A novel for young adults rich in drama and lore...

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	• The Humming of Numbers Joni Sensel Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

If you are looking for something different to read, pick up a copy of THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS. Several things combine to make it a quite unique reading experience.

First, there is the setting - the 10th-century in a Celtic monastery. Most books I've read lately have been set in 2008 and have included the latest in modern technology. In THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS, the main character, Aidan, is in training to become a scribe. He lives at the abbey and is a novice monk. His days are spent following their strict rules and dreaming of the day he will be able to work magic with his calligraphy pen.

Next comes the magic. Aidan possesses a mysterious talent. He associates numbers with everyone he meets. It's almost as if each person emits an aura (hum) that communicates to Aidan. The story begins one day in the abbey when Aidan hears an eleven. Until that day he has never heard anyone above a ten. Most of those he meets hum the number three. From the moment Aidan meets Lana, her special number and her lovely face become the focus of his attention. As the story unfolds, it also becomes clear that Lana has her own unique magic, and Aidan hopes her magic can be used to save the lives of those around them.

Another element that adds a different dimension to this story is the presence of raiders attacking and pillaging the countryside around Aidan's abbey. Aidan's life is spared when he is sent on an errand away from the abbey. Lana insists on accompanying him, so she is safe as well. When the two realize the horrors that have destroyed the villages and killed many, they offer to use their talents to rescue the local lord's kidnapped young son. Complicating matters is the fact that Lana is actually the illegitimate child of the local lord and has been sent away to the abbey as punishment.

THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS is truly an escape into another time and place. It is filled with likeable characters whose lives revolve in an entirely different direction than ours. This book gives readers a peek into the past, into the world as it once was.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

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A novel for young adults rich in drama and lore...

Author Joni Sensel follows up her novel Reality Leak, a quirky contemporary fantasy for middle-graders, with The Humming of Numbers, an historical YA love story rich in lore, action, and mystery.

Aidan is a teenaged monk-in-training who meets a mysterious young woman named Lana. He is captivated by her in a way only he can feel and hear -- she hums of the number eleven, a very special, exotic number. Lana, in turn, is drawn to Aidan, and he soon learns she has special "powers" of her own -- she is a witch.

In a world long past, when barbarous Vikings could attack at any moment, books were a precious commodity worth dying for, and young love was often forbidden, Aidan and Lana band together to fight for their families, their villages, and their right to be together.

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beautiful and passionate

I was hooked into this book instantly and read it in one sitting. In the midst of reading oodles of fantasy while judging an award, I found the magical element of the numbers refreshingly unique. The wood witchery, too, not to mention the historical details. My favorite thing, though, was the sizzling chemistry between the two 10th-Century teenagers. I thought it was very truthfully rendered, romantic and suspenseful.
:-)

Good for Irish history fans but lacks spark

Teenager Aiden wants to be a monk so that he can become a scribe, rather than for love of God. He's an artistic young man who desires to illuminate text. He also possesses a strange ability. Objects, including people, hum of numbers. These numbers can give him some personality cues and such. As the book opens, he realizes Lana hums of eleven - the first human he's met with a number higher than ten.

Lana, a bastard daughter of the local lord, is forced to live at the abbey because she's something of a troublemaker. She possesses a sort of wood magic. She's a witch and a strong-willed girl in a time when those are dangerous things to be.

One day when Aiden is gathering apples to make ink and Lana is trying to run away, Vikings attack the abbey and village. They have also captured the lordling Brendan Donagh and are holding him for ransom. The two teenages devise a plan that uses their powers to rescue Brendan and make the Vikings leave.

Really, I cannot say much about THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS. I found it a bit boring and lackluster. There's some interesting thoughts about God, but that will probably make it seem more boring to younger readers. There are also references to rape that probably make the novel a bit too adult for the audience for which it is best suited. (In addition to finding it unsuitable for the intended audience, I felt Lana's rape did nothing to further the plot.) Most of the violence occurs off-page which allows it to remain appropriate for younger readers on that count. Fans of Irish history will probably enjoy THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS, but most other readers will probably be unsatisfied.

From In Bed With Books

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Beautiful and lyrical

This is book is a gorgeous story of two young people in early Ireland. The story is told from the POV of Aidan, a seventeen year old Novice Monk. That said, I think this book would mostly appeal to women and girls, because the romance is at the heart of this lovely tale.

It is a slim book, and easy to read in a single setting. Because of mild sexual situations (tastefully done), IMHO this book is more appropriate for older teens. Moms (such as me!) will love it as well.

reviews: page 1, 2

Aidan is poised to take his monastic vows?until a girl enters the abbey, one who hums of the number eleven. Aidan has the ability to hear the humming of numbers, a buzzing energy given off by living things. He is captivated and tormented by the mysterious girl, Lana, who has some unusual abilities of her own. How can he become a monk when his mind is filled with impure thoughts? Before he can begin to sort his feelings out, the Vikings raid. Only Aidan and Lana can save the village from certain, violent death?and only if they learn to trust in their mysterious talents. Joni Sensel?s richly imagined new novel is a compelling blend of fantasy and adventure.

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