Prism

by Faye Kellerman and Aliza Kellerman

Book Overview

Prism takes us to a slightly alternate universe in which medicine and health care do not exist, and in which sick people are allowed to die without any care. Set in New Mexico and California, the novel features three teens who fall through a cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico while on a field trip. They are plunged into a frightening parallel universe--seven weeks in the past, in which their "normal" worlds of family and high school remain the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061687219
• ISBN13: 9780061687211
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

I have to start off this review stating that I wasn't 100% certain how to classify PRISM. It's one of those stories that definitely transcends more than one category. It's part science fiction with the parallel dimensions. It's contemporary with the tentative love story. But I guess, overall, mostly it would be a mystery as Kaida, Zeke, and Joy try to figure out how they got to where they are and how will they get back home. Kaida Hutchenson (many characters resort to calling her Hutchenson throughout the story) is dreading the class trip to Carlsbad Caverns. It's over a ten hour drive and she's going to be stuck in a van with the jock, Zeke Anderson, and the smoking loner, Joy Tallon. She'd give anything to be in the van with her best friend, Maria, and her sort of boyfriend, Iggy. On the drive, Kaida's van winds up separated from the others. The drive lulls the three to sleep, only to harshly awaken them when the van crashes, flips, and starts to catch fire. The three make it out relatively unscathed, only for them to realize that their teacher has been left inside and is surely dead, as the fire grows out of control. Seeking shelter from the cold and rain, the three teens enter a cave. But it's within this cave that their world changes. Kaida wakes up in her own bed, confused by the bizarre dream she had. She opens her medicine cabinet in the bathroom to retrieve some pain medication, only to find it barren of all medications and containing a bizarre tube: Coyote Cream. She vaguely recalls buying it on a trip somewhere. But when her brother comes into the bathroom and sees the tube, he freaks out, empties the contents, and asks Kaida where she got it and what was she thinking? It's just this sort of bizarre experience that seems to keep happening to Kaida. She's in her familiar surroundings, but it just doesn't seem right. When she approaches Zeke, and he starts to say he had a dream about her...the two slowly come to realize they're involved in something, but not sure what. And when the two speak the same name, Joy, at the same time, they know that something is wrong. With the help of a new student, Ozzy, the teens learn about the world they're now stuck in - a world where health care is nonexistent and medication is illegal and called "spills." They believe the only way back to the world they know is to get back to the cave they sought shelter in the first time. With a very Twilight Zone feeling to the story, PRISM is a book that will keep you entranced until the very end. The concept of a world without any health care is frightening. With dark images of the clean-up crew and a town of dying and ill people, you'll be left to wonder how society survived without everyday staples such as pain medications or antibiotics. PRISM will make you thankful you're in this world and not the alternative one that Kaida, Zeke, and Joy found themselves. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Another Kellerman with Talent!

I bought the book because her mother's name was on the cover as well, but Aliza Kellerman is the obvious driving force behind the teen-age story that includes fantasy as well. It takes someone with unique insight into the teen mind to grasp their thought process as the world changes around them in the storyline of this book. I could picture my 17 year-old grandson dealing with it much as the teens in the book did. It's believable, which is much of what we want from an author. Yet takes us from the everyday world we live in. You go girl!

Should Appeal to Teens Who Like to Ponder "What If?"

Kaida Hutchenson doesn't like the dark, bats, rabies, or caves. She's also not thrilled at the prospect of spending 14 hours in a van traveling to a class trip with two students with whom she has nothing in common. To Kaida, overachiever Zeke Anderson is "proof positive that a person can be too perfect." She finds 14-year-old, cigarette-smoking loner Joy Tallon "pretty, but faded pretty, like her edges had been rubbed away." The only bright spot in the trip is Mr. Addison, one of Kaida's favorite teachers, who is driving the van. As the hours stretch on, Kaida and the others fall asleep to pass the time. When they are jolted awake by a crash, the students scramble for safety. Terrified and surrounded by darkness and smoke, they flee the fire-engulfed van, not knowing if Mr. Addison has survived. Alone in the desert, with their cell phones burned up, the trio tries to come up with a rescue plan. While they consider their options, the desert winds turn fierce, and a torrential downpour forces them to seek shelter in a cave. As the rain cascades down harder and harder, they back up farther into darkness. When a light appears in the distance, they race towards it, believing they have found an exit. The light becomes blinding, and a deafening buzzing starts before they are plunged into an abyss. Kaida awakes in her bedroom, sore and disoriented. Her room seems the same, but her medicine is missing from the bathroom cabinet. Somehow, time has gone backwards. Her field trip is weeks away, yet memories about it, the fiery crash and the cave begin to surface. Confused and wanting answers, Kaida seeks out Zeke and Joy, who share memories of the trip and the accident. Somehow, the three students have stumbled into a parallel universe and must figure out a way to get back to the reality they knew before their trip. New York Times bestselling mystery author Faye Kellerman has teamed up with her daughter, Aliza, to co-write a creative novel that stretches the imagination. In PRISM, three teenagers are trapped in a nightmarish alternate world, where medicine and health care do not exist and sick people are left to die. This is an interesting and thought-provoking book that should appeal to teens who like to ponder "What if?" --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Alternate Universe Visitation!

This is an imaginative and captivating story, written for a young audience, but much enjoyed by my (older) self, as well. An amazingly mature first venture for Kellerman daughter, Aliza - obviously with a little help from the family. At times funny, scary, and inspirational, the novel has messages for us all!

Utterly Chilling!

Where do I begin? I am a bit speechless. Prism was simply amazing! Prism was so wickedly delicious I had to pinch myself to make sure I didn't have the most awesome of dreams. I mean, was this a Jerry Bruckheimer production? Was I on the Warner sound stage? This book definitely has what it takes to make it to the silver screen. Psst! I have a feeling Prism won't take too long to make it to the big screen. Now, I'm not sure how much I want to divulge since this is a stunning book w/ so much going on. Faye & Aliza Kellerman definitely have a best seller in Prism. While Faye is no stranger to the list, Aliza will definitely make her best seller debut this summer w/ her break out Young Adult novel, Prism. Prism has an eclectic array of action, adventure, suspense, chills & thrills. Prism is like riding the cyclone unbelted during a black out. Really! Aliza & Faye definitely know how to formulate characters. Kaida is my fave. I found myself not just relating to her but understanding her. The characters in Prism are exceptionally written. The players are lavishly coated, extremely authentic & incandescent. The cast is sweeping w/ real adolescent expectations, imperfections & misgivings. The teens are not written by some adult "remembering" their teen trials & tribulations, but by a bona fide teen. Bravo! Faye & Aliza have entered the YA arena w/ this gripping debut. While Faye's name is on the cover, it is Aliza's striking aura that takes center stage. Prism has a distinctive voice that is so different from Faye's usual compelling drama you know you've stepped into Aliza's literary orb. Aliza is a luminous star on the rise. Prism is just a morsel of what Aliza has in store for reader's looking for ingenious stories that make your brain do imaginative calisthenics. At times, Prism left me holding my breath. Prism has a soulful inflection that speaks volumes for an artistic sixteen year old making her literary inauguration! Throughout most of Prism, the characters are superbly three-dimensional ~ from time to time even four-dimensional! ~ and move along smoothly through the narrative. Faye & Aliza left me shaking my head because this mother-daughter duo set the benchmark for how we should look @ parental author collaborations. Prism is an outstanding read! A definite must for all ages. The plot is absolutely striking & it poses the question, "What if ?" " What if ? " "What if"... Utterly chilling! Trust me there was a "Do Not Disturb" vibe while I was curled up w/ this baby! Faye & Aliza are exquisite storytellers, seizing your attention from the first page. Aliza & Faye used a kaleidoscope of color to saturate this vibrantly rich tome w/ spine-tingling paranormal suspense. So, get comfy, grab a tight grip & prepare for an awesome adventure from the minute you open Prism!