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I Am Number Four
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Read I Am Number Four
Lorien Legacies: Book 1

I Am Number Four (2010) (edit title/settings)

by Pittacus Lore (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We feel like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies... read more

Summary edit see section history

John Smith is not your average teenager.
He regularly moves from small town to small town. He changes his name and identity. He does not put down roots. He cannot tell anyone who or what he really is--one of eighteen survivors from his home planet Lorien, living on Earth until he and the... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

John Smith is not your average teenager.
He regularly moves from small town to small town. He changes his name and identity. He does not put down roots. He cannot tell anyone who or what he really is--one of eighteen survivors from his home planet Lorien, living on Earth until he and the other eight like him grow strong enough to challenge his planet's invaders, the Mogadorians. But he's not ready yet, which is why he has to keep running. If he stops moving, those who hunt him will find and kill him.

But you can't run forever.

So when he stops in Paradise, Ohio, John decides to try and settle down. To fit in. And for the first time he makes some real friends. People he cares about, and who care about him. Never in John's short life has there been space for friendship, or even love.

But it's just a matter of time before John's secret is revealed. But to who? The Mogadorians or the ones he loves?

There were nine. Three are dead. He is Number Four. He is next.

He should have run. But he couldn't leave behind life in Paradise, Ohio, couldn't leave behind Sam, the one true friend he's ever had, or Sarah, the girl he loves and who loves him back. He was tired of running. He wants to fight, but is he ready?

And then the Mogadorians attacked.

After teaming up with Number Six, who has finally found him; Henri, his Cêpan, or guardian; his dog Bernie Kosar, who is actually a chimæra from Lorien; and with some help from Sam, Sarah, and Mark, an unlikely ally, they manage to survive for the most part, but not everyone. Number Four and friends manage to escape, but lose Henri in the process. He, Number Six, Bernie Kosar, and Sam are now off to somewhere far away from Paradise, Ohio, but have to leave behind Sarah. Where can they prepare for their next battle? Do they make it that far? Do they find the others? Find out more by reading THE POWER OF SIX

Characters edit see section history

  • Number Four: aka John Smith. Main character. The fourth of nine children who were evacuated to Earth after Lorien, their home planet, was destroyed. He is currently living under the assumed name of John Smith. He has a Cepan named Henri to protect him.
  • Henri Smith: One of the Lorien Cêpan, Henri is Number Four’s Cêpan (i.e. his guardian). As part of their cover Henri presents himself as John Smith’s father. Henri and Number Four have a very tight bond.
  • Sarah Hart: The human girl Number Four (John) develops feelings for. She loves photography and is friendly to everyone. She also has feelings for John
  • Mark James: The former boyfriend of Sarah Hart and a football player. He treats Sam and John horrible in school; he's a bully. He is the quarterback.
  • Sam Goode: A classmate of Number Four/John's who subscribes to a number of Alien conspiracy theory publications. Quickly Number Four becomes best friends with Sam. Sam lives with his mother.
  • Bernie Kosar: A stray dog that John/Number Four has taken in as a pet. He was apparently given this name by a previous owner, as the name was on a dog tag. He is extremely loyal, even following John to school.
  • Number Six: A female and the sixth of nine children that were evacuated to Earth as their home planet Lorien was being destroyed.
  • Mr. Harris: The principal of the school John/Number Four attends in Paradise. Mr. Harris is the type to over look things some of his favorite students do.
  • Emily Knapp: Sarah's friend who Sam has a crush on, and she seems to like him back.
  • Mrs. Burton: Number Four's (John Smith) astronomy teacher.
  • Kevin Miller: A huge football offensive lineman and one of Mark's friends.
  • Number Three: One of the 9 from Lorien. He lived in Kenya until the Mogadorians found and killed him in the beginning of the book.
Show all 12 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “There's always hope...New developments have yet to present themselves. Not all the information is in. Don't give up hope just yet.”
    Henri
  • “When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.”
    Henri
  • “I'm in high school. I'm the new kid. It's easy.”
    Number Four (John Smith)
  • “No one, and nothing, will ever hurt you as long as I'm alive.”
    Number Four (John Smith)
  • “And even if we were hunting vampires, what the hell is the Silly Putty for?' He shrugs. 'Just want to be prepared.”
    John (Number Four) and Sam
  • “We don't have to be defined by the things we did or didn't do in our past. Some people allow themselves to be controlled by regret. Maybe it's a regret, maybe it's not. It's merely something that happened. Get over it.”
    John Smith (Number Four)
  • “I don't know where you have to go or what you have to do, but I'll wait for you, John. Every bit of my heart belongs to you, whether you ask for it or not." I pull her to me. "And mine belongs to you," I say.”
    Sarah and John Smith (Number Four)
  • “We'll be together yet, I tell her. And until that day you'll be in my heart and my every thought.”
    John Smith (Number Four)
  • “-Siempre hay esperanza, Henri - <...> -Es lo último que se pierde - dice Henri-. Cuando has perdido la esperanza, lo has perdido todo. Y cuando crees que todo está perdido, cuando todo se ve gris y sombrío, siempre hay esperanza. <pp. 333>”
    John Smith & Henri (Number Four)
  • “Aside from the dagger in my arm, yes, I'm fine”
    Number Six
  • “Henri reaches out his hand and Six shakes it. "It's shit good to see you again."" Damn good," I correct him, but he ignores me.”
    John Smith & Henri (Number Four)
  • “Because when the battle comes, we're going to be greatly outnumbered. Fire will be one of your great allies in war. You need to learn to fight while burning.”
    Henri
  • “Do you even need glasses, Sam?' He shrugs. 'Not really.' 'So why do you wear them?' 'They were my dad's.' I put them back on. 'Wow, I don't see how you can even walk straight with these on.' 'My eyes are used to them.' 'You know these will screw up your vision if you continue wearing them, right?' 'Then I'll be able to see what my dad saw.”
    Four
  • “I reach over and grab one of the cauldrons, thrust my hand into it and pull out a burning piece of wood with a pointed end. It's cool to the touch, but the fire burns on, sweeping over and around my hand. I hold the piece of wood like a dagger.”
    Four
  • “I turn the hot water all the way up and don't bother with the cold at all. I don't feel a thing. My entire body is now impervious to heat. It feels like lukewarm water is streaming over my skin, and I actually miss the feeling of heat. I used to love taking hot showers. Standing under the water for as long as it lasted. Closing my eyes and enjoying the water hitting my head and running down. It took me away from my life. It let me forget for a little while.”
    Four
  • “On the right is the ocean, on the left is the gulf; it is, in essence, the same water, but with two different names. I have the urge to cry, but I don't. It's not that I'm necessarily sad to leave Florida, but I'm tired of running. I'm tired of dreaming up a new name every six months. Tired of new houses, new schools. I wonder if it'll ever be possible for us to stop.”
    Four
  • “"There's no escaping them right now," she says. "It means you're going to have to fight."”
    Six
  • “Let's not forget what they did to us that day”
    Number Six
  • “"In the backyard the trees stand sentinel around us, frozen branches like figurines of hollow glass, an inch of a fine white powder piled atop each one."”
    -John Smith (Number Four)
  • “The price of a memory is the memory of the sorrows it brings”
    Henri
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • Don’t give up hope just yet. It’s the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.”
    Highlighted by 1726 Kindle customers
  • We don’t have to be defined by the things we did or didn’t do in our past. Some people allow themselves to be controlled by regret. Maybe it’s a regret, maybe it’s not. It’s merely something that happened. Get over it.”
    Highlighted by 1718 Kindle customers
  • he who doesn’t understand history is doomed to repeat it. And when it’s repeated, the stakes are doubled.”
    Highlighted by 1518 Kindle customers
  • In the beginning we were a group of nine. Three are gone, dead. There are six of us left. They are hunting us, and they won’t stop until they’ve killed us all. I am Number Four. I know that I am next.
    Highlighted by 1237 Kindle customers
  • “When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.”
    Highlighted by 1222 Kindle customers
  • “And even if we were hunting vampires, what the hell is the Silly Putty for?” He shrugs. “Just want to be prepared.”
    Highlighted by 1065 Kindle customers
  • Henri always said: the price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.
    Highlighted by 977 Kindle customers
  • On Lorien there were two types of citizens, those who develop Legacies, or powers, which can be extremely varied, anything from invisibility to the ability to read minds, from being able to fly to using natural forces like fire, wind or lightning. Those with the Legacies are called the Garde, and those without are called Cêpan, or Keepers.
    Highlighted by 855 Kindle customers
  • Pittacus Lore, the greatest of them, their leader, had assembled them before the attack.
    Highlighted by 756 Kindle customers
  • “New developments have yet to present themselves. Not all the information is in. Don’t give up hope just yet.”
    Highlighted by 725 Kindle customers
Show all 30 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Paradise, Ohio: Small town in Ohio that Number Four currently calls home under the name of John Smith.
  • Athens, Ohio: A town two hours away from Paradise.
  • Southern Florida: Where Number Four used to live under the name Daniel Jones before moving to Ohio and assuming the name John Smith.
  • Earth: One of the eighteen life sustaining planets in the universe and the second closest of these to Lorien. It is ten times the size of Lorien and five times the size of Mogadore. The surging Loric are hiding here before the war between them and the Mogadorians continues.
  • Lorien: The planet that Number 4 and Henri came from.

Organizations edit see section history

  • Mogadorians: A species of aliens who have a desire to advance their species, no matter the cost--whether it be their home planet Mogadore, now ruined, or Lorien, a planet they battled and defeated, also now ruined. They now hunt for the remaining Loric, nine Garde and their Cêpan.
  • Garde: A Loric race that develops legacies, or special powers, to protect and defend their planet. The nine are these.
  • Cêpan: Loric without legacies who run Lorien and protect the Garde. Each of the nine had one Cêpan when they arrived on Earth.

First Sentence edit see section history

The door starts shaking.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapter 1 - 34
About the Author
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher

Glossary edit see section history

  • Mogadorians: Evil beings who are out to destroy everyone in their path.
  • Lorien: John's home planet which has been ravished by the Mogadorians.
  • Loric: Inhabitants of the planet Lorien.
  • Legacy: A special power of the Garde which develops with age.
  • Cêpan: A guardian of a Garde who helps them in training. Henri is John's Cêpan or guardian.
  • Garde: Lorics who develop special powers and are trained by their Cêpans. John/Four is one.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 14 in Lorien Legacies. (standard series)

Followed by The Power of Six.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Pittacus Lore (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Olga Martin (Translator) - Spanish Translator
  2. Paolo Scopacasa (Translator) - Italian Translator
  3. Irmela Brender (Translator) - German Translator
  4. Marie de Prémonville (Translator) - French Translator
  5. Neil Kaplan (Narrator)
  6. Adam Kaplan (Narrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper
Country: USA
Publication Date: August 3, 2010
ISBN: 978-0061969553
Page Count: 448

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ7.L87855 Iae 2010
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Contains some violence and some mild/moderate language.

Movie Connections edit see section history

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