The Twelve-Fingered Boy

It’s a little bit Shawshank Redemption, a little bit X-Men, as adult author Jacobs (This Dark Earth) launches a promising trilogy about superhuman teens. Fifteen-year-old Shreve Cannon is passing the time in Pulaski Juvenile Detention Center, selling candy to his fellow inmates, when he’s assigned a new roommate: Jack Graves, a small, quiet 13-year-old with 12 fingers and uncontrollable telekinetic abilities. When a stranger named Mr. Quincrux shows up, sporting nasty mental powers and an uncomfortable interest in Jack, the boys have no choice but to break out of juvie and go on the run. Attempting to stay one step ahead of Quincrux, they master Jack’s telekinesis and Shreve’s newfound telepathy, and eventually must choose between freedom and justice. While the story spins its wheels at times (parts of Jack and Shreve’s day-to-day life in juvie and on the road can drag, even with superpowers involved), and a number of questions are left to later books, the premise is sound, Shreve’s hard-edged narrative voice is strong, and Jacobs skillfully builds tension and mystery throughout. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stacia Decker, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Feb.)