Review of I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore(aka James Frey) and Jobie Hughes

  I am Number Four is a great book, much better than the movie which left out so many things from the book.  The novel is about John Smith, a teenager who actually isn't "human" and whose name really named John Smith.  You see John is forced to assume different names because he and his guardian Henri are aliens who are on the run, after their home planet Loren is destroyed by Mogadorians, a race of evil aliens whose only aim to to kill John and the others who escaped Loren during the attack that left everyone they loved dead.

To protect the children who escaped, a charm is placed on them and this charm allows them to die only in the order of their numbers.  This charm protects them as long as they are separated from each other.  If they come in contact with each other the charm breaks.  Every time one of the Loriens die, a brand is burnt in the skin of the survivors as a way to alert them of the death.

John tries to fit in with humans but the only problem is now that he's coming of age he's starting to get his legacies or special powers.  It's sort of like alien puberty and the big problem is these changes can occur at any time and when they do supernatural events occur.

At the start of the story John and Henri are on the run and once they arrive to their new home John starts to fall in love with Sarah Hart.  John refuses to run when the Mogadorians track them down because he's in love.  Soon his secret is revealed and his friend Sam discovers that he's an alien.  In the end John, Sam, Henri and Number Eight (who shows up just in time) team up to fight the Mogadorians who killed her guardian and is set out to kill them.   Lots of action, romance in this exciting coming of age story.