The Finisher (Vega Jane, Book 1)

January 20, 2014
Best known for his adult crime novels, Baldacci makes a detour into middle-grade with this wildly fanciful and darkly intriguing tale of a girl forced to fight for her life as she investigates the secrets of her tiny community. Fourteen-year-old Vega Jane works as a “Finisher,” creating goods she’ll never be able to afford and leading a hardscrabble life with her little brother. Like all other “Wugmorts,” they have never left the town of Wormwood, trapped there by the deadly Quag surrounding it. When Vega discovers a map leading through the Quag, she suspects there’s more to Wormwood than believed. Consistently using smarts, cunning, and improvisation, Vega proves herself a strong, admirable heroine as she’s thrown through time, uncovers lies and mysteries, and takes possession of magical artifacts. Her narration blends Wugmort slang with oddly formal speech and thought patterns, helping shape an enigmatic setting filled with unfamiliar terms, bizarre creatures, and memorable characters, as Baldacci pulls in elements of fantasy, science fiction, and myth. A cliffhanger ending leaves many explanations for future installments. Ages 10–14. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency.

May 26, 2014
Crime novelist Baldacci detours into middle-grade fiction with a dark and wild mixture of fantasy, science fiction, and myth. The story begins as 14-year-old Vega Jane realizes her mentor, Quentin Herms, has gone missing. Vega knows there is danger about and her magic skills are not enough to handle it. Her world soon begins to crumble as she discovers the lies of her town, Wormwood, and it’s council, but she has a long way to go before she is safe. Barbara narrates in a charming and vibrant voice that captures Vega’s personality and guides listeners through this magical world. Her soft delivery and English accent are inviting. She creates clear and distinguished voices for the characters that stand apart from Vega’s first-person perspective. Equally important, she balances timing, projection, and tone to create some fantastic moments of tension and excitement throughout the book. Ages 10–14. A Scholastic hardcover.

June 1, 2014

Gr 5-9-Thriller writer Baldacci here ventures into the world of middle-grade fiction with lackluster results. Vega Jane's world consists of one village, Wormwood. She's never left it. As far as she knows, no one has. But when she catches a glimpse of her fellow worker disappearing into the woods, she's soon caroming from one near-disaster after another as the story snowballs to a calamitous finale. She must deal with the Morrigone, a group of misogynists who may or may not be her allies, and the ever-present threat of an Outlier invasion, all while trying to keep her brother safe and solve the mystery of why so many people are suddenly having "events." Too many plot threads turn what could have been an action-packed page-turner into a sprawling, fantasy-trope-filled muddle that leaves listeners bored and frustrated. This work is overambitious and unresolved, especially given how long listeners must stick with the story just to get to the end, only to find that most of their questions remain unanswered. The only redeeming factor is Nicola Barber's stellar work voicing the clever impudence of Vega Jane. The sarcastic insults delivered so freely by Vega contain the perfect balance of frustration and wit that will cause the most reticent listener to chuckle. Fantasy lovers will pick this up eagerly, but only the most die-hard will return for future installments.-Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY

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