THE MASKED READER: ‘The Hypnotists’ by Gordon Korman

By Gabe Gomes
The Masked Reader

Welcome to the reviewing of one of my favorite books. The funny thing about this, though, is that I had forgotten that this book had even existed — until a quiet Wednesday afternoon.

Let me explain.

I earned the book, called “The Hypnotists” by Gordan Korman, as an award for doing well in a reading competition at school. When I received the book, my first reaction (sadly) was “Wow, nice TITLE!” (Don’t judge me, OK? I know that I am not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but sometimes I can’t help it!) When I got home, I put it in the drawer, where it remained for the next five months. Until, you know, quarantine happened.

Chances are, if you are a book-lover, then you have shelves and shelves full of books. That is the bright side. The disadvantage of being a book-lover is that you have most likely read all the books in your collection at least 50 times. This fact, combined with quarantine, has made me read the same book at least 500,000 times, almost. On a Wednesday, however, right when I was ready to give in and collapse in total insanity and boredom, I found this book. And let me tell you, the story was so much better than the title.

In the book, a boy named Jax Opus has the power to hypnotize people with his eyes, whose color keeps changing. Eventually, his powers get recognized, and he gets accepted to attend an institute full of kids who also have the power to hypnotize. The head of the institute, Dr. Elias Mako, helps his students, including Jax, to use their abilities properly. Along the way, he finds some enemies, including Wilson, a bully who is envious of Jax’s abilities. (A kid who goes to a special school to learn how to use powers that he was born with? And he finds some enemies?! Guys, I’m getting a Harry Potter vibe here). Soon, however, Jax learns of a huge threat aimed at him, his loved ones and the entire United States of America. Even worse, the person behind it is the strongest hypnotist Jax has had to face yet.

In the end, I absolutely loved this book. It definitely belongs in my list of favorite books of all time. There is so much action, and there are moments where you have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen! It is an electrifying book that I would recommend to all kids that are old enough (at least 10 years old).

Ladies and gentlemen, it has been an absolute pleasure writing this for you. I hope you enjoyed it, because this is (unfortunately) the end of this article. Goodbye … for now …

If you enjoyed this review, my YouTube channel, “The Masked Reader,” features videos about this book and more. Check it out at youtube.com/c/themaskedreader.