Kids with superpowers, exciting battles, and unexpected plot twists, “Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25” by Richard Paul Evans, captures a thrilling story in the genre of science fiction. This adventure highlights Michael Vey, a high schooler with tourettes, who was born with a spectacular ability to manipulate electricity. Besides him is his nerdy best friend, Ostin Liss, who views the SAT as a fun hobby. To tie the group together is Taylor Ridley, who has an amazing skill of reading minds. In the shadows is Dr. Hatch, an evil villain who wants to take advantage of the kid’s superpowers for mayhem. Throughout the story, the group sets out to find out the hidden secrets of their powers, only to discover something much darker.
An important aspect that made the story feel personal was when Michael finally stopped Jack and his crew from bullying him, using his powers the stop the situation. While this detail seems small, Taylor reveals that she, too, has powers, and both of them start to form a friendship. Not only does this scene portray friendship, but also a real-life experience that many of the audience can relate to. Additionally, this small fragment connected an important event in the story; Taylor gets kidnapped while searching for important birth records, ultimately leading Dr. Hatch right to them. This series of events introduces a new moment for readers, showing not only friendship but also how this book can feel unique to the reader.
As the book progresses, the story introduces the Elgen Academy, which is an old hospital where Michael was born. There resides Dr. Hatch, where he tries to convince Micahel to join his forces. In return, Michael refuses, and is sent to Cell 25–a chamber where electricity torture occurs–and his suffering begins. Despite being locked away, Michael escapes and must find his friends and try to stop Dr. Hatch from hurting them. This part of the story shows determination to the reader and gives more depth into what type of character Michael is.
While more epic fight scenes and twisting turns happen, one thing is clear: “Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25” not only shows the importance of friendship and loyalty, but also courage towards evil forces, such as Dr. Hatch. Overall, one valuable lesson that could be learned is that having great powers like Michael should be used for good, not bad.
