The novel  ‘I am number four’ is written by Pittacus Lore and follows the story of an unusual teenager. He is from a distant planet similar to earth called Lorien. he is one of nine left of his race trying to survive and avoid contact with other deadly aliens looking to take over the universe. John finds it extremely difficult to manage both of his lives – happily living on earth, and fighting for his life against the aliens.

John Smith is the main character I found to be most interesting throughout the novel due to how he can stay so mentally stable while living a double-sided life. In one part, John lives like a normal teenager in normal life, but also another part, he has to constantly be watching over his shoulder and question every step he takes, as he is from another planet, and has to stay hidden due to the threat of another race of aliens called Modoriens. He also has to constantly move from town to town because if he does not, he has an extremely high risk of being tracked down and killed. The reason he is being hunted is because he has supernatural powers which have to potential to wipe out the other alien race – but that is not what he wants to do, he wants to live a normal life. He feels all the emotions of a normal human being, which makes it so difficult for him when he has to move, as he naturally creates friendships and relationships with other people. So when he is forced to move he has to cut ties and do his best to forget about all the bonds he has formed with his loved ones. His guardian, Henri says “It’s the little mistakes that lead to big mistakes.” for me, this shows the pressure that is placed on John to keep his true identity hidden, if he is to slip up once it could result in death.

A simple message I took away from the story was honesty, and to always be honest. John starts to gain feelings for a girl from a town in Ohio. As the book continues, john begins to become more attached to this girl, but he’s scared of what may come in the near future and if she will ever find out about his true identity. When the bullies from their local high school attempt to attack john and this girl, named Sarah. They were at a festival and decided to go for a walk. Sarah and John were then lured off the trail by one of the main bullies, Mark James. He and his friends then kidnapped Sarah and once again lured john to another planned location. Mark and his fellow bullies begin to beat up john while Sarah is restrained. John has been in this situation many times before and was trained to fight back on his home planet, however, he has been told to avoid using his powers otherwise Sarah, and others will find out what he really is. This eats away at john, as one side of him wants to save and protect the girl he loves, but another part wants to keep hidden, as much larger consequences will arise. John is eventually forced to use his powers and rescues her. Sarah becomes extremely suspicious and demands the truth from john. He explains the entire situation to her, and she replies with  – “Thank you for saving my life, and I don’t care what you are or where you’re from. To me your John, you’re the boy I love.” For me, this just shows that she loves him for who is. It also shows that it’s good to be honest because although you don’t know how a person will react it means there are no hidden secrets or lies between you and the other person, this forms a much deeper bond of trust and friendship. I believe this relates to most people and those who don’t should try and integrate it into their everyday lives.

A challenge that john had to face was defending his life. As previously stated john is an alien being hunted by another race of aliens called mogadorians. John is number four as the title implies, but three have been killed and now the mogadorians are searching for number four. This is why he has to continuously train vigorously. This challenge of determination can relate to anyone when faced with a difficult task. For example years 12 to 13 students might study extremely hard so that they pass their exam. This is why I believe the challenge that john faces, can relate to year and 13 students on a larger scale

For me, the title does not have any deep meaning within the novel, other than that he is the fourth out of nine left of his race and it is why the book is called ‘i am number four’.

I would recommend this to all ages as I believe normal people like us can take away lessons and learn new things by reading this. Johns attitude and honesty is definitely something we can all learn from and integrate into wider society to make the world a better place.