Best known for his adult crime novels, Baldacci makes a detour into middle-grade with this wildly fanciful and darkly intriguing tale of a girl forced to fight for her life as she investigates the secrets of her tiny community. Fourteen-year-old Vega Jane works as a -Finisher,- creating goods she-ll never be able to afford and leading a hardscrabble life with her little brother. Like all other -Wugmorts,- they have never left the town of Wormwood, trapped there by the deadly Quag surrounding it. When Vega discovers a map leading through the Quag, she suspects there-s more to Wormwood than believed. Consistently using smarts, cunning, and improvisation, Vega proves herself a strong, admirable heroine as she-s thrown through time, uncovers lies and mysteries, and takes possession of magical artifacts. Her narration blends Wugmort slang with oddly formal speech and thought patterns, helping shape an enigmatic setting filled with unfamiliar terms, bizarre creatures, and memorable characters, as Baldacci pulls in elements of fantasy, science fiction, and myth. A cliffhanger ending leaves many explanations for future installments. Ages 10-14. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency. (Mar.)

This new dystopia from best-selling novelist Baldacci has all the elements needed to create a devoted teen following. Fourteen-year-old Vega Jane lives in a tightly circumscribed worldthe small hamlet of Wormwoodwhere everyone is expected to work hard and never venture outside the village limits. But Vega Jane has seen a fellow villager enter the forbidden and deadly Quag forest adjacent to Wormwood and begins to wonder if leaving her frustratingly constrained world is actually possible. The only things keeping her in Wormwood are her brother John, and her best friend, Delph. But Vega Jane was born to question authority, and her desire to know more about her world keeps landing her in dangerous situations, including a fighting competition called the Duelum, where combatants are often killed.Baldacci's world-building is vivid and exciting, drawing the reader effortlessly into the story. The characters are carefully and richly drawn, with a very sympathetic and appealing female protagonist in Vega Jane. The plot, although filled with the usual dystopian tropes, is complex and fast paced enough to keep the reader eagerly turning the page. The author also includes a tantalizing backstory that deepens and enriches the plot. The ending is fairly predictable, but Baldacci's skillful expertise in creating a riveting story elevates this beyond a mere retelling of The Hunger Games. Teen readers who cannot get enough of dystopias will embrace this one enthusiastically and eagerly await the sequel.Jan Chapman.

Gr 6-9 Wormwood is full of secrets, known mostly by members of the Council. The rest of the villagers live oblivious, regimented lives. They've been told there's nothing outside of the village except for a forest inhabited by deadly creatures. Vega Jane, 14, is understandably alarmed when she sees her mentor, Quentin Herms, running straight for the Quag. If Council members find out that he left her a note and a map of the forest, who knows what would become of her? Frustrated by the prescribed secrecy that shrouds the village, Vega takes matters into her own hands, embarking on an adventure to investigate the mysteries surrounding Wormwood, the Quag, and Quentin's departure. She grows in confidence and knowledge with each clue she uncovers and makes more than a few enemies along the way. Vega's investigations reveal that little in Wormwood is as it appears. Fans of action-packed fantasy will enjoy her mystical adventures. At almost 500 pages, with sophisticated vocabulary, the book is best suited for strong readers. The pace is occasionally uneven, with redundant descriptions of Vega's daily life in Wormwood, and the large cast of minor characters can be challenging to track. The imaginative and multilayered world is the novel's strength, with the bleak, ancient village serving as a stark contrast to the fantastical adventures and challenges the teen faces in her quest for the truth. Readers will be rooting for her but will not find much resolution in The Finisher , as the last chapter seems to set the stage for the next installment. Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR

Vega Jane works hard as a Finisher in an artisan factory in the village of Wormwood. After a friend disappears into the dangerous forest surrounding Wormwood, she delves into the truth behind her town and its Council--and what she finds unravels everything she's ever known. Baldacci presents a strong, intelligent heroine, but the book's uneven pacing and unusual dialect are disorienting.

Starred Review What happens when an international best-selling crime novelist tries his hand at a youth fantasy? Well, in this case, success. Baldacci, best known for writing thrillers, also has a talent for creating magical worlds. At first glance, though, Wormwood seems mostly depressing. Like most other Wugs, 14-year-old Vega Jane is dirty, hungry, and deprived. The few things that keep her going are her friend Delph; her brother, John; and a tree where she goes to ponder. (Pondering is in short supply in Wormwood.) She also has her job at the Stacks, putting the finishing touches on pretty objects. But everything changes one morning when she spies her mentor, Quentin Herms, heading into the Quag, the terrifying forest that surrounds Wormwood. There are beasts inside the Quag, and supposedly nothing past it, so why would Herms run? The cryptic note he leaves behind raises more questions, and despite danger from many directions, Vega is a girl who wants answers. Baldacci gets several things just right. He offers readers a smart, tough heroine worth rooting for; provides enough hints of a mysterious backstory to keep them wondering; and builds each chapter to a cliff-hanger that pushes them to turn the page. There is also head-spinning action, which is sometimes a bit too repetitious. How often can Vega be chased by a monster and run faster than she has ever run in her life? The ending is predictable, but it leads seamlessly into the next book, where, perhaps, some of Vega's answers await. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: As with Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson, among others, the interest surrounding a high-profile author writing children's books should garner this a ton of attention.