An eventual showdown between worlds – and brothers – is in the offing. But what readers know that she doesn’t is that the Death Farm is just a front: the Unwanteds end up in a fantastical place where they are encouraged to hone their talents, and where they learn magic. The system has been working just fine for 50 years, according to Quill’s high priest, Justine. (A third group, the Necessaries, is sentenced to perform the menial tasks of Quill.) Alex is an Unwanted, among the lot deemed “creative,” and sent to face elimination at the Death Farm. Aaron is a Wanted, one of the 13-year-olds exhibiting signs of intelligence and strength, and is off to university. The books follow the adventures of identical twins Aaron and Alex Stowe, who have been sentenced to different destinies per Quill’s annual Purge ceremony. The Unwanteds (S&S/Aladdin, 2011) and two sequels to date, Island of Silence (2012) and the just-released Island of Fire (Sept.), boast a total of 250,000 copies in print. And in the land of Quill, the setting for Lisa McMann’s middle-grade dystopian fantasy series The Unwanteds, turning 13 seals one’s fate to live or die. In fiction, as in life, a young person’s 13th birthday is often an important milestone.
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