Project Osiris was an experiment to find out what
happens when criminal masterminds are cloned and raised in ideal, happy, loving
situations. When Tori, Amber, Malik, Eli, and
Hector found out that they were part of the experiment they refused to be someone's science project any longer. In Masterminds,
the first book in the series, the kids busted out of Serenity, New Mexico, the town
where they were brought up. All but Hector survived the escape. Having been sheltered
for their whole lives, they knew nothing about the outside world and how it
works. Luckily they made it to the private school their friend, Randy, was
transferred to after he got too close to the secrets of Project Osiris. Randy gave them a place to
stay for a while so they could come up with a plan. When the “purples”
(the police from Serenity) showed up at the dormitories their planning time was
cut short.The kids had to think smart and break free. It wasn't easy, but they made their way to Denver. Amber knew the best thing to do was
to find a police officer and explain their story. After all, cloning
humans was illegal, and their so-called parents and everyone else in the
experiment deserved to be arrested. Unfortunately, telling a police officer only
makes them think you're crazy or messing with them, and Amber gets
arrested. The kids realize they need evidence to prove they're clones from master
criminals. Since they don’t know which criminals, it's even more important they have proof. On
the internet they find out the name of a millionaire who was going
to fund Project Osiris, and they set out to find her. But she refused to
acknowledge that she knew anything about a cloning experiment. It isn’t easy, but they decide that the only thing they can do is go back to Serenity and
the traffic cone factory, where they'd first discovered the truth. The kids know there's evidence there- they’d seen it. When they arrive, the factory had a fire.
Could any proof still remain? Will someone in Serenity keep them
from going back to freedom? How long can four kids survive on their own without
money or a real understanding of the outside world? Read this page turner to find out.
I read the first book in the series last summer, and
it ended on a cliffhanger. So I was looking forward to reading Masterminds: Criminal Destiny by Gordon
Korman. It started right where book one
left off. The format was the same, with Eli, Amber, Malik,
and Tori each taking different chapters
to give us the story through their eyes. One thing I liked was seeing how the
characters handled the outside world. They broke a lot of laws, but they were
in a tight spot and some of the illegal things they did couldn’t be avoided.
After all, they were in an unbelievable situation. The characters grew on me
and I liked seeing the way their friendships evolved. Just like the first book in the series- this
one ended on a cliffhanger. I found out the third, and last, installment
of the series is out- so I hope I can read them in the next couple weeks. I recommend this to kids in fourth grade and
up who like mystery and adventure. I know I can’t wait to see what happens to
these kids with criminal mastermind DNA.
Has anyone else read Masterminds: Criminal Destiny? Or have you read another book by
Gordon Korman? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Happy
reading!
~L
