Mergers

Book excerpt: ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM SELECTION "Gives readers a lot to think about concerning race, fate, trust--and friendship." --Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of Turnabout and Double Identity "A story that resonates from beginning to end." --The Alan Review "This book raises fundamental questions about the anatomy of racial hatred. The premises that society stagnates without diversity and that one person can sway the future bear examination and discussion. Give this one to your teens who might appreciate the Hardy Boys with a more serious twist." --VOYA Building upon the success of This Side of Paradise, which won the 2001 Hal Clement Award for Best New Science Fiction Novel for Young Adults, Steven Layne has written another gripping tale featuring teens battling evil forces. In Mergers, the sinister antagonist is the mastermind behind an engineered society that has wiped away all traces of race. He is intent on destroying Dirk and his friends, who have spent their entire lives in hiding because of their racial identities. Each has extraordinary powers--Nicci, the African Traveler, manipulates time; Mateo, the Hispanic Metamorph, alters his shape; Keiko, the Asian Empath, heals with her hands; and Dirk, the Caucasian Telepath, invades others' minds. In this cautionary tale, the themes of loyalty, leadership, and identity are all called into question as Dirk and his friends struggle to conquer The Merger. When they take a dangerous journey into the past with the hope of restoring the world's natural timeline, each of them must struggle with their own inadequacies and deal with all-too-human failings, despite their special powers. Mergers' riveting plot and supernatural characters will keep teens engaged while reminding them of each individual's potential to change the world.