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Book Review By cloud city
Hidden Talents by David Lubar

Martin Anderson has been expelled from every school system in the area, so he is being sent to his last hope: Edgeview Alternative School. There he meets Torchie, his roommate, Bloodbath, the school bully, and Lip, the bully's sidekick.   He also meets cheater and trash, two other people at the school who he becomes friends with.   Everyone has a reason that they are at Edgeview, but some peoples reasons are more unusual than others.   Cheater is there because on all the test he takes, he gets the same answers as the person sitting next to him, but he swears that he does not cheat.   Torchie is there because he sets fire to all kinds of things all the time, but no one can find his matches or lighter.   Trash is there because he destroys everything around him and throws things for no reason.   Flinch has a special talent for dodge ball and is very lucky, but is always jumpy.   Martin is there because he cannot keep his mouth closed and is always saying just the wrong thing.
On his first day of school, Martin gets beat up by Bloodbath and Lip. Then he gets on all of his teachers nerves.   His first class was math and the teacher asked him about himself. He said “Hi, my name's Martin Anderson and I'm not bald.” Mr. Parson, his teacher turned bright red and his face started twitching, but he went on and finished his lesson, breaking three pieces of chalk in the process.   His next class was English with Ms. Nomad.   He made it through the beginning ok, but when she was talking about how anybody can write, he raised his hand and said that just because anyone could write, that didn't mean that they didn't stink.   She happened to think of herself as a poet but she could not write at all.   She gulped but did nothing.   
The rest of his day went about like this.   Eventually, after enough days like this, he ended up in the principles office, where he said things that even made the principle upset.   He got very strong punishment. After a while of him and his friends getting in to trouble, he realized that each of them had something strange about their problem.   They all claimed to do it without trying to.   He did some research and came to some very interesting conclusions, but will they be enough to get the group out of the alternative school?


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - great mental powers person
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10 %

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - a teen
If magical mental powers: - can read emotions

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a teen
Profession/status:
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
Earth setting: - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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