Trackers #1 [Hardcover]

 

 

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In the digital age, tracking someone is easy for a computer whiz like Adam, especially when tracking is in his blood. In Adam's own words, "Everyone leaves a trail. Some of them shouldn't be followed."

Adam and his three friends track a mysterious computer hacker, only to be pulled into a dangerous situation they aren't sure they'll escape.

I've never read a book like this before, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only do you get one amazing mystery to follow, but there are codes and a website which allows you to watch videos of the team's tracking experiences and you can break the codes online, as well. You get both the reading and the viewing experience, which adds a whole new level to reading in the digital age.

Unfortunately, I'm a "late night" reader and was in bed while I read this, so I wasn't able to access the videos at the time. Thankfully, there's a transcript in the back of the book, so if you don't want to go online you don't have to and will still be able to follow the story. Even though I'd already read the book, I did go online and watch the videos the next day. I had a blast seeing the characters come to life, and wished I had watched the videos instead of reading the transcript first!

I completely enjoyed this book and hope to track along with Adam and his team in book two, SHANTORIAN, when it's released!

Reviewed by: Joan Stradling

Reason for Reading: I became a huge fan of Carman's after reading the Atherton series and was excited to read another book by him.

A book entirely written as an interview, an interrogation. 15 year-old Adam is being questioned by someone to go back to the beginning and tell them what happened. We have no idea who is doing the interviewing, though the assumption is that is that it is high ranking officials, either military or government. Though whether that assumption is true I have not ascertained and part of me highly doubts. Right from the beginning we are teased with foreshadowing, told that something awful has happened and this foreshadowing continues throughout the book. Adam's three cohorts are used as bargaining chips to keep him talking as he does not know what has happened to them, if they are well and if these "officials" also have them, as they claim.

Through this Q&A format Adam tells the story of how he, a computer high-tech savvy expert with multitudes of invented gadgets and access to any computer in the world meets up with three other teens of various abilities who join together to help the world by tracking down online hackers and fixing weak security systems while leaving behind anonymous notes. They call themselves "Trackers" and they also physically go out on test runs with the gadgets Adam has invented while he stays back at the control room running the operation. They get pulled into a dangerous game when Adam is contacted by an attractive female teen who challenges him to a cyber game he can't refuse. Next thing he knows his system has been hacked, all his inventions and files stolen and now he is at the mercy of this young woman and a menacing man named Laslo who force him and his team to participate in criminal activities but Adam thinks he can outsmart them in the end. Obviously, due to the current interrogation, something drastically went wrong.

I loved this story. It was a page turner. Each of the four teens were exceptional individuals, from different backgrounds and each was extremely likable in their own unique way. I am very eager to get on with the story in book 2.

Trackers is very unique itself in that it combines video with text. Throughout the book, as the interview was progressing a file would be introduced and Adam would pull up a video that proved what he was saying was true. At this point the reader who has already been directed to a website inserts the password and has the opportunity to watch an actual video of the characters in action. There may also be other things for the reader to do such as examine items in evidence, schematics, etc. I must say this is extraordinarily cool. Unfortunately, I only have internet access on a PC shared with family members. I did watch the first couple of videos this way, but if I had had to read a bit then wait a turn on the computer before continuing to read on it would have taken me weeks to finish the book! Fortunately, for those not able to enjoy the instant gratification of the videos each is included as a written transcript as an appendix at the back of the book and this is the way I eventually ended up reading the book. It did not deter my enjoyment at all. A very exciting, unique, intriguing story!

This is one of the coolest books I've read. It is the latest book in a new genre that is taking the reading experience to a different level. What am I referring to? The 'Vook' genre; in other words, multi-media storytelling'a melding of traditional storytelling with online components. If you've got a kid at home (girl or boy) who would much rather be sitting in front of the computer screen than reading a book, this one's for them.

The Trackers is a group of four friends who, although different in character, make a great team whose skills complement each other as they play spy games with highly sophisticated cutting-edge inventions. Their game suddenly becomes dangerous when they take up the challenge to track a dangerous criminal. Suspenseful, fun, and innovative, this book caught my attention.

The story unfolds as Adam, the team leader, sits in a classified location and is interrogated by a secret agent about his activities as a Tracker. He tells the story about how he met the other three friends who make up the Trackers, leading up to their hunt for the criminal hacker and culminating in an exciting and satisfying conclusion that opens up more questions and leaves us in expectation of Book Two.

I felt like an excited kid as I read the book and then went online to watch the videos accessed by typing in the passwords provided at intervals throughout the book. The novel delves into the world of high technology and how easily one can become embroiled in the world of Internet safety. It was a fascinating and fast-paced read. I have no doubt that middle-graders will devour this one quickly.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story beginning of a great new series
Patrick Carman has created another masterpiece. This story, much like Skeleton Creek, is told in two parts: first the books and then videos to supplement the story. Read more

Published on May 1 2010 by Steven R. McEvoy

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