Don't Even Think About It

Starred review from January 6, 2014
Mlynowski (Ten Things We Did ) continues to make comedy look easy in this smart and frequently hilarious novel, which features a collective first-person narrative that fits the premise like a glove. When a group of Manhattan 10th graders inadvertently receives telepathic abilities from tainted flu shots, things rapidly get chaotic (and noisy). Finding out too much information dramatically upends family relationships, friendships, and romances. Discovering the intimate details of their parents’ sex lives nearly undoes two teens, but others, like ultra-ambitious Pi, embrace their new superpower. Then there’s Mackenzie, who can no longer hide that she cheated on her boyfriend, and Olivia, whose quiet façade starts to crumble, whether she likes it or not (“Olivia sank even further. They can hear me worrying about my dumbness! And now they can hear me worrying about worrying about my dumbness. It’s a friggin’ house of mirrors”). Filled with heartbreak, hilarity, and some brutal truths, Mlynowski’s novel will leave readers thinking about the gaps between our private and public selves and the lies we tell others and ourselves. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary Agency.

February 1, 2014
Welcome to the worst fear of the anti-vaccination movement: A group of teens develop telepathy from flu shots. Homeroom 10B at New York's Bloomberg High School is a pretty typical collection of sophomores. Olivia is extremely shy, outgoing Cooper and pretty Mackenzie are the golden couple, Tess has a crush on her friend Teddy, and Pi would do anything to be top of the class. But a contaminated flu shot lets the 22 students hear everyone's thoughts, leading to a wealth of welcome and unwelcome discoveries. Mackenzie has cheated on Cooper, Tess learns that Teddy likes someone else, and Pi can steal answers from her competition during tests. This newfound ability and the need to keep it secret knit together the members of 10B in unexpected ways. But when the truth comes out, and the Centers for Disease Control announces they have an antidote that will remove the telepathy, what will the self-nicknamed Espies do? The multiple characters are remarkably distinctive, and the plot moves along briskly, combining family drama, complicated romance and friendship turmoil into a compelling view of teen dynamics. When the group comments like a Greek chorus on one character's thoughts or actions, it's somewhat jarring, but that's a minor quibble. Overall, a solid, comical sci-fi romp. (Science fiction. 12-16)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Imagine if you had the ability to read other people's minds. What if you could finally know whether your best friend wants to be more than friends, too? What if you could ace every test simply by sitting next to the smartest kid in class? Would you want to know all of your parents' secrets and your teachers' as well? For a group of Bloomberg High School sophomores in Tribeca, every one of these things is possible. After being exposed to a contaminated batch of flu shots, the students of homeroom 10B realize that they can hear the thoughts of everyone else around them. In some ways, their newfound telepathy is a gift. They no longer have to constantly question what people think about them. Studying is a burden of the past. But the downside to hearing everything is that they hear things they never wanted to know. Told in the words of an omniscient narrator who is known only as one of the "espies" (kids with ESP), the story follows several weeks in the life of the 10B sophomores. Readers may struggle to keep up with a large cast of characters, but each sophomore has a helpful distinguishing characteristic. The beginning feels like an info dump. However, the pacing sorts itself out quickly. Mlynowski writes teen protagonists with heart and depth-authentically illustrating the trials and tribulations of the high school experience, rather than making a mockery out of adolescent egocentrism. This is a fun read, recommended for fans of contemporary fiction.-Liz Overberg, Darlington School, Rome, GA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Grades 7-10 From the author of Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) (2011) comes a what-if novel about ordinary tenth-graders who gain extraordinary telepathic powers when their homeroom receives a contaminated batch of the flu vaccine. Instead of leaving students with a sore arm or a headache, the tainted vaccine gives the kids at Manhattan's Bloomberg High School the ability to read their fellow Espies minds. Obviously, this is a blessing and a curse: it's helpful for anxious Olivia when it comes to executing a perfect first date, but less so for Mackenzie, who has cheated on her longtime boyfriend. The omniscient narrator here is we as in the affected onesand we often interjects with sassy commentary like Were we surprised by that? Not even a little. This novel establishes the scenario well, but readers will hope for a sequel with amped-up Espie secrets and scandals. Hand to fans of Cecily von Ziegesar's all-seeing Gossip Girl and Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian's Burn for Burn revenge books. Now, flu shot, anyone? HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Mlynowski's books have been translated into 22 languages and optioned to Hollywood. Her fan base? It's huge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

October 27, 2014
When a group of 20 Manhattan 10th graders inadvertently receives telepathic abilities from tainted flu shots, things rapidly get chaotic (and noisy). Finding out too much information dramatically upends family relationships, friendships, and romances. No secrets are safe, and all this information overload results in the pinnacle of teen drama. The novel is written in a collective first-person perspective in which the “we” refers to the telepathic teens as a group, while the plot zeros in on a few central characters. Reader Spencer nails the comedic components of Mlynowski’s tale and aptly handles the multiple perspectives providing a hollow accentuation when voicing inner thoughts. However, the complex structure of the story, with its unique perspective, makes it hard to follow in Spencer’s rendition. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover.

July 1, 2014
After they receive contaminated flu vaccines, an entire homeroom of Manhattan high school students develops telepathy. The "Espies" (named for their ESP) can hear each other's darkest, most embarrassing thoughts--and those of their parents, teachers, crushes, and friends. Mlynowski explores the consequences of her premise with humor and sympathy, creating characters who are indeed "just regular sophomores" despite their paranormal talents.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)