Six. M.M. Vaughan

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When Parker Banks moves with his family from London to New York, he struggles to adapt to his new school and environment. His scientist dad is constantly at work on a top-secret technological venture for a major corporation, when one day he is kidnapped. It is up to Parker, along with his deaf sister Emma, their friend Michael and the pet pig their father left behind, to find and rescue him. They have at their disposal the E.F.E. device that their dad has invented to allow the family members to communicate with one another through telepathy.

As their search progresses, it becomes clear that Six, the project that Parker's father has been involved in against his will, is a sinister enterprise that poses a threat not only to the Banks family, but to the world at large.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Six CHAPTER ONE 71:38 Parker had been a student at River Creek Middle School in Upstate New York for only five days, but he already knew that he hated it. It wasn't just that he missed his school and friends back in England, or the farmhouse he had grown up in, or even that he had been forced to move less than an hour away from where his mother had died. Mostly, he thought, as he sat at his desk listening to the whispers around him, it was that he had never felt so alone. Parker watched as Jenna skipped to the front of the class. She twirled around, sending her two brown plaits flying out on either side of her head, then looked at her friend in the front row and giggled. "Whenever you're ready," said Mrs. Ford. Mrs. Ford clasped her hands and leaned over her desk, beaming as if this was the presentation she had been waiting for. It would have been more believable if she hadn't done exactly the same before every one of the twenty-two presentations that Parker and his classmates had already sat through. He wondered if Mrs. Ford would perform the same gesture for the twenty-third presentation: his. He was hoping not to find out, at least not today. Jenna gave a small cough, giggled again, then began to read from the single handwritten piece of paper in her hand. "The person I admire most is Missy May. . . ." At the mention of another celebrity's name, Parker's heart sank. He looked up at the clock. Eight minutes left. "I think she's an amazing singer and role model for girls my age. Her songs are amazing and she never stops smiling, even though she has to smile for photographers all day. . . ." Parker's eyes followed the red second hand as it moved, painfully slowly, around the face of the clock. "My favorite song is 'Happy La La Land.' The lyrics are amazing. . . ." If Jenna could just keep repeating the word amazing for five more minutes, thought Parker, he would be able to go home and rewrite his presentation before their next class. The funny thing was, of all the assignments he had been given so far, this one had been the one he had been least bothered about. Back at his old school in England, he had been assigned the exact same piece of work. Parker had written down as much of his previous talk as he could remember, added a few extra details to bring it up-to-date, put it in his bag, and thought nothing more of it. But now almost the entire class had delivered their presentations, and so far every single one had been about a celebrity. He knew it was a petty thing to worry about, and it wouldn't have bothered him back in his old school, but it was just that after having been completely ignored the entire week, he didn't want the first time he drew attention to himself to be for the wrong reason. "And that is why I admire the amazing Missy May. Thank you for listening." Parker's head snapped up. She was finished? That can't have been more than two minutes, he thought. He looked up at the clock and saw that he was right. "Great job, Jenna. Maybe a little short on time and facts but excellent delivery," said Mrs. Ford. Jenna grinned and skipped back to her seat and to a smattering of weary clapping. "We have time for one more." Oh no, thought Parker. He bowed his head low and slid down as far into his chair as he could without falling to the floor. There was a brief pause, and then he heard Mrs. Ford asking somebody what was the name of the new boy at the back. There was no answer. From the corner of his eye he saw Mrs. Ford making her way toward him. He waited until she stopped at his desk and only then, reluctantly, did Parker look up. "Parker? It's your turn," said Mrs. Ford. Parker hesitated. He wondered whether if he explained that he really didn't want to do it, she would let him off. Before he had a chance to ask, however, Mrs. Ford leaned down. "Did you do the assignment?" Parker nodded. "But, I, um--I don't think I properly understood what we were meant to do. Would it be okay if I did it next week?" Mrs. Ford didn't seem to have heard him, and then he realized why: she was too busy reading the paper on his desk. He quickly put his hand out to cover it, but it was too late. "I don't see what the problem is; it looks wonderful!" Parker could feel the eyes of the whole class on him. He lowered his voice. "It's not about a famous person." Mrs. Ford gave a small laugh. "Oh, honey, that's absolutely fine. Now come on, up you get." Parker grimaced. He slid the paper off his desk and walked slowly to face the class. For the first time during class, the room was completely silent. Everybody, Parker realized with a sinking feeling, was watching him attentively--curious to find out about the new student, he supposed. Mrs. Ford was already back at her chair, hands clasped and smiling once again. She gave him a nod, and Parker, shoulders hunched and looking down, began to talk. "The person I admire most is my father--" "A little louder, Parker. We can't hear a word you're saying," interrupted Mrs. Ford. Parker took a deep breath and started again, still looking down, but this time in a louder voice. "The person I admire most is my father, Dr. Geoffrey Banks. . . ." As soon as he said it, a wave of muffled laughter traveled across the class. "The reason I chose my father . . ." There was some more stifled giggling. Parker clenched his jaw and looked over at Mrs. Ford. "You're doing fine," she said, glaring at somebody sitting in the last row. "The reason is that not only has he brought up my sister and me on his own for the last three years, but also that he has done this while working on some of the most important research that's going on right now in the science world. My father . . ." There was another wave of muffled laughter, and Parker felt his whole body tense. He turned to Mrs. Ford, who motioned for him to keep going. He took a deep breath but didn't look up. It's just a few minutes, he told himself, then you can forget this whole thing. "My father is a molecular biophysicist," continued Parker. "While still a student at Cambridge University, my father and mother, who was also a scientist, were on a team that worked on sequencing DNA. DNA is the molecule that instructs each cell in an organism to tell it what to do and can . . ." As Parker began to explain what DNA was, he saw a girl at the side rolling her eyes in boredom, and another one smirking. He turned and saw a boy--Aaron, if he remembered correctly--leaning over and whispering something to the boy sitting next to him. They were both grinning. In that moment, Parker decided he didn't even care about the grade he got for this. He just wanted it to be over. He looked back at his sheet and ran his finger down the page until he got to the final paragraph. "My father's work has influenced everything from DNA testing to cloning. I admire him very much--as a person and for his work--and, because of his influence, I also hope to be a scientist one day. Thank you." Parker was already halfway back to his desk before most people realized that he had finished. There was no applause. Red-faced, Parker sat down. He folded his arms and didn't look up, even when Mrs. Ford thanked him for his brief but interesting presentation. He felt like such an idiot. If only he'd chosen an astronaut or someone who everyone knew, he thought. And yet, feeling his embarrassment begin to turn to anger . . . It hadn't actually been that bad. Sure, he'd chosen his dad, but his dad had an interesting job. In his opinion, choosing Missy May was far worse. It was only when the bell went and everybody jumped out of their seats and started to rush past him to the door that he realized they hadn't been laughing at his choice of subject. "Farth-uhhh," he heard somebody say in a mock English accent. Everybody around him started laughing. A couple of other people--Parker didn't look up to see who--repeated it. "Farth-uhhh!" Parker felt his face burning as he realized they weren't laughing at what he'd said but at how he'd said it. Right now, even though he'd chosen him for his presentation, Parker hated his dad for making them move here. Excerpted from Six by M. M. Vaughan All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

After 12-year-old Parker Banks's scientist father is kidnapped, it's up to Parker, his deaf younger sister Emma, and their friend Michael to track him down. As the three children peel back the layers of the mystery, they find a massive conspiracy. Who is the person posting online as Anteater, and how does he or she know so much? Why is the enigmatic Solomon Gladstone in a mental institution under a false name? And what is project SIX? Luckily, Parker and Emma have a secret of their own: the ability to communicate telepathically through their father's technology. Vaughan (The Ability) puts an intriguing spin on the classic SF conceits of teleportation and telepathy, providing a plausible way for these young heroes to face off against an all-powerful corporation. The open-ended conclusion leaves room for further exploration of a concept that is full of potential, and Vaughan's considered portrayal of 10-year-old Emma, who doesn't let her deafness slow her down in the least, is particularly well done. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-British siblings Parker and Emma Banks have a lot on their plates: Emma is deaf, Parker is being bullied at their new American school, and their mother is dead. Their father, renowned scientist Dr. Geoffrey Banks, is often unavailable due to the hours he's putting in at his new job at Avecto. The three stay in contact with a telepathy device developed by Dr. Banks to help Emma communicate, but it doesn't help them talk about the things that really matter. Then Dr. Banks disappears, and Parker and Emma are the only ones who can rescue him-if they can figure out what he did at Avecto. Through many twists and turns, they discover that their father was developing teleportation technology to transport people to a new utopian planet called SIX, and that he has been unwillingly teleported there. Most issues are resolved, but some remaining loose threads make another installation possible. At close to 400 pages, there's a lot crammed into this book. The periodic action scenes keep the pages turning, but other plot elements seem unnecessary. Parker's bullying and the introduction of an albino pig only serve to bog down the story. Certain plot points smack of deus ex machina. For example, Parker has a wealthy sidekick whose money handily circumvents a variety of obstacles. VERDICT An additional purchase for ravenous readers of adventurous sci-fi.-Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

It's bad enough that Parker Banks, 12, and his sister Emma, 10, have had to move to the U.S. from England, but they are also living in the area where their mother died in an accident three years previously. Their father is a scientist working for a huge corporation on a very secret project, and he is under a lot of pressure to complete a complicated task in an unreasonably short time. When Dr. Banks doesn't come home from work one night, Parker and Emma are on their own. Enlisting new friend Michael and Brendan, Michael's chauffeur, they set out on a dangerous mission: to find and rescue their dad. There are a dizzying number of twists and turns to their quest, sometimes stretching credulity; the children are fortunate to have a renegade chauffeur on their side Plot and characters are broadly drawn, with a bit of family telepathy thrown in the mix; both heroes and villains are portrayed a little over the top. Still, readers will be drawn into the story with its swift, adventurous plot and (mostly) appealing characters.--Scanlon, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

When Parker and Emma's father disappears, they join forces with Michael, a wealthy kid-genius, to outwit an international conspiracy. Their success, however, leaves them trapped in a utopian colony designed to enable the well-positioned to escape environmental disaster. Although the adults in the novel are mostly just helpful props, the adventure's fast pace will keep readers entertained until the sequel-begging conclusion. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Three kids, a pet pig and a helpful chauffeur must unravel a mystery of cosmic proportions. Twelve-year-old Parker is struggling with his family's move from England to upstate New York. Parker has a new nemesis. His inventor father has mounting job stress. Only his 10-year-old sister, Emma, seems to be acclimating. With a specialized program for the deaf at their school, friends and a new pet pig, she is thrilled. Keeping secrets in the Banks family is difficult, thanks to his father's invention, which allows each of them to hear one another's thoughtsbut Parker's father is hiding something from his family that could change everything if it comes to light. When Parker and Emma's father disappears, the two siblings enlist Michael, a fellow victim of bullying and an uber-wealthy computer genius, to help them find him. Unfortunately the only people willing to lend a hand are a conspiracy theorist and a patient at a psychiatric hospital. Creative details, likable charactersBrendan, Michael's chauffeur, stands out especiallyand an X-Files-worthy mystery keep the pages turning, but it is the supportive and loving Banks family that makes this story shine. A surprise ending will encourage readers to think beyond the text and grapple with some real-world dilemmas. Inventive, entertaining and thought-provoking. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.