Written by Rich Rogers
The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman
Scholastic Press, 2013, paperback
249 pages
Jax (Jackson) Opus is a pretty normal kid for his age. He is in high school. He likes to plays basketball for his neighborhood team.
Oh, and he can make people do things.
When Jax gets stressed and his eyes start changing colors, just a casual comment from him, and people are doing what he says. Everyone except his best friend, who’s color blind.
When a psychologist tries throwing himself out a window, Jax realizes he’s the one creating all the craziness. And it freaks him out. Soon, however, he meets a man, Dr. Elias Mako, who wants to teach him all about his powers, not only how to use them but also the responsibilities that go with them.
Dr. Mako invites Jax to join the Sentia Institute where he’ll learn everything he needs: the history of hypnotism, how much hypnotists have influenced society and history, how to control and use his abilities. In addition to his regular studies, his time at Sentia keeps Jax hopping.
The institute has several other students all at various levels of experience and ability and offering the requisite mix of character types. There is the bully, the clown(s), the bookworm, nerd, and a drop dead gorgeous assistant director.
As Jax trains, he keeps finding things he doesn’t expect and can’t figure it out, but he persists in chalking them up to inexperience.
An encounter with another hypnotist in a deli leaves Jax even more disturbed, because the other hypnotist is not associated with the institute and has it in for Dr. Mako.
And he knows things about Jax’s family that he didn’t even know.
Before too long, Jax’s friends and family are in danger, and the results of a presidential primary election are resting on his young shoulders.
The author of “The Hypnotists,” Gordon Korman, has always been a writer I’ve enjoyed. His books are always funny, but this is the first time I’ve actually read something a little different from him. He has written books that could be considered action and sci-fi or borderline fantasy before, but this is the first time I’ve read anything like this from him.
It’s every bit as good as all his other pieces. The humor is there but in a different form. And just as well done. He gets the fantastic elements right, and the tension is good. Because kids don’t usually stand for a lot of red herrings and too many unrealistic twists, Korman tells an exciting story that keeps you on the edge of your seat with an ending that has just the right amount of twist to keep readers happy.
There are a couple blunders along the way in “The Hypnotists,” including the set up for the books to follow. It’s just a little too cliché, but then again, that could be part of Korman’s humor. And yes, books have followed. The second book in the series, “The Memory Maze,” has just been released in paperback, and the third title, “The Dragonfly Effect,” will be out at the end of July. Definitely a great read for the kids, and parents won’t be hurt by reading it either.
Rich welcomes questions and comments from readers. You can reach him at [email protected].
