Masterminds: A Suspenseful Mystery Adventure About Secrets in a Perfect Town

Thought I'd share my daughter's review of Masterminds, with the addition that I am in awe of Gordon Korman's original plots, situations, and characters. Since reading Schooled and Ungifted a few years back as a family, I've been a fan. And, on family road trips, we've thoroughly enjoyed The Kidnapped series and now Masterminds. We're listening to Part II, Criminal Destiny right now (well, not right now). Here's my daughter's review: Masterminds is not the average middle grade/young adult novel you’ll read. It’s not about talking dogs or first grade trouble-makers. No, Masterminds is about far more serious matters. Here’s a quick summary: Five middle schoolers live in a so-called perfect town, Serenity, New Mexico; there is no violence, no poverty, and absolutely no awareness of the outside world. Tori, Malek, Hector, Amber, and Eli (the five main characters) go on a long, blood-curdling journey, to find out that eleven kids in Serenity, including them, are clones. Their whole life has been a science experiment to see how clones of criminal masterminds would act in a “loving” society like Serenity. Whoa! The book’s premise is so fascinating, but the author’s gripping writing and strong characters make it that much better. I recommend listening to the audiobook, because it’s cool hearing the different voices of the characters, but a paper copy is fine too. Masterminds will send a shiver down your spine. By the end of the book, you will be trapped inside the story, put in the main characters situation… and begging for more. And you’re in luck, because a sequel just came out in February; it’s called Masterminds: Criminal Destiny.

My kids had been into reading Gordon Korman books right around the time he came to our library, he said Masterminds is kinda of his messy plot books but the kids are still crazy about them, must not be too complicated!

I bought this for my hesitant reader. He honestly does not enjoy reading one bit. He really enjoyed the plot of this book though. He read thru it pretty quickly, not because it was easy but because he was interested.

This was a really fun, fast paced, well written story for younger readers. It kept me engaged from start to finish, as I couldn't wait to find out what the big secret of this sleepy little town was. And when it's revealed - boy, it really delivers! I also liked the unique presentation style, where each chapter was written from a different character's perspective. I typically don't care for that (nor for using the present tense over past tense), but it works really well in this book. The only criticism I have is that the book didn't seem to have any kind of climax or resolution. It just ends, as if mid-chapter. It's like it's only half of a larger book, and the author mysteriously decided to cut it in half so he could have two books instead of one. I have no problem with cliff hangers, but there should at least be a climax to the story. Nonetheless, this is still a great book that I think might get younger readers hooked (and certain adults, too!).

Another well done for Gordon Korman!

The best thing about this book is that it always keeps you guessing. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

Read this with my 5th grader for Battle of the Books. There are some grown up ideas that I had to explain, but that is fine. The story line was exciting, and the characters are likable. The cliffhanger comes at just the right place. We look forward to reading the next book.

Granddaughter loves this author

Nice book series fir my 10-yr-old son. He read all three, but said the first one was the best. Interesting story amd different chapters are told from different characters' points of view (POV).

Love Gordon Kormon! The Mastermind series was a hit with my students at school ( grades 5&6). They loved the suspense and action of this series. This is the first book of three, would highly recommend.

I read this to my class and they loved it! They loved it! I used it to bribe them to complete their work and class jobs and they were willing to do lots to get extra read aloud time.

This Mastermind series is great for my 11 & 13 yr old grandkids. They can't wait to read with me every week! Well written and very creative.

The town is too perfect...the adults are conspiring to keep something secret...there is a faceless corps of security guards...cloning is involved...sound familiar? Somehow Korman puts a fresh spin on familiar tropes. Kept me turning pages to the end of the book. Wait--there's a sequel, too.