[Jade]

Tori says that the group's clothes are ripe from everything they'd done in them. She says they were the same clothes from their escape from Serenity, NM. My question is why didn't they change at McNally's, Randy's school? I understand the girls not changing for lack of clothes, but couldn't they have borrowed some clothes from Randy's dorm? Especially the boys, since Randy is Eli's best friend? Or even the Nurse's office, since she'd have to have scrubs or something (but who would wear those?) 

 

Be blessed,
Jade

[Jade]

Another. Masterminds, Criminal Destiny, Page 224

Amber says that they can't take the pool truck to Texas, because it's been reported missing. I understand that they give it a makeover afterward, but why do they not just go retrieve the Bentley? I know it's 80 miles away, but Texas is 300 miles away, and the Bentley is so much better quality than the Splash! truck.

[Jade]

On the note of Masterminds; I knew Hector was not dead. From when he said he was not a coward and from when he was skateboarding and did the hill in 2.5 seconds of hesitation when it was 2.5 years of hesitation for Malik, I knew he wasn't a coward! So him jumping off the truck? I knew he did it. I'm glad he found the rest of them, and I can tell he has matured already. You can clearly see how much these kids mature throughout the series, even Malik, and I'm only on the second book. It's amazing what naivety does to people. Amber is my favorite character!

 

[Jade]

I just read about what Hector did, and I kind of wish he was dead.

[Gordon Korman]

Wow! OK, here goes.

1. They probably did change clothes, or pick up some outfits, or (last resort?) did their laundry. They also did a little work here and there, and earned enough to buy some fresh clothes.

2. The Bentley was "hotter" than any pool truck could be. Plus a repainted old truck could be any one of a million vehicles, but a Bentley is something very special, and is sure to attract attention. And anyway, the old girl was looking for them in it.

3. & 4. Have mercy for poor Hector. He thought he might be the only survivor. And if the others survived, he thought they had abandoned him. He was just trying to survive -- not in a nice way, but still ...

I'm glad you like Amber. You're probably like her, adventurous and creative. My personal favorite is Malik, because I find he turned out very human.                                                                                     -----GK-----

[Jade]

1. Last resort, LOL. I don't like to do my laundry either. Ok!

2. Good point. A police officer might pay a little too much attention to a quarter-of-a-million-dollar car and notice there is a thirteen-year-old driving. I'm shocked they knew all the driving rules too. Good job, Malik and Eli!

3 & 4. He used to be my 2nd favorite character (after Amber, we all love Amber) and now he is my 6th, because Steve is better than him. I really like Steve. He actually has a heart and loves Tori even though he's not supposed to! And Hector! He was so obsessed with Malik in the first book, I can't believe he just betrayed the dude he would borderline stalk for the first thirteen years of his life. Or twelve, not sure when Hector was born. Speaking of, when is Tori's birthday? Hector will not have mercy. If he was real, I would hug him so hard he fainted! But not really. I'd hug him really hard and then look at him really mad. Then make him go apologize! Then I'd boop him on the nose, but in a mean way, and a little hard. And then I would make him go apologize to Malik personally. And then I'd give him a brownie and he'd be my 2nd favorite character again. But I can't do that, so he's still my 6th. Ugh!

 

Me too. You know, a few of your girl leads are very similar but contrastingly different. But I noticed that they are always strong-hearted. First, D-something, maybe Destiny, Daphne, Dominique, Dorito, I don't know, from Slacker was obsessed with being good to animals and that jazz. Then, Chloe? No, Grace, was obsessed with super nice and happy meditation yipee no phones vegetarian dog, and she was strong-willed with that too. Then Amber, who is basically her, but she's actually way nicer but still gets her way, which is why Amber is my favorite. I've also read your other girl leads. That girl that Griffin gets with, Emma, in Showoff, is like Amber but the mean version, and snootier, but I still like her. They're all basically "strong and independent", but they actually are and they don't self-proclaim it. But that's the only thing these girls have in common. You can clearly see their personality through the books. D-something is entirely different from Grace and they are both entirely different from Amber, and they are all contrastingly different from Emma. So anyway thanks. I am very adventurous and creative! I'm like Tori in the way she can see details nobody else seems to notice, but I'm like Amber in everything else except the anger department... I get really mad in my head but the worst I would do to someone is hug them really tight. Either way Malik is amazing, but he's still my 4th favorite. But I hold Steve on a very high pedestal, as my 5th favorite, and Malik is better than him so Malik is still very amazing. My favorites, in this order, are Amber, Eli, Tori, Malik, Steve, and Blake Upton. I really thought he was a real person until I looked him up. Good job! 

 

P.S. I really love Masterminds. It took me forever to actually start the books, but now I'm more than halfway through the last book of the trilogy. Criminal Destiny is my favorite. What is yours, out of the three?

[Gordon Korman]

Hi!

Glad MASTERMINDS is making an impression. I thought it would. And I'm very pleased with your assessment of my female characters. It's hard to represent girls, never having been one. But they're people first, and I like strong, even opinionated and hard-to-get-along-with people. They're interesting.

Out of the 3 MASTERMINDS books, I like the first one best, because setting up the mystery of Serenity and just who and what the kids were, plus how they figured it out, was really challenging, but very satisfying. I'm proud of the series.    ---GK---

[Jade]

This is late, sorry. It is funny because when I read "Hi!" I actually waved. At my phone. LOL.

 

As I write this, I have now finished reading Masterminds. It made a huge impression on me! I've said this already, but wow, your characters are so real. Are they based off of people you know in real life, because you write them so well. I actually had a certain tone of thought, not even voice, for when I read Eli, Malik, Tori, and Amber. I'm not sure how my mind made those tones, because they're not even voices! All of your characters think so differently, they are so well developed. You thought right about it making an impression. I'm so glad I bought it. (Thanks mom!) 

 

Yes, people like that are very interesting. I like the first book two, the set-up is cool. It was very satisfying! There was an actual change in the air when I read them all figure it out! I wonder what happened to Mr. Delaney's ex-wife. She's certainly not Mrs. Delaney anymore. I'm proud of the series too!

 

Malik is definitely the funniest character. I laughed three times at some of the things he said in Masterminds, Payback alone. And I mean I actually laughed out loud! Some of the jokes I hear don't make me laugh like that. Especially the bomb one, where he's being mean to Amber because she's being judgemental to them for breaking the law. It is so funny!

Technically not seasick, but definitely sick of the sea. -- That one got me. Bad. I love Malik. (But Amber has my heart. Maybe he's not my 4th favorite... He's bumped his way up two.)

Oh, and Hector! I've got a soft spot for that traitor. Now, it's

1. Amber 

- She's a girlboss, amazing, super cool, but kind of judgemental (okay really judgemental) but she's a nice person.

2. Malik

- He's a bully but also the softest and funniest bully I have ever heard of, and bullies are usually funny

3a. Eli

- I like him. No other reason. I just like him (tech0-nerdo)

3b. Tori

- He's tied with Tori because I like Tori. She's so funny-witty. Not funny-funny like Malik, who immediately reminded me of Leo Valdez from Heroes of Olympus (my favorite character ever) (even more than Keefe Sencen in Keeper of the Lost Cities). Anyway, Tori is an artist, a kid just like me, and I don't know. I just like her! 

4. Hector

- Yes he bumped himself up a spot. But I still don't like him a lot, but of course, I'm too soft for the underdogs. His relationship with Malik is to die for. Best friends but not, but still. Love it!

5. Steve

- He actually loved his child even though she's not his child. Torifically Steve, he is! Such a chill dad and he did a lot for Tori even if it wasn't in the right way. I love this guy.

I still kind of can't believe Masterminds is over!

[Gordon Korman]

I appreciate the commentary, Jade. Actually, there's a groundswell of people begging me to continue the series. But I think it really is over, don't you? I think their future is bright, and it's also together.                      -----Gord-----

[Jade]

Yeah. Groundswell? That's a really cool word. But I agree. I think it's over, because if you continued it, it wouldn't be Masterminds. Their future is pretty obvious being happy teenagers. Now that you bring it up, that  ending was so satisfying 

[Gordon Korman]

Yay! You agree with me!        -----GK-----

[Ruchama]

Hi Gord! Me and my dad finished Criminal Destiny and we had an argument about why they didn't take back the Bentley, And now I can tell him why. Are the criminals they are cloned from fake? If they are fake, what was the inspiration from? Are they based off from real people? Is ths prison where they find Hector real? 

Ruchama 

[Gordon Korman]

Hi, Ruchama,

Not "Fake," exactly, but fictional. Like the prison. The inspiration was simple: it was all story-driven. It may sound a little contrived, but once I had the characters and the idea for the "perfect" little town, the experiment, etc., the story almost developed on its own.

BTW, I think it's great that your Dad is reading with you. It's so helpful, and fun, to be able to discuss your thoughts as they come up. Lucky you!                                                                 -----Gordon Korman-----