In the town of Adjacent, when people start disappearing, seventh graders Di and Tom are determined to figure out what’s happening. When they discover that their math tutor has left mathematical clues, it is a matter of time before they unravel intrigue and conspiracy surrounding the nuclear power plant in town. Along the way in this mysterious adventure, the characters use Cartesian coordinates, slope, equations, pi, and the Pythagorean theorem. At times the math seems to dominate the story and many readers are likely to gloss over it if reading on their own, but math teachers would find it worthwhile to read the book aloud in class and pause to puzzle out the problems. ( )

When people start vanishing from a godforsaken trailer park next to the Folsom Energy Plant, two eleven-year-olds investigate using mathematical clues that were hastily planted by their friend Mrs. Clarke before she disappeared.

My first response as I read [Island of the Unknowns] by [Benedict Carey] was "Oh God there is math in it!" Needless to say I overcame my phobia and pushed on to find out it was a great mystery book. Yes, it did have math but they were the clues and I think this book shows a fun and practical use for math. ( )

The summary of The Unknowns immediately drew me in...it sounded like a story-line! And I really liked it, but it seems so average compared to other dystopias. There were definitely some flaws in the writing, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

The plot was original (for a dystopia...) and it moved surprisingly quickly. I enjoyed the narration and enjoyed the way the author incorporated readers into the story.
        The mystery element was something I really enjoyed about The Unknowns. This helped the plot progress, while stretching the reader's mind to think "outside the box." I also enjoyed how Mrs. Clarke left Tom & "Lady" Di math clues to help them rescue her. Readers will find it amusing to do the puzzles alongside Tom & Di, seeing if they have any success.

The big drawback of The Unknowns was the average characters. Now let me tell you that these characters were NOT bad...they just, like most YA books (specifically dystopias) today, did not have enough character development or individual identity to them to help them stand out.
        The character relationships (the way the characters interacted with each other) was quite well done. I quite enjoyed watching the relationship between most of the characters and seeing it grow - specifically the relationship between Di & Tom, and Di, Tom, and Mrs. Clarke.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Unknowns, despite the flaws in the writing. I believe that it will appeal to tween readers - specifically those who have previously enjoyed reading [b:The Mysterious Benedict Society|83369|The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #1)|Trenton Lee Stewart|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342715444s/83369.jpg|80497] and [b:The Westing Game|902|The Westing Game|Ellen Raskin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356850909s/902.jpg|869832].

However, for me, this book simply was average and unmemorable. ( )

mixture of mystery (not my favorite genre) and math (not my best subject) still a good fast-paced read ( )