Strings – The Ables Book 2

The Ables: Strings is an exciting book about Phillip, a blind, telekinetic teen going on a dangerous, fast-paced adventure to bring justice to the rest of the custodians, a group of people who are basically superheroes.

Lately the government has been casting a nasty light on the custodians, putting crimes committed by custodians using their abilities in the news. This is an injustice to innocent custodians like Phillip, his friends, and his family. These events also begin to upset his school. It’s becoming less safe to be out in the open, so custodian families are leaving town. Phillip is thinking like this as well and asks the group of kids he’s formed at school, The Ables, how they feel about going on missions with him. In the end, it’s only other custodian friends and a few other Ables who agree. Later into the novel, the Ables’ outings become wilder and more exciting, and they start to mess with the government more and more.

This was a stunning read! Phillip is an amazing character. He deals with PTSD, strong anxiety, and panic attacks. He also lost his mother at a very young age and must take care of his brother now that his father is missing. He even keeps school in mind and has a crush on Emmaline, a girl who has teleportation abilities. I admit I haven’t read the first book, but the sequel is outstanding. It does have a center on a human rights message, which I think is very important. This book I would recommend to kids about eleven and up because it is a little more intense than most middle-grade novels.