In this book, Otto Malpense is a 13-year-old boy, who has been living in an orphanage his entire life. From the beginning he was extraordinarily gifted with the ability to absorb information and do calculations at the blink of an eye. He would read books and completely absorb the information in an extraordinary pace. He quickly outgrew school and started to educate himself in psychology, electronics, physics, and many other topics. The orphanage in which he lived was run down, but with Otto's schemes and the public's sympathy, it was one of the best stocked orphanages in Great Britain. He was the leader of the orphanage, with the caretaker completely reliant on him, but the Prime Minister was pushing an initiative to shut down some of the orphanages and Otto had no intention of starting over. So, what was a boy to do? Well using his intense learning in electronics and psychology, used the television showing the words of a speech only the PM could see, influenced him to ruin his own career and to moon the audience. As soon as this was done, he was shot by a woman in black. He awoke again in a helicopter with another boy, on their way to an island. On this island was a school, a school designed to make children evil geniuses and some of the most powerful people in the world. It is called HIVE or The Higher Institute of Villainous Education. Here he is thrust into a new world, one full of challenges and mystery, along with mixed feelings on whether he should stay or go. He meets new friends, new enemies, and finds complexities he never thought possible. I recommend this book. I find it good, for Otto is technically an evil person yet you still sympathize with him. This book is different, as all the characters are decidedly bad or evil. Some are professional cat burglars or have toppled a world leader. Yet all these characters you feel either sorry for or sympathize with them. All the characters are from different backgrounds and ethnicities, along with having different skill set that make them unique. The setting is one that is completely unique, with HIVE being basically a super prison for kids. I assumed this book would be like another crime book, filled with cliches. However, this book is centered like a TV show, with fast paced action and setting and character descriptions so accurate you can see them in your mind's eye. I recommend this book for anybody who is tired of everybody being a hero and is ready for some evil and action.
Reviewed by Will U., Grade 9
