about the book
Using psi is not hard, once you understand it. First you have to imagine the object in detail and what it does exactly. Then you just envision the process in your mind and make it so. The mountainous city of Deliverance has been protected in isolation for centuries. All the inhabitants have the power of psi, which allows them to control everything with their minds.
Taemon, who is twelve, is mastering psi quite well, but his abilities go far beyond telekinesis. Though he says little about these unusual gifts, his older brother, Yen, is jealous. He yearns to be the prophesized True Son who will start the next new Sacred Cycle. He is so sure that the high priest will pick him that he is willing to do anything—even kill his own brother!
As Yens first tries to take Taemon’s life, a voice warns Taemon that he must kill Yen! Taemon can’t do it. As punishment, the Heart of the Earth takes Taemon’s psi. Though the terrified boy tries to hide his inability, when it is revealed, he is exiled to live among the powerless.
The rustic dud farm is far different than Taemon expected. The people are kind and open, and they actually enjoy using their hands and doing manual labor. There Taemon learns the true nature of psi, the long hidden history of his people, and his destiny. The people of Deliverance have exchanged the ease of psi for lost civil liberties, and as such, are unable to recognize of dangers they face. Taemon’s abilities let him to see his broken society for exactly what it is.
Cruel Yen has been proclaimed the True Son. Though his father has always taught him that psi must never be used for power, personal gain, or idle amusement, Yens chooses to push his powers to the limits. To stop this corruption, Taemon must return to the city that banished him. What he is about to do is drastic…and he can only do it if he is truly the one True Son.
about the author
Lana Krumwiede is not too touchy about her name. She pronounces her first name Lana, rhyming it with banana, and tells people to think of her last name as clever bread bits—crumb-widdy!
By third grade, she had written her autobiography. She had already had a busy life. She stated then she wanted to be a mother, a writer, and a church organist. The church thing didn’t work out, but two out of three isn’t bad!
Lana studied political science at Brigham Young University and got her start writing articles for Highlights, High Five, Spider, Babybug, The Friend, and Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul. It taught her to be concise, how to revise, and how to deal with rejection. Freakling is her first novel and she is thrilled that it has turned into a trilogy. She was inspired to write it when she realized that not all people visualize as they read. She wondered what it would be like if everyone could visualize but one person couldn’t. Would they be able to function in that society?
Her research involved a lot of reading about telekinesis, so of course she has actually tried using psi. It doesn’t work for her, especially while house cleaning! But just like her character Taemon, she does have other supernatural abilities. She’s really good at board games and untying knots!
Before she became active in the Richmond, Virginia, writing scene, Lana worked as an office manager, a preschool teacher, a Spanish teacher, a bilingual kindergarten teacher, a swimming instructor, and a reading tutor.
Lana lives in Richmond with her husband, Kip, and youngest daughter. Their three older children are all grown and off having adventures of their own. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing, telling jokes, and eating pie!
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: Book Monsters
Author spotlight: Herald Extra
Book trailer: Freakling
Also by Lana Krumwiede:
True Son (Psi Chronicles, Book 3). Candlewick Press. 2015.
Archon (Psi Chronicles, Book 2). Candlewick Press. 2013.
read more!
Archon (Psi Chronicles, Book 2) by Lana Krumwiede
Taemon is now responsible for the people of Deliverance. With his family missing, the city in turmoil, and war looming, Taemon and Amma set out on a dangerous journey to the Republik. What they find there is not what they expected, and Taemon’s view of the world suddenly changes. It is up to him to find a way for peace, but to do so, will he have to use the secret he has been hiding all along…his unexpectedly returned psi abilities?
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Only twelve, Sophie is a high school senior with a photographic memory who can hear other people thoughts. Her abilities, which have always marked her as “different,” now identify her as an elf! Leaving her family forever, she is transported to an elven world where, while honing her new skills and investigating mysterious fires in the human world, she uncovers secrets buried in her memory—secrets others would kill for!
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In the land of Quill is a terrible hierarchy system. Each year, the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Aaron is chosen as a Wanted. His twin, Alex, is Unwanted. Resigned to his fate, Alex is shocked when he learns what Unwanteds really are—teens with innate magical abilities! Everything Alex has ever known changes.