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Fascinated by reading and writing from a young age, Deanna Altomara has dreamed of publishing her own novel since the fourth grade. She is the published author of two middle-grade fantasy novels, Ageless and Pi. She has also won many awards on a national and international stage with Future Problem Solving, the Ayn Rand Foundation, and the Outdoor Writers Association of America. While she is working on a sequel to Pi, she takes frequent breaks to try new foods, go hiking, and embroider.
Reviewed by Melinda Hills for Readers' Favorite
Anna Glowntin really hates school. She is small for her age, does not remember facts and figures well, and is picked on by the other students. Ageless by Deanna Altomara follows Anna as she tries to navigate her school life while living for the time she spends with her parents and Marta, her grandmother. A new girl in school, Jennifer, a special girl with secrets of her own, recognizes certain qualities in Anna and befriends her. This leads to trouble, though, when the Police Stoppers test Anna to find out why she is special when no one else in her family is. Anna doesn’t understand what is going on and is increasingly overcome by a darkness during which she acts out, sometimes violently and with strange consequences. This leads to an international search where Anna and a group of Stoppers are discovered in caves under an old castle in Germany. The person responsible for the darkness and the creation of new Stoppers with special powers is about to get away so it will take the cooperation of all of Anna’s new friends to try to bring him to justice and save her from the darkness.
Deanna Altomara has created a unique alternate world filled with people called Stoppers – people who barely age after a certain point. Ageless is quite imaginative and touches on many of the issues elementary and middle school age children face such as parents who work extra jobs, the love of a special relative, the feelings of not fitting in, and wondering what life has in store when everything seems set against you. The bonus is that Anna finds acceptance which helps her learn to deal with the situation life has handed her so it is a great lesson that can benefit all readers. This is a book that is certainly well worth reading for the mystery, creativity, and the hope that works itself throughout the story.
