Annotation:
After
his mom gets a new job, Danny Lopez leaves his Las Vegas home and begins school
at Cobalt Junior High Charter School in Colorado. Danny soon discovers that something
is odd about Cobalt: the school practices a scripted teaching method, and
everyone must wear a uniform, including white gloves. Even stranger than the
school, however, is the mysterious disappearances of house cats, who later turn
up ritualistically mutilated. Is there a serial killer in Cobalt?
Personal
thoughts: I have to say that, although I enjoyed this novel, I am not
surprised to read that it received quite a few negative reviews. It definitely
is not for everyone, but I think that many teen readers, especially boys, will “get
it” like I did. The subject matter is, admittedly, unusual: serial cat killer
stalks small town. I am personally a moderate cat lover, but I could see how
someone who treasures all things feline might throw the book down after the
first chapter in revulsion. I have to admit that if the animal was changed from
cats to dogs I probably would do the same thing. Once the initial “creep-out”
factor is overcome, however, there is a lot to be enjoyed in the story. I’m
looking forward to seeing what Adrian McKinty comes up with next for the young
adult audience.
Plot
summary: Fifteen-year-old Danny Lopez has never been a model student at his
Las Vegas school. Caring more about skateboarding than studying, his mom,
Juanita, and his stepdad, Walt, hope that the move to Colorado will be good for
him academically. Juanita has been offered the job of managing a new casino on
the Ute Indian Reservation, so Danny finds himself in the small town of Cobalt,
near Colorado Springs. Shortly after moving into their new house, Danny meets
Antonia “Tony” Meadows, a pretty but quirky girl his age who lives across the
street and warns him that the school he is going to attend, Cobalt Junior High
Charter School, is different than what he’s used to. On his first day, Danny
learns just how different CJHCS is. The principal, Mr. Lebkuchen, has
instituted the Direct Instruction method, which requires that teachers and
students follow a script throughout the school day, and forbids any
communication between students of any kind on school grounds. Everyone at CJHCS
must also wear stifling uniforms complete with white gloves. Tony introduces
Danny to her friends, and he soon learns that the students at CJHCS have other
methods of communication besides talking. Just as Danny thinks things couldn’t
get any stranger, however, he learns that several housecats in Cobalt have gone
missing, only to turn up days later ritualistically mutilated. Danny also
starts receiving unsettling and cryptic letters from someone named “Indrid
Cold,” and they seem to be tied to the cat killings. Convinced that there is a
serial killer in Cobalt, Danny and his friends decide to find out who the
killer is, before they begin murdering people instead of cats.
Review: Quirky and
unique, this tale from veteran crime novelist, Adrian McKinty, is certainly not
for everyone, but will definitely prove interesting to many. Set in the
fictional town of Cobalt, Colorado, the author’s crime novel background shines
through in establishing the setting, the cast of characters, and the mystery surrounding
the cat killer that is terrorizing Danny Lopez and his new friends. Squeamish
readers beware, the story contains quite a bit of graphic detail concerning the
cat killings, and cat lovers might immediately put the book down as the first
chapter describes a (fortunately) nearly successful cat murder. The author
takes the reader straight into the mind of the murderer (though the identity is
left unknown until the end), creating an effective sense of foreboding as the
killer begins to resent Danny and his friends meddling in the crime spree. The
situation at Danny’s new school, where students have to be quiet and wear
strange white gloves, takes a backseat to the murder mystery aspect of the
novel, which is unfortunate since it was one of the most interesting parts of
the story. Despite this slight shortcoming, however, Deviant has a lot to offer the reader, especially teen boys who
will like Danny’s style of narration and the brisk pace of the story. The novel
is definitely a departure from typical young adult fare, and bold readers
should give it a try.
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Reading
level: Grade 8+
Similar
titles: All Good
Children by Catherine Austen, Rotters
by Daniel Kraus,
Themes: Serial killers, cats, mystery, friendship,
Colorado.
Awards/Reviews:
Written by award-winning author.
Series
Information: N/A
Discussion
questions:
-
Was this book difficult for you to read given
the subject matter? Why or why not?- Would you want to go to a school like Cobalt Junior High Charter School? Why or why not?
- Do you think the Direct Instruction method would work?
- What was the significance of the letters from Indrid Cold in the novel?
- Do you think that Bob was a reliable source of information about the cat killings? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Danny was mean to Walt?
- Were you surprised by the identity of the cat killer?
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