It's official: I am a fan of Pittacus Lore. Hands-down my favorite alien since ET.

In I Am Number Four -- the first book of the Lorian Legacies, penned by the aforementioned Lore -- we're introduced to, well, Number Four, known in this book as John Smith. He's one of the nine Lorian Legacies sent to Earth to save their planet and their species from the vicious Mogadorians, a brutal race that destroyed Lorian years ago -- and now has its eye on Earth.

Although they live in secret, isolated from each other and hidden away all over the world, the Mogadorians have been hunting the Lorian Legacies and killing them one by one. They caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John, hidden away with his guardian Henri in Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next to die, and that Mogadorian soldiers are getting closer to finding him by the day.

But despite his developing powers and strange history, John is very much like an average teenager. He has run-ins with the school bully, and falls for blond overachiever, Sarah. He struggles to find his place in a world he can't form attachments to. He fights his mentor and father figure for independence. Oh, and at the same time, has to learn how to become fireproof, interpret his strange visions of his decimated home planet, and figure out a way to save his new planet from the same fate.

Overall, I loved I Am Number Four. I think its one of the most exciting new series out now, and with the movie tie-in slated for this year, should cement its place as the Next Big Thing in YA literature. That designation will be well-earned. Pittacus Lore (*cough* James Frey *cough*) has created a new, modern take on the classic "aliens living among us" story. It's a welcome reinvention and should be a hot series in 2011. I can't wait to learn more about the Lorians and follow Four and his companions on their adventures in the next book in the series, The Power of Six.

And as an aside, how brilliant was Frey for choosing to write under a pseudonym? Smart move -- create buzz, write a book that's a total departure from his previous controversial work, and ditch all the bad associations your name could bring to the series. Seems to have worked out well for him. ;-)

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Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Nine Lorien teenagers were sent to earth to await their legacies, special powers that each possess, in order to return to their planet to save it. Number Four, Daniel Jones, is moving from Florida to Paradise, Ohio, with his new name, John Smith, and his Cepan, or guardian, Henri.

In Paradise, John tries to start a life as he acquaints himself with Sarah Hart, a friendly, smart ex-cheerleader. Of course, with an ex-cheerleader there's an ex-boyfriend, Mark James, who isn't so happy about the chemistry between John and Sarah. As John begins to fall for Sara, she becomes another person who would be in danger from the Mogadorians, another alien race that are hunting the Lorien teens.

Each Lorien teen is at a different place on Earth. Three have already been caught and killed, which is made clear through the scars on each of the remaining teens' ankles. As another one dies, another scar will appear in order to determine who will be hunted next. Because of a charm, the nine teens must be killed in their chronological order. As number four, John knows he's next.

Despite its controversial co-author, one can't argue that I AM NUMBER FOUR reads just like a script, so it's no surprise that it has been turned into a movie. The novel itself has scenes that are so action-packed, with a little romance thrown in, that it will captivate readers of all ages.

With the sequel, THE POWER OF SIX, releasing in August 2011, only read I AM NUMBER FOUR if you are willing to become addicted to another series.

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Way better than the movie.

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This is not a genre I normally read and now I am wondering why. I very much enjoyed this book and have already started the second one. I am conflicted in writing this review because I want to write about how good it is, but I don't want to spoil the story for anyone.

I have tried to figure out which character is my favorite, but I like them all so much that they are all my favorites. This book has all the typical people you expect to find, from the jock and pretty girl to the nerd. The thing I found different was that I liked all of them. Every character is unique and they are all lovable. There is also a love story which was pretty predictable, but still good. I can say my least favorite characters were the Mogadorians, who are the bad guys. They are really just plain evil.

The story line was interesting. The concept of aliens hiding amongst us on Earth is not new, but the way it is presented in this story is different. I fell in love with the planet Lorien through the passion John and Henri feel for their home. I found myself in a constant state of anxiety while reading the last half of the book knowing something was going to happen at any moment. It was pretty intense and exciting.

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I am excited to finish the second one and know what happens. I definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about reading it.

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I was eager to read this book before going to see the movie, I still haven't seen the movie and probably won't now. I wasn't a big fan of the book. I didn't think it was very creative, the characters were very 2D, the plot predictable and the writing juvenile. I pretty much didn't like this book after the first fifty pages, but decided to stick it out to the end and was sorry that I did.

John is one of the last ten Lorien children who fled the evil Mogadorians after the Mogadorians destroyed his home planet. The ten last children of Lorien have a protection set on them; as long as they never meet in person they will be protected until the child before them is killed. John is number four and number three has just died, so that means that the Mogadorians are hunting for him next. John is sick of fleeing from place to place and, as his Legacy powers start to show up, has decided that he (and his guardian Henri) should stick it out where they are currently living...the small town of Paradise. Things get complicated when John falls in love with a human girl and John has to choose whether to stay or flee; to survive or love.

Now I understand this is a book intended for a YA audience but that doesn't mean the writing needs to be juvenile. Right from the beginning of the book the writing style rubbed me the wrong way. The sentences are short, the words used fairly simple...I felt like it was a more dumbed down that it should have been. Then there is the overused plot...peaceful aliens seek Earth as a refuge only to be hunted down on Earth by the very evil aliens they were fleeing...yawn... How many times have we seen/read/heard plots like this? This is definitely not the most creative story out there. Then there was the whole you have to kill the children in order spell-thingy...which is creative but strange. Why would the Loriens do that sort of spell? Why not just set a protection spell? It was never well explained and never really made sense.

Then there are the characters. I can see why this book was easy to make into a movie; that is because it is written like a corny action movie. You can really picture characters flying through the air and zooming around. What you never get a really good picture of are the characters themselves; they are like cardboard cut-outs that are moved through first a boring high school drama and then a corny action filled plot. You never get to know the characters or really engage with them. The book starts out just plan old boring; lots of high school drama, no aliens, no anything. The last fourth of the book really picks up the pace and from there on out it is a string of continuous action scenes.

I know I am complaining a lot here but I really didn't enjoy any aspect of this book. The final thing (aside from the characters, plot, and writing style) that totally bugged me were the inconsistencies. At one point John finds out he is fire proof on the outside; the authors make a big deal of explaining how he is not fire proof on the inside and cannot open his mouth to speak or breath while he is consumed by fire. Then towards the end of the book he is engulfed in flame, running around like a fireball, and yelling at the enemies (obviously with his mouth open). I am sitting there thinking, uh okay, how is he not burning up on the inside? When did his power drastically change so now he is fire proof everywhere? Why did they make such a big deal about him not being fire proof on the inside if they were going to ignore their own rules later?

The book ends okay, it is very very predictable. I could have outlined this whole story for you after reading the first chapter; no surprises here...no twists or turns.

Overall this book was not my cup of tea. I disliked the writing style for its simplicity, disliked the characters for their shallowness, disliked the plot for is predictability, and was driven crazy by the inconsistencies in John's powers. Everything about this book screamed "Please make me into a corny action movie!" Needless to say I won't be reading any more books in this series; nor will I be going to watch the movie. I would suggest that YA/Middle Grade readers who like action books with a male lead should check out Percy and the Olympians, the Hunger Games, the Artemis Fowl series or anything other than this book. There weren't any brazen technical errors, misspellings, or typos so that's why it gets two stars instead of one. I am so, so glad that I got this from the library.

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