"Quill prevails when the strong survive" is the motto of the isolated island of Quill.
In Lisa McMann's "The Unwanteds," children are taught anything artistic or creative is unacceptable, and only those who conform to the rules of Quill are allowed to survive and succeed. When children reach the age of 13, they participate in "The Purge" and are sorted into three groups: Wanteds, who will go on to study at Quill's university; Necessaries, who will do the menial labor; and Unwanteds, who are immediately sent to the Great Lake of Boiling Oil to be killed.
Alex has always known he would be an Unwanted, but he is still shocked and terrified when he hears his name called during The Purge. Meanwhile, his twin brother, Aaron, has surpassed their Necessary parents and become a Wanted. Alex steels himself for his fate and, with the rest of the Unwanteds, leaves Quill forever and faces imminent death.
Except Alex doesn't die. When they reach the Great Lake of Boiling Oil, the horrifying landscape melts away to reveal a luscious paradise where emotions and artistic abilities are honored and magic is part of the way of life.
Alex and his new friends discover Unwanteds have not been killed as everyone in Quill believes, but have taken refuge in Artim© under the protection of Mr. Marcus Today. Mr. Today is a powerful mage who has been defying High Priest Justine, the leader of Quill, for years. As Alex grows in his skills as an artist in Artim©, becoming a powerful mage in his own right, he cannot shake the feeling of longing he has for his beloved brother, and he vows to find a way to save him and bring him to Artim©. But to do so puts all the Unwanteds and Artim© itself at terrible risk. If Aaron refuses to come with his twin, Quill and its mighty Quillitary will come to destroy the safe haven Mr. Today has built.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the ones that follow it in the series. I had a few issues with the world making sense and with the decision-making of a few of the characters. However, the series is so compelling that I found myself wrapped up in the story, forgetting about the parts that were harder to believe. "The Unwanteds" is a magical ride that will leave readers wanting to immediately start the next book and the next.
"The Unwanteds" is the 2014 Mark Twain Award Winner, and author Lisa McMann will speak at Missouri River Regional Library at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Angie Bayne is the children's librarian at Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City.