I Am the Walrus (The N.O.A.H. Files #1)

by Neal Shusterman (Author)

I Am the Walrus (The N.O.A.H. Files #1)
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

Eoin Colfer meets Rick Riordan--with a little Margaret Peterson Haddix sprinkled on top--in this hilarious sci-fi series from New York Times bestselling authors Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman. ​

When fourteen-year-old Noah falls from the trees on his classmate Sahara, he doesn't understand how, or why, he would have been up there. It's just one more in a string of strange things happening to Noah lately. Like when he keels over and every muscle in his body freezes when confronted by bullies. And when he vanishes into the background at a moment he doesn't want to be noticed.

And when he unexpectedly blasts Sahara with a bird shriek while flapping his arms uncontrollably in the middle of a school dance. What does it all mean? And why do there suddenly seem to be so many mysterious people trying to kill him? Noah's friend Ogden has an idea...but like all of Ogden's ideas, it's out there. Way out there...

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ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
Events tie off (fairly) neatly, but readers who fasten their tusks on this opener won’t want to let go until the next one swims by.

Kirkus

 A fun, if messy, thriller that’s not afraid to go straight over the top. 

Publishers Weekly

The creators of the Accelerati Trilogy reteam for this dynamic, Oregon-set series kickoff, whose wide-ranging adventure arc encompasses aliens, animalian hijinks, designer coffins, and Stonehenge. Fourteen-year-old Noah Prime has always had an uncanny knack for sports, but after his beloved motocross course is razed for development--closing just like the ice-skating rink he loved before it--he's surprised to find that he has an affinity for not only motocross and hockey, but basketball, soccer, and wrestling, too. A strange collision with gymnast schoolmate Sahara raises questions about his background, as does a surprising physical reaction to an incident of bullying. With the help of Sahara, his autistic best friend Ogden, and his younger sister Andi, Noah seeks to find out more about himself and his apparent enemies. The group's exploits, detailed in quick-moving chapters that alternate with additional perspectives from protagonists and antagonists alike, develop a world of depth and moral complexity. Though instances of the cast separating occasionally bog down the plot, often-ludicrous scenarios and pop culture punch lines deliver surprises and laughs throughout, ramping up to a smash-bang ending that leaves plenty unresolved for future volumes. Characters are not physically described. Ages 10-14. Agent (for Shusterman): Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up--The first book in this new series is too scattered to make its mark as a sci-fi adventure tale. Fourteen-year-old protagonist Noah Prime is outrageously athletic, but since his favorite sports keep getting canceled out of the blue, he rarely gets a chance to show off his talents. After a monkey-like display at a gymnastics tournament and spontaneously developing walrus blubber while trapped in a freezer, Noah discovers that his athletic aptitude is, in fact, superhuman: he can morph into any animal in the world to use its traits to his advantage. The book starts out quirky and witty as Noah and his friends test these abilities. Things start to go off the rails when Noah's house is attacked by aliens, who kidnap his parents and make him the target of an intergalactic manhunt. The plot begins to lose focus, splitting off into multiple, uninteresting perspectives that distract from what seems to be the book's main quest--Noah finding his parents and discovering the reason for his supernatural abilities. When the plots finally intersect, the conclusion is unsatisfying. A potential red flag for school collections--it's implied that a teacher is drinking alcohol while chaperoning a dance. VERDICT From time travel to aliens to shapeshifting to an apocalypse, this work proves there may be such a thing as too much science fiction in one book.--Maria Bohan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This collaboration between Shusterman and Elfman tempers the scarier elements of Nick's quest with deft, humorous writing and plenty of the ordinary adventures of a new kid in school finding his niche. Hand this one to fans of Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles or Kenneth Oppel's Airborne."—Booklist
Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of over thirty books, including Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award; Scythe, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; Dry, which he cowrote with his son, Jarrod Shusterman; and Unwind, which won more than thirty domestic and international awards. He invites you to visit him online at storyman.com.

Eric Elfman is a screenwriter and the author of several books for children and young adults, including The Very Scary Almanac and Almanac of the Gross, Disgusting & Totally Repulsive (an ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers); and coauthor of the popular Tesla's Attic trilogy. He invites you to visit him on Twitter @Eric_Elfman.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780759555242
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
April 11, 2023
Series
The N.O.A.H. Files
BISAC categories
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV058000 - Juvenile Fiction | Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural
JUV056000 - Juvenile Fiction | Robots
JUV053010 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction | Alien Contact
Library of Congress categories
Genetic engineering
Animal defenses
Survivial

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