Teen Tuesday: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. 479 p. Chaos Walking Trilogy #1. Candlewick Press, September, 2008. 9780763639310. (Own)

Teen readers who are fans of science fiction and have a bit of stamina will find themselves immersed in twelve-year-old Todd Hewitt's world. He landed on a colony planet where a virus infected all the men and presumably killed all the women. The virus causes all the men's thoughts to be broadcast creating a cacophony of noise that can drive a man crazy. There are no secrets in Prentisstown. Todd is the last child and, when he turns thirteen will "become a man." When Todd and his faithful dog, Manchee, whose thoughts Todd can hear as well, find a "hole in the noise," the two are shocked by what silence is. It isn't long before their secret it out though and the two are on the run. There are many twists and turns in this intriguing plot, which ends in a cliffhanger. Luckily for readers, all three books are out and there is no waiting.