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THE OUTCASTS by L.S. Matthews

THE OUTCASTS

by L.S. Matthews

Pub Date: Nov. 13th, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-385-73367-0
Publisher: Delacorte

A class trip brings a collection of misfits into a dangerous magical world. Iz and Helen are prone to outbursts, Mia has an autism-like inability to cope with people, Joe is a follower and all four of them do poorly in school. Along with Chris, a popular and brilliant jock, the four are thrown into a shifted dimension. There, guided by the troubled young Johan, they must pass a series of tests in order to return home and set the world aright. If they fail, they will die. The adventures give each of the teams a chance to shine. Joe makes instinctive leaps of logic when they need decisions made in a hurry. Mia, unable to understand people, communicates perfectly with a dangerous panther. Their epiphanies on the adventure’s conclusion don’t follow coherently from the adventures and lessons the five had, but are nonetheless satisfying. This uneven but enjoyable magical tale brings its outcast characters together: a magical version of The Breakfast Club in the English countryside. (Fantasy. 12-14)