Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities

by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon

Book Overview

The super-fast pacing and creepy touches give this teen adventure plenty of character.--Publishers Weekly Returning to her home in London, teen Jasmine Towne realizes just how long she's been training... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553384694
• ISBN13: 9780553384697
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Spectra
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 0.9" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent read

Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon 978-0-553-38469-7 $12US trade paperback, 370 pages May 20, 2008 After Jasmine Town is a near-witness to her mother's murder, she finds herself alone and on the run, the words her mother had written in her own blood driving her away from home. Jazz hide forever. Her mother had told her for as long as she could remember never to run, to lose herself in a crowd, that running only drew attention. However, in a panic, she bolts into an Underground station and causes a fuss on the platform. Seeing an out, she takes it -- a narrow ledge beyond the platform which leads her to the doorstep of another life. In what used to be a bomb shelter, she finds a storehouse of goods and foods. And a group of `lost children' and their `leader', who call themselves the United Kingdom. A group of thieves and pickpockets, these children rely upon these skills for their livelihoods. They take Jazz into their fold where all the paranoia her mother raised her with serves her and the United Kingdom well. Jasmine Downe's story is one any fan of young adult fantasy, sleight of hand magic, and intrigue is sure to enjoy.

Very Different

I found this book to be very different and rather exciting, also a little disturbing.

engaging fast-paced yet eerie teen thriller

Coming home Jazz felt something was wrong in the house where she lived with her mother. Her parent taught her to be alert and always look over her shoulder to see if anyone was coming after her. Heeding her niggling feelings, she sneaks into her home and sees the Uncles there looking like they were waiting for her to arrive. She enters her mom's room finding her dead with her neck slashed; her mom's final words to her written in her blood: Jazz hide forever". Fleeing her Uncles, Jazz enters an Underground tunnel beneath London where the homeless, the disenfranchised, and the mentally ill reside. She joins forces with the United Kingdom; consisting of young people led by Harold "Harry" Pilkington Fowler. They take her into their home and she becomes a thief in the world above. The Uncles' have thugs searching for her and he finds her. He kills one of her new friends and injures Harry. The United Kingdom kills one of them because these amoral hooligans do not care one iota about collateral damage in their quest to capture Jazz. Above ground she meets burglar Terrance, who is similar to Harry. Vowing revenge for her mom and the dead boy, Jazz plans to take the battle to the Uncles. The London Underground is a city underneath the metropolis that topsiders are unaware exists; it has its rules, cultures and beliefs like any society have. It is also a place where Jazz sees scenes of magic of London in bygone eras. Jazz is the glue that holds the story line together; she is strong and obstinate as she refuses to cower any longer determined to take the fight to her enemy. Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon provide an engaging fast-paced yet eerie teen thriller as the revelations keep on coming but the action never decelerates. Harriet Klausner