Theresa Martin Golding

Macey's nickname is "Niner" because she is missing a thumb. She is unsure of her background because she's adopted, but she is pretty sure that she is of a biracial background. She doesn't exactly fit in with her blond haired, perfect sister, Deena. Since their mom left, Deena and Macey have a lot of time and questions on their mind. So, when Macey finds a locket that seems to be a clue to their mother's disappearance, they start on an investigation that may lead to danger. In fact, since the opening scene takes place at a funeral for an unnamed person, the reader is pretty sure that something bad will happen. There are a lot of cliffhangers and foreshadowings along the way, that will keep middle school readers wondering what will happen next.… (meer)

Macey has nine fingers, a deformity which earned her the nickname "Niner". But despite that, and the fact that her birth, foster, and adoptive mother all left her, life isn't so bad with her sister Deena and her father. But Macey can't help but blame herself for the absence of their mother. After all, Macey is the imperfect one. Macey isn't good at school. Macey is the one having evil thoughts.
One hot summer day, life brings unexpected excitement involving a locket, a fat kid, and a creepy man with yellow eyes.

Niner was interesting. I was a little skeptical of a girl who feels awful because she's missing a thumb, but when everything about her mother surfaced, it all made a bit more sense. The characters were realistic, especially Eugene (the fat kid). This is the first story I read who actually depicted an overweight person realistically. Even though the story was in first person (Macey's perspective), Eugene was very well developed. I could feel his insecurity and relate in ways, as I expect other readers will.

If you are reading for an highly developed plot, I wouldn't suggest Niner. But if you like books that deal more with emotions, I would suggest it. The arc is half internal and half external. Readers watch Macey's struggles as well as the physical trials surrounding the locket. I must admit, I got a little freaked out with the creepy guy. Maybe it was because I read it at night...

One thing that annoyed me was how Golding would, in all the mini story arcs, build things up and then it would turn out to be something that wasn't as... big... as I imagined it would be. You'll have to read it to know what I mean.

I'm glad I read Niner. It's different, definitely different from most of the books I've been reading lately. Oh, and the cover is really neat. So that's a plus :)… (meer)