salesman is all snooty telling him to get his grubby hands out of his department, until a manager comes and tells him who Chris is.
I wanted him to storm out while saying this.
Anyway, the powers that the kids have are also really cool. See, Myers Holt Academy, as one expects, is totally not a normal school. In fact, they train kids to work for the government in the super secret branch MI18. In this world, twelve-year-olds have unique abilities, where they can use a larger portion of their brains. What's really cool and unique is that these powers only manifest for a single year, though any information learned during this period will be retained for life. Basically, these kids are selected because they have more potential, but all kids age 12 have increased capacity. At Myers Holt Academy, they learn telekinesis, distance viewing, and mind reading/control. This is both cool and terrifying because I would not want children to have that much power, which is also why Sir Bentley, the head of the school, gives them lectures about using their power responsibly all the time.
Speaking of how terrifying kids with powers are, the kids they are fighting are so creepy. They're these twins who will stop at nothing to please their crazy step-mother. Yet, as evil as they are, you sort of get how they got that way and it's just sad all around, but they do need to be stopped. Vaughan does a great job setting up the bad guys and not making them laughable like so many middle grade villains are, because they don't run around spouting monologues about their evil plans.
The only drawback to The Ability is that the opening chapters are a bit confusing, because you're immediately introduced to a whole bunch of characters, and it takes a while to sort out who's who and how everything connects. The first chapter takes place 30 years before the rest of the book, and is important set up, and it's followed by a few chapters in which it's hard to tell which kid the narrative will primarily be following. This does get sorted out, but the beginning was a bit rough. Aside from that, though the kids themselves did have nice individual arcs, I would have liked a bit more focus on the friendships between the kids.
The Ability is a great read for more mature middle graders. It's a great choice for those who enjoyed Trenton Lee Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society, as well as Harry Potter. I will be looking forward to the next installment!
The main hero of The Ability is young Christopher Lane, just turning twelve years old and at wit's end for how to take care of himself and his mother, ruined by the death of his father. Like so many scrappy heroes, everything falls to Chris. He struggles in school, marked as a troublemaker and is finally expelled for a weird incident where he somehow beats up a bully without touching him. But, thankfully, salvation comes in the form of a test to study at an elite, strange prep school, Myers Holt Academy, which Chris passes with flying colors. After his test, the proctor presents him with a surprise birthday cake.
Note: Chris is not a wizard.
Now, there are certainly a few shades of Harry Potter obviously, like the cake, but The Ability does not read like a retelling. What's most similar is actually the tone, more than the story itself. Harry Potter begins as a fairly light story for children, but then becomes progressively darker as the children age. The Ability is not a kid's book and I would recommend it for the upper end of the middle grade age group. There's some death and injury, and some ethical lines that get crossed. I really liked how dark this was, and that there are shades of gray to the characters. The bad guys aren't just evil; they have backgrounds that explain how they became the way they are. Similarly, the children and their teachers are flawed and imperfect.
There's a lot of humor in The Ability too. Most of the funny moments center around Rex, definitely the least likable of the six kids in this class at Myers Holt Academy. However, just like the other five students, the readers can't help but be glad that Rex is there, because he's so funny, both accidentally and on purpose, even if many of his jokes are rather mean-spirited. There are also some more standard middle grade jokes, like food fights and that sort of thing. The funniest moment for me, though, was this scene where Chris is sent to a fancy department store to buy some new clothes and the salesman is all snooty telling him to get his grubby hands out of his department, until a manager comes and tells him who Chris is.
I wanted him to storm out while saying this.
Anyway, the powers that the kids have are also really cool. See, Myers Holt Academy, as one expects, is totally not a normal school. In fact, they train kids to work for the government in the super secret branch MI18. In this world, twelve-year-olds have unique abilities, where they can use a larger portion of their brains. What's really cool and unique is that these powers only manifest for a single year, though any information learned during this period will be retained for life. Basically, these kids are selected because they have more potential, but all kids age 12 have increased capacity. At Myers Holt Academy, they learn telekinesis, distance viewing, and mind reading/control. This is both cool and terrifying because I would not want children to have that much power, which is also why Sir Bentley, the head of the school, gives them lectures about using their power responsibly all the time.
Speaking of how terrifying kids with powers are, the kids they are fighting are so creepy. They're these twins who will stop at nothing to please their crazy step-mother. Yet, as evil as they are, you sort of get how they got that way and it's just sad all around, but they do need to be stopped. Vaughan does a great job setting up the bad guys and not making them laughable like so many middle grade villains are, because they don't run around spouting monologues about their evil plans.
The only drawback to The Ability is that the opening chapters are a bit confusing, because you're immediately introduced to a whole bunch of characters, and it takes a while to sort out who's who and how everything connects. The first chapter takes place 30 years before the rest of the book, and is important set up, and it's followed by a few chapters in which it's hard to tell which kid the narrative will primarily be following. This does get sorted out, but the beginning was a bit rough. Aside from that, though the kids themselves did have nice individual arcs, I would have liked a bit more focus on the friendships between the kids.
The Ability is a great read for more mature middle graders. It's a great choice for those who enjoyed Trenton Lee Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society, as well as Harry Potter. I will be looking forward to the next installment!
December 13, 2013
Wow! Great book!!! If you love anything about England (like me) - this book is a must-have. Really fun. Bit like Harry Potter but older. I really recommend it. i can't wait for book 2!!!
November 5, 2013
I work in a bookstore and a kid recommended this to me. Usually it's the other way round! Kid was right--it's a GREAT read! It's great fun and works on different levels - for kids, there's the action-packed story, a deliciously evil family and tons of 'i wish i could do that'! For teenagers and adults, there's a whole other level to read this book on - the desperate and complex situation of the protagonist and the way he deals with that and - what blew me away - the concept of the unique city of in the mind. Seriously great book. Having read to the end and seen how it's all been set up, I have a feeling the second book is going to be incredible.
June 16, 2013
I haven't read this (yet) but my 12 year old just finished it today and is in love with it! What I like, as a parent, is that this book has been the catalyst for some of the deepest conversations about ethics/morality, family and responsibility that I have ever had with her. She's loved reading it and I've loved her reading it. Both of us are looking forward to number two!
June 14, 2013
Don't - and I'm saying this as an English teacher - get all literary on this. This is fast and full of detail - the kind of book kids can read again and again. It might not win any literary awards but that's fine by me, not all books worth reading have to. The kind of kids I teach - boys mostly - NEED more books like this!
More serious and thought-provoking than Mysterious Benedict Society (which I love too btw), less of that Harry Potter magic that sometimes puts boys off. I KNOW this is a book my class is going to go nuts over in the fall.
More serious and thought-provoking than Mysterious Benedict Society (which I love too btw), less of that Harry Potter magic that sometimes puts boys off. I KNOW this is a book my class is going to go nuts over in the fall.
July 12, 2013
this book is soooooooo amazing!!!!!! I can't wait for the next one -is ernest is going to be evil now???!!!!
May 16, 2013
Very enjoyable middle grade read. Protagonist Christopher Lane learns that he has very unique abilities such as mind reading and telekenesis. He along with some of his new classmates at a special school are being trained how to control their powers and eventually they all team together to foil the dastardly plans of a former student at their school.
Overall the characters and the plot were very strong. I anticipate a sequel or two based on the ending. Too bad I will have to wait a while.
Overall the characters and the plot were very strong. I anticipate a sequel or two based on the ending. Too bad I will have to wait a while.
May 13, 2013
Reminds me of "The Mysterious Benedict Society" series by Trenton Lee Stewart.
May 23, 2013
M.M. Vaughan's "The Ability" is the answer to the frequently asked question: "what should I read after Harry Potter?"
A book with great promise and a beautifully illustrated cover, The Ability follows the trials and tribulations of Christopher Lane, a child who, like Harry, comes from a dysfunctional home. Chris is instantly likeable and pitiable, from his bravery in dealing with his father's death and his mother's mental illness, to his willingness to step up and be more responsible than any 12-year-old boy should ever have to be. After being expelled from school, Chris ends up at the exclusive Myers Holt Academy, where he's told he will be working for the government by using special powers he did not know he possessed, including telepathy. He spends a lot of time walking around the illusionary streets and buildings that make up the minds of people who are suspected of being involved in enemy plans.
Read the rest of my review at www.awrinkleinthepages.com. Review will be posted on 05/23/2013.
A book with great promise and a beautifully illustrated cover, The Ability follows the trials and tribulations of Christopher Lane, a child who, like Harry, comes from a dysfunctional home. Chris is instantly likeable and pitiable, from his bravery in dealing with his father's death and his mother's mental illness, to his willingness to step up and be more responsible than any 12-year-old boy should ever have to be. After being expelled from school, Chris ends up at the exclusive Myers Holt Academy, where he's told he will be working for the government by using special powers he did not know he possessed, including telepathy. He spends a lot of time walking around the illusionary streets and buildings that make up the minds of people who are suspected of being involved in enemy plans.
Read the rest of my review at www.awrinkleinthepages.com. Review will be posted on 05/23/2013.
January 20, 2013
I just finished reading this before writing a review, and while the prologue put me off a little, I found myself referring to it as I continued into the story. I don't want to say too much about it, because I will be writing a review, but the characters are good, the development of the story is good, and the end leaves the door open for another novel. I am not a reader of fantasy, but I do love mysteries, and I enjoyed this title quite a bit.
July 9, 2013
I love the idea of the school and how they read people's minds by walking through buildings and streets! Amazing book!
December 29, 2015
Chris feels like a failure. No one in his life believes in him, not his teachers, not his mom, and certainly not his classmates. So when a kind representative from a mysterious school called Myers Holt Academy tells Chris he is talented and offers him a place at this prestigious school, he can hardly believe it. Little does Chris know, he possesses something powerful called The Ability which allows him and as well as his peers to manipulate objects and people using only their minds. Chris must learn to harness his Ability sooner than expected in order to stop a nefarious plot involving a former student of the academy.
M.M Vaughan's novel is an engaging and darker than expected fantasy novel that is still firmly grounded in reality. Kids will enjoy reading about Chris's experiences and unique classes at Myers Holt while issues such as dysfunctional family relationships and power abuse are thought provoking and challenging. The novel's story lines are brought to a close but definitely leave room for another book which will keep kids interested. Give this one to fans of the Harry Potter series or Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Kane Chronicles series.
Appropriate for 5th grade and up. Reviewed from a digital review copy provided by Edelweiss.
M.M Vaughan's novel is an engaging and darker than expected fantasy novel that is still firmly grounded in reality. Kids will enjoy reading about Chris's experiences and unique classes at Myers Holt while issues such as dysfunctional family relationships and power abuse are thought provoking and challenging. The novel's story lines are brought to a close but definitely leave room for another book which will keep kids interested. Give this one to fans of the Harry Potter series or Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Kane Chronicles series.
Appropriate for 5th grade and up. Reviewed from a digital review copy provided by Edelweiss.
August 14, 2019
Was soll man von einer Geschichte halten, die mit der Brutalität eines Skandinavienthrillers beginnt und so ein naives Cover hat? Das Buch wird 11-jährigen Lesern empfohlen, doch die Selbstverständlichkeit, mit der hier Gewaltszenen in eine ansonsten simple Geschichte mit kindlichem Schreibstil eingeflochten werden, schließt das aus. Erwachsenen sind nicht in der Lage, Schutzbefohlene angemessen zu betreuen und verantwortungsvoll zu unterrichten, sodass zum Schluss ein 12-jähriges Kind einen Mord begeht, nur weil ihm nicht die Zeit gelassen wurde, gewisse Fähigkeiten zu beherrschen. Wenn man Kindern beibringt, Gegenstände und Menschen blind durch die Gegend zu schleudern, bleibt das nicht aus.
Das am Ende alle angemessen entsetzt aber doch irgendwie zufrieden sind, da ihr Ziel erreicht wurde, setzt allem die Krone auf.
Ich kann das Buch wegen der Kritikpunkte weder 11-jährigen empfehlen, noch älteren Kinder oder Jugendlichen, da dann die Schreibweise wieder zu simpel und plump ist. Es ist natürlich durchaus möglich, dass Eltern nichts dagegen haben, wenn ihre Kinder durch solche Bücher desensibilisiert werden. Allerdings kann ich mir das nicht vorstellen.
Das am Ende alle angemessen entsetzt aber doch irgendwie zufrieden sind, da ihr Ziel erreicht wurde, setzt allem die Krone auf.
Ich kann das Buch wegen der Kritikpunkte weder 11-jährigen empfehlen, noch älteren Kinder oder Jugendlichen, da dann die Schreibweise wieder zu simpel und plump ist. Es ist natürlich durchaus möglich, dass Eltern nichts dagegen haben, wenn ihre Kinder durch solche Bücher desensibilisiert werden. Allerdings kann ich mir das nicht vorstellen.
February 23, 2013
I was lent a pre-publication copy by a reviewer friend of mine who loved it, in exchange for writing a review on here. I don't normally read children's books and, no, I haven’t even read any of the Harry Potter books, so I was surprised to find I was hooked from the first paragraph.
MM Vaughn has created characters that are diverse, colorful and quirky.
What I loved the most was that, despite the core fantasy theme in the book, MM Vaughn injects a lots of realism. Bravely, she doesn’t give the twelve year-old protagonist in the story, Chris, a Hollywood style ending. It totally works. My only criticism is that it is quite dark, fine for me, and for older readers, but I'm not really sure it's a book for eight year olds - I think 10+.
Coming back to the Harry Potter mania, which totally escaped me, I can now see how adults could love a story told for children. This one is awesome!
MM Vaughn has created characters that are diverse, colorful and quirky.
What I loved the most was that, despite the core fantasy theme in the book, MM Vaughn injects a lots of realism. Bravely, she doesn’t give the twelve year-old protagonist in the story, Chris, a Hollywood style ending. It totally works. My only criticism is that it is quite dark, fine for me, and for older readers, but I'm not really sure it's a book for eight year olds - I think 10+.
Coming back to the Harry Potter mania, which totally escaped me, I can now see how adults could love a story told for children. This one is awesome!
July 8, 2013
Looking back I have always been under the impression that I was particularly bright at the age of 12. I was sharper, less clouded with uncertainty, able to build anything out of Legos, and I knew the name of every damned dinosaur that walked this Earth.
Then 13 hit, and it all went downhill from there.
M.M. Vaughan's deceptively playful young adult novel entitled 'The Ability' has a spectacular answer for this riddle: all 12 year old children are latent geniuses. They have a window of brilliance and it is set to end on their 13th birthday so best make the most of it!
What makes this particular premise so interesting, and somewhat dark, is that these children aren't tapped to make the world better, solve macro-economic problems, and invent cleaner energy... oh no... they are conscripted and essentially bribed into being operatives and analysts for the British government.
Let that bit of callousness sink in for a second. The story follows Chris, a well meaning boy who will steal, fumble, and desperately grasp at childhood survival while protecting his mother and trying to elevate his behavior into a realm of moral certitude. Unlike most of the stories young adults are fed these days, Chris is flawed and not a 'chosen one' due to a great station of birth or foretold sign. Instead, Chris is poor, embarrassed, and awkward without those hindrances impeding his empathy.
The overall plot is fun, filled with characters (some of which are fairly stock) that chase each other around the narrative as the pieces come together sharply (there is also a HILARIOUS scene with clowns). To Vaughan's credit this is NOT a dumbed-down kids novel with a single conflict and only six characters. We have names and motivations all over the map, and some of her writing decisions will surprise you. Vaughan tackles adult themes with impish language and playful set pieces, but in the end we are dealing with children manipulated by technology, parent surrogates, and the government itself to fulfill particular ends.
I'm particularly a sucker for two things in Vaughan's novel, here. First off the cover and presentation is slick (don't judge, EVERYONE judges a book by its cover) especially in regards to the fun Edward Gorey-esque illustrations prefacing each chapter. They are darkly charming. The other thing that ropes me into Vaughan's work is her style. Her prose is distinctively British without highfalutincy or pomp. There is a consistent sarcasm and understatement here that gives the reader a lot of freedom to be vivid.
So why not five stars? Some of the characters fall too close to stock territory, and any subtlety involving the bodyguards, one of the teachers, and the antagonist are mostly lost. Some elements of the antagonist's final plan are also not as clear as a reader would have typically liked either, leaving some bafflement.
With a detailed setting, mature themes, and a refreshing attention to character's clothing (again, don't judge. I like knowing what characters wear sometimes. It is telling) The Ability is elevated above typical, boardroom produced and crowd sourced Young Adult fiction.
Then 13 hit, and it all went downhill from there.
M.M. Vaughan's deceptively playful young adult novel entitled 'The Ability' has a spectacular answer for this riddle: all 12 year old children are latent geniuses. They have a window of brilliance and it is set to end on their 13th birthday so best make the most of it!
What makes this particular premise so interesting, and somewhat dark, is that these children aren't tapped to make the world better, solve macro-economic problems, and invent cleaner energy... oh no... they are conscripted and essentially bribed into being operatives and analysts for the British government.
Let that bit of callousness sink in for a second. The story follows Chris, a well meaning boy who will steal, fumble, and desperately grasp at childhood survival while protecting his mother and trying to elevate his behavior into a realm of moral certitude. Unlike most of the stories young adults are fed these days, Chris is flawed and not a 'chosen one' due to a great station of birth or foretold sign. Instead, Chris is poor, embarrassed, and awkward without those hindrances impeding his empathy.
The overall plot is fun, filled with characters (some of which are fairly stock) that chase each other around the narrative as the pieces come together sharply (there is also a HILARIOUS scene with clowns). To Vaughan's credit this is NOT a dumbed-down kids novel with a single conflict and only six characters. We have names and motivations all over the map, and some of her writing decisions will surprise you. Vaughan tackles adult themes with impish language and playful set pieces, but in the end we are dealing with children manipulated by technology, parent surrogates, and the government itself to fulfill particular ends.
I'm particularly a sucker for two things in Vaughan's novel, here. First off the cover and presentation is slick (don't judge, EVERYONE judges a book by its cover) especially in regards to the fun Edward Gorey-esque illustrations prefacing each chapter. They are darkly charming. The other thing that ropes me into Vaughan's work is her style. Her prose is distinctively British without highfalutincy or pomp. There is a consistent sarcasm and understatement here that gives the reader a lot of freedom to be vivid.
So why not five stars? Some of the characters fall too close to stock territory, and any subtlety involving the bodyguards, one of the teachers, and the antagonist are mostly lost. Some elements of the antagonist's final plan are also not as clear as a reader would have typically liked either, leaving some bafflement.
With a detailed setting, mature themes, and a refreshing attention to character's clothing (again, don't judge. I like knowing what characters wear sometimes. It is telling) The Ability is elevated above typical, boardroom produced and crowd sourced Young Adult fiction.
June 26, 2016
When you first read the synopsis for The Ability by M.M. Vaughan, the first thing you'll probably think of is a little book series called Harry Potter. After all, this is a middle grade book about a school for children who have special abilities (also read: "stinkin' awesome powers!"). While the premise does indeed resemble Harry Potter in some ways, I promise that it is very different.
I'd describe The Ability as being more like X-Men, or if Matilda went to a school for "gifted" children. I'm all for a book like that and, over all, it delivered. I can't say it was very memorable, and there were some cons, but it was a fun read and I enjoyed it.
THE PROS:
1. The plot is obviously what interested me, and I was very pleased with how it panned out. It's a simple story but it holds the pace. There was just the right amount of Harry Potter to make it nostalgic, but also something new.
2. The message is also something to be applauded. Revenge is a big theme here, but it is not glorified. Instead, this book shows how consuming it is and how, in the end, it will just lead to more destruction.
3. The description of the Ability is so cool! I won't go into detail about it so that you can read it for yourself, but I loved the different levels of the Ability and how deep in the mind it went. It was complex but also easy to understand. So good!
THE CONS:
1. The writing fell a little flat for me. There were times when it stood out, but it usually left me wanting more. That's not to say the writing was bad, and I'm sure kids won't notice either way, but I wish it had been more consistent.
2. I liked Chris and felt he was a good main character to root for, but some of the other characters were also a bit flat. I know the author is a big fan of Roald Dahl (who isn't?), and that definitely shows in her characterization of the angry adults. While that worked for Roald Dahl, it was a little unrealistic for a story like this. Most of the adults were very cruel to the kids in a way that made them seem unstable. I pictured many of the adults yelling and throwing their hands around, and it got to be a little repetitive. Like I said, it worked for Dahl's larger than life characters, but it was too much for this story. The other child characters were a little better, but I never really got to know them other than what was on the surface. Therefore, the characterization was the biggest con for me.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book. It was unique and fun, and had the writing & characters been given just a little more punch, it would have been perfect. I'm hoping that is improved in the second book, which I am very much looking forward to reading.
OVERALL: 3.5 stars
I'd describe The Ability as being more like X-Men, or if Matilda went to a school for "gifted" children. I'm all for a book like that and, over all, it delivered. I can't say it was very memorable, and there were some cons, but it was a fun read and I enjoyed it.
THE PROS:
1. The plot is obviously what interested me, and I was very pleased with how it panned out. It's a simple story but it holds the pace. There was just the right amount of Harry Potter to make it nostalgic, but also something new.
2. The message is also something to be applauded. Revenge is a big theme here, but it is not glorified. Instead, this book shows how consuming it is and how, in the end, it will just lead to more destruction.
3. The description of the Ability is so cool! I won't go into detail about it so that you can read it for yourself, but I loved the different levels of the Ability and how deep in the mind it went. It was complex but also easy to understand. So good!
THE CONS:
1. The writing fell a little flat for me. There were times when it stood out, but it usually left me wanting more. That's not to say the writing was bad, and I'm sure kids won't notice either way, but I wish it had been more consistent.
2. I liked Chris and felt he was a good main character to root for, but some of the other characters were also a bit flat. I know the author is a big fan of Roald Dahl (who isn't?), and that definitely shows in her characterization of the angry adults. While that worked for Roald Dahl, it was a little unrealistic for a story like this. Most of the adults were very cruel to the kids in a way that made them seem unstable. I pictured many of the adults yelling and throwing their hands around, and it got to be a little repetitive. Like I said, it worked for Dahl's larger than life characters, but it was too much for this story. The other child characters were a little better, but I never really got to know them other than what was on the surface. Therefore, the characterization was the biggest con for me.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book. It was unique and fun, and had the writing & characters been given just a little more punch, it would have been perfect. I'm hoping that is improved in the second book, which I am very much looking forward to reading.
OVERALL: 3.5 stars
April 2, 2013
I received a preview copy of The Ability at work and, while I'm not going to write a full review now, I did want to say how much I loved it. It's fast-paced, has a brilliant concept behind it and the character of Chris is very well rounded-out. I agree with the other reviewer on here that I don't know if it's a bit dark for the younger end of the recommended age group but what I will say is that I think, unusually for a middle-grade novel, it definitely has crossover appeal; I can see teenagers and adults enjoying it just as much (maybe even more!) as there is so much more to this than just a straight plot line. In particular, the idea of the mind cityscapes and the mind training was brilliantly used and I'm really interested to see how book two of the series is going to build on that further. Highly, highly recommended.
Read
November 26, 2023hab dieses buch soo geliebt
February 12, 2014
2.5 stars
The short version...
There's nothing really new in The Ability for anyone who has read a children's magic and/or spy boarding school book before, but, in my opinion, The Ability does rather well, even if it does have a lot of the same tropes. (As an aside, yes, indeed, there are plenty of boarding school books that *aren't* Harry Potter, many of which were even written BHP - Before Harry Potter, go figure!). In a lot of ways, including the characters, The Ability was very much a first, introductory novel (and also the author's first novel), but I do think that it has potential to grow its characters, plot and world-building. All in all, I think that this would be a well-written, entertaining book that kids would like.
The longer version...
The story was engaging and entertaining enough, and despite the fact that I'm not too keen on the "The Ability" as the name for the psychic power that 12-year-olds are able to access, I think that Vaughan's idea that a child's capacity to access the Ability is limited to one year, the 12th year. I'm interested to see what happens to the children after they no longer have their "magic" powers. I think that the story could've been paced better, since it felt like no "action" happened until the very end, and then the book was over. The characters were somewhat stock and not very well developed: the main character who's a nice guy; the annoying loud kid; the shy girly girl (blond of course); the short-tempered/feisty other girl (brown coloring, of course); the geek; and the charming but goofy Spanish kid.
There are times when it seems like Vaughan is trying to make the story more realistic and ethically gray, for instance making the villain a traumatized girl who is taking revenge for being abandoned, but I don't think that her writing has yet matured enough to do so very successfully. I didn't have very much sympathy for the "villain," because she was pretty vile, nor were we provided with more detail about her past to make her a three-dimensional character. Similarly, even though we as readers are supposed to feel suspense because people are being driven insane, a fate worse than death, it really doesn't seem like a big deal, since only the distasteful people were ever affected. Not to spoil anything, but due to the events in this book, it appears that another "good" person may be driven to do "bad" things, thereby becoming the new villain. I hope that the author delves more into the complexities of these things, and develops the characters more so that this novel, which is only ok/good, can lead to a series that good/great :)
The short version...
There's nothing really new in The Ability for anyone who has read a children's magic and/or spy boarding school book before, but, in my opinion, The Ability does rather well, even if it does have a lot of the same tropes. (As an aside, yes, indeed, there are plenty of boarding school books that *aren't* Harry Potter, many of which were even written BHP - Before Harry Potter, go figure!). In a lot of ways, including the characters, The Ability was very much a first, introductory novel (and also the author's first novel), but I do think that it has potential to grow its characters, plot and world-building. All in all, I think that this would be a well-written, entertaining book that kids would like.
The longer version...
The story was engaging and entertaining enough, and despite the fact that I'm not too keen on the "The Ability" as the name for the psychic power that 12-year-olds are able to access, I think that Vaughan's idea that a child's capacity to access the Ability is limited to one year, the 12th year. I'm interested to see what happens to the children after they no longer have their "magic" powers. I think that the story could've been paced better, since it felt like no "action" happened until the very end, and then the book was over. The characters were somewhat stock and not very well developed: the main character who's a nice guy; the annoying loud kid; the shy girly girl (blond of course); the short-tempered/feisty other girl (brown coloring, of course); the geek; and the charming but goofy Spanish kid.
There are times when it seems like Vaughan is trying to make the story more realistic and ethically gray, for instance making the villain a traumatized girl who is taking revenge for being abandoned, but I don't think that her writing has yet matured enough to do so very successfully. I didn't have very much sympathy for the "villain," because she was pretty vile, nor were we provided with more detail about her past to make her a three-dimensional character. Similarly, even though we as readers are supposed to feel suspense because people are being driven insane, a fate worse than death, it really doesn't seem like a big deal, since only the distasteful people were ever affected. Not to spoil anything, but due to the events in this book, it appears that another "good" person may be driven to do "bad" things, thereby becoming the new villain. I hope that the author delves more into the complexities of these things, and develops the characters more so that this novel, which is only ok/good, can lead to a series that good/great :)
November 22, 2015
Again, I cannot possibly understand the number of positive reviews that this book has earned. The story takes a bunch of common YA tropes, smashes them all together, but doesn't really do anything to improve on them.
But that in itself isn't a problem. The caliber of the writing was the biggest issue for me. The characters are some of the flattest that I have ever read about. We learn nothing of them aside from their most immediate motivations. They all have one personality trait, and by golly, do they stick to that trait throughout the entire novel! There's no growth, no change of heart, no personal hurdles to overcome.
**spoilers following**
Main character, Christopher, is little more than a vessel used to drive the plot along. You feel bad for him a bit, and then you don't, so that's all tidied up. The main villain (motivations: ???) explains herself in a brief infodump that doesn't actually clarify anything.
I would say that the female characters are handled particularly poorly (one girl loves pink, and the other is tough and has frizzy hair! That sure is some characterization!) but really each character suffers from this shallowness. Apologizing has the magical ability to heal all wounds, despite characters (the good guys) teasing each other over their weight or their accent.
The only thing that saves this from being a 1-star review (and it was certainly close) is the unexpected darkness of the ending, which I think was a bold move by the author. The story ends with our protagonist killing one of the villains, another 12 year old, because he never learned to control his ability (again, there's that lack of growth. Also, nobody beside him really seemed to care that he'd just killed an unknown child, but I suppose that would just be too realistic...)
After the final showdown, which took up a staggering few pages, Chris goes back to his neglectful mother, who he had assumed would have gotten up on her feet without him caring for her. However, he finds that no, she hasn't. She's still a shut in who can't take care of herself and still seems to resent her son.
Like I said, not the happy ending one might expect from a story where half of the character dialogue is the word "Yay!"
Also, and I can't tell if this is a wonderful or terrible part, but the book ends with a Skyward Scream: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php...
I understand that as a story written for tween boys, we're not looking for Shakespeare. I also understand the importance of reading much and often. But there are so, so, so many better versions of this same story out there that I would never recommend this to one of my patrons.
But that in itself isn't a problem. The caliber of the writing was the biggest issue for me. The characters are some of the flattest that I have ever read about. We learn nothing of them aside from their most immediate motivations. They all have one personality trait, and by golly, do they stick to that trait throughout the entire novel! There's no growth, no change of heart, no personal hurdles to overcome.
**spoilers following**
Main character, Christopher, is little more than a vessel used to drive the plot along. You feel bad for him a bit, and then you don't, so that's all tidied up. The main villain (motivations: ???) explains herself in a brief infodump that doesn't actually clarify anything.
I would say that the female characters are handled particularly poorly (one girl loves pink, and the other is tough and has frizzy hair! That sure is some characterization!) but really each character suffers from this shallowness. Apologizing has the magical ability to heal all wounds, despite characters (the good guys) teasing each other over their weight or their accent.
The only thing that saves this from being a 1-star review (and it was certainly close) is the unexpected darkness of the ending, which I think was a bold move by the author. The story ends with our protagonist killing one of the villains, another 12 year old, because he never learned to control his ability (again, there's that lack of growth. Also, nobody beside him really seemed to care that he'd just killed an unknown child, but I suppose that would just be too realistic...)
After the final showdown, which took up a staggering few pages, Chris goes back to his neglectful mother, who he had assumed would have gotten up on her feet without him caring for her. However, he finds that no, she hasn't. She's still a shut in who can't take care of herself and still seems to resent her son.
Like I said, not the happy ending one might expect from a story where half of the character dialogue is the word "Yay!"
Also, and I can't tell if this is a wonderful or terrible part, but the book ends with a Skyward Scream: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php...
I understand that as a story written for tween boys, we're not looking for Shakespeare. I also understand the importance of reading much and often. But there are so, so, so many better versions of this same story out there that I would never recommend this to one of my patrons.
August 13, 2013
Originally posted here at Random Musings of Bibliophile.
I am a lover of boarding school stories and stories with mystery and intrigue so was excited to discover The Ability by M.M. Vaughan. It has all the elements of a great spy story.
I like what Vaughan did with the idea of "the special kid needed for important work and gets trained for it" concept. It's been done so many times. What I like about it here is that all kids have the potential for the special abilities Chris and his friends are being trained for, yet some can access it better than others. I also enjoyed how the Ability has nothing to do with magic, it's all about brain power. The fact that they only have the Ability from age 12-13 and then lose it is an interesting twist.
Chris is a great main character. He is slightly more extra special than the other kids, but he also has weaknesses. I enjoyed his relationship with his fellow students and how their personalities came out in different ways. It was nice that they all had good and bad elements to their characters and she didn't turn anyone of them into the "bad" kid to create tension. There was plenty of tension in the story without setting the six chosen students against each other. (Any more than six middle school age kids with very different personalities naturally would.)
Kids who like adventure, mystery, and stories of spies will enjoy this one. I appreciated how there are real consequences for the things they do in this book. The Ability is dangerous, wielding it difficult, and when things go wrong there are real consequences. Too often in MG books of this sort there are no real consequences to be faced because the bad guys are some kind of fantastical evil and healing can be obtained by magical means. Neither of these things is true here. It adds some realism to the story, while it also makes it slightly more mature than some books of it's ilk. I really like how this year has seen a growing number of these sort of books, perfect for the 10-13 age group.
I am a lover of boarding school stories and stories with mystery and intrigue so was excited to discover The Ability by M.M. Vaughan. It has all the elements of a great spy story.
I like what Vaughan did with the idea of "the special kid needed for important work and gets trained for it" concept. It's been done so many times. What I like about it here is that all kids have the potential for the special abilities Chris and his friends are being trained for, yet some can access it better than others. I also enjoyed how the Ability has nothing to do with magic, it's all about brain power. The fact that they only have the Ability from age 12-13 and then lose it is an interesting twist.
Chris is a great main character. He is slightly more extra special than the other kids, but he also has weaknesses. I enjoyed his relationship with his fellow students and how their personalities came out in different ways. It was nice that they all had good and bad elements to their characters and she didn't turn anyone of them into the "bad" kid to create tension. There was plenty of tension in the story without setting the six chosen students against each other. (Any more than six middle school age kids with very different personalities naturally would.)
Kids who like adventure, mystery, and stories of spies will enjoy this one. I appreciated how there are real consequences for the things they do in this book. The Ability is dangerous, wielding it difficult, and when things go wrong there are real consequences. Too often in MG books of this sort there are no real consequences to be faced because the bad guys are some kind of fantastical evil and healing can be obtained by magical means. Neither of these things is true here. It adds some realism to the story, while it also makes it slightly more mature than some books of it's ilk. I really like how this year has seen a growing number of these sort of books, perfect for the 10-13 age group.
August 14, 2018
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The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
You know what I loved most about this book? All the passionately-positive reviews its received from an army of middle grade and junior high school fans. If they feel so strongly about The Ability, that's all that matters.
What I have to say doesn't.
It doesn't matter that the writing is unimaginative, the characters are one-dimensional, or that it condescends to it's target audience.
Because the kids love it.
And that makes it awesome.
Fun, exciting, clean. Appropriate for all ages. I'm not going to read book two unless one of my young readers requests it, but the reports are that it's even better than book one. So read on!
Happy Reading!
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
You know what I loved most about this book? All the passionately-positive reviews its received from an army of middle grade and junior high school fans. If they feel so strongly about The Ability, that's all that matters.
What I have to say doesn't.
It doesn't matter that the writing is unimaginative, the characters are one-dimensional, or that it condescends to it's target audience.
Because the kids love it.
And that makes it awesome.
Fun, exciting, clean. Appropriate for all ages. I'm not going to read book two unless one of my young readers requests it, but the reports are that it's even better than book one. So read on!
Happy Reading!
June 12, 2013
My son and I were lucky enough to meet Ms. Vaughan at our local bookstore, Book People. There was a good mixture of suspense, drama, and comedy. We liked how the main character Chris was written. He has had a hard life but has a very good heart. We look forward to reading the next book in the series.
February 3, 2014
OH, wow. I loved this book so much! It was absolutely fantastic and irresistible! I've missed middle-grade fiction!
February 25, 2014
Ok. I'm sorry. All those people who say this book wasn't good. You have no taste in books what so ever
July 15, 2013
AMAZING book! Review coming soon...
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