“Grace Somerfield was the first to die.”

From Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds.

For reasons that no one can understand, a new disease has ripped across America leaving children from around the ages of 10 to 18 either dead or (much rarer) changed forever.  Camps are set up “fix” the kids and keep everyone else safe from them; 10-year-old Ruby is one of the children who is changed, so she is taken from her family and sent to a camp.  These camps are filled with thousands of children who after surviving the disease have received certain powers and been classified by their abilities: Green that have picture-perfect memory, Blue that can use telekinesis, Yellow that can conduct electricity, Orange that can control the minds of others, and Red that can create fire.  When she arrives at camp, Ruby is classified as a Green and spends the next six years in a nightmare as she hides a secret.  When a test places Ruby’s life in danger, a doctor helps break her out of camp and reveals that she’s a member of the Children’s League (a militant, rebel group).  Ruby is unsure of joining the movement, but when she learns a rebel’s secret, she flees.  Shortly after, she meets two boys (Liam and Chubs) and a little girl (Zu); the small group takes her in as they search for a camp and a leader that let’s kids use their abilities safely.  However, the closer they get to safety, the more Ruby fears that her secret will destroy them all.

This first book in the series does a good job of creating both characters and situations that are unique, believable, and captivating.  Even though it is a fairly large book, it is a quick read that places the characters in a variety of settings.  The third portion of the book may annoy some readers, but as a whole, The Darkest Minds is a thrilling story that’s definitely worth the read.