The Unwanteds

The Unwanteds
By Lisa McMann

Book 1 in series

    Alex Stowe and his twin brother Aaron Stowe await their fates on the day of the Purge, the annual selection of Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds in the authoritarian state of Quill. Alex knows he is going to be Unwanted and Aaron will be Wanted. He has shown creativity many times, which is banned in Quill. Aaron, on the other hand, has been a model citizen - most of the time. Many years ago, Alex got Aaron to try drawing in the mud. Their father caught them, but he mistook Aaron for Alex and Aaron went along with it to keep his record clean.
    Alex gets on the bus to the Death Farm while Aaron goes to the University. On the bus, Alex sees Samheed and Meghan, and meets a girl named Lani, who later turns out to be a governor's daughter. At the gates of the Death Farm, all the Unwanteds are dropped off. The Eliminators come out to take them to the Lake of Boiling Oil. But then, the strangest thing happens. A man named Mr. Today emerges from a shack, and the wasteland turns into a colorful, bountiful world beyond imagination. The Eliminators become girrinos, guardians of Artimé. Mr. Today is the head mage, for inside this hidden land, the Unwanteds thrive and learn magic, which only creative people can learn. Meghan even meets her Unwanted brother, Sean. Only Samheed isn't receptive to the new world. The children live in a huge, magical mansion with a giant stone cheetah named Simber (displayed on cover) and an ebony warrior named Florence.
    Each room is decked out with whatever the children need, along with a tube to deliver food and go places. They are also provided with supplies for whatever art is their main talent. Alex's talent turns out to be art. Aaron studies at Quill University, forgetting everything about his brother as emotion is not allowed in Quill.
    Alex, though, can’t forget, and he attempts to draw a 3D door that might be able to go to his brother's dormitory. He has seen it in Mr.Today's slightly-secret hallway office. Samheed is associating with Will Blair, who is angry at Aaron for reporting an infraction years ago, and wants to get back at him. Alex, distraught that he can't draw the door, is wandering around when the governors visit for a check-up. This gets him in major trouble, because it is hard for Mr.Today to mask him, and the governors begin suspecting things.
    Florence commences magical warrior training, which Alex is left out of because Mr.Today is afraid he might go looking for his brother. He is eventually let in, and finishes his secret door around that time. Unfortunately, Will Blair does too, and both of them go into Quill at the same time, putting Aaron on high alert and mobilizing the Quillitary.
    In the battle that ensues, Aaron, who looks exactly like Alex, gets ahold of a deadly spell component. He throws it at Mr.Today, intending to end the battle, but it accidentally hits High Priest Justine instead. The Artimeans prevail, but Alex and Aaron both take the blame for the death/near death of the two leaders.