The Wrong Hands by Nigel Richardson Grades 7-9 272 pages Knopf August 2006 Hardcover     Fourteen-year-old Graham has extraordinary hands. They look different from your hands and my hands. He is uncomfortable with the attention this draws, so he keeps his hands in his pockets and out of view when he can. His hands also make noises that especially bother his dad. But what makes his hands extraordinary, he keeps a secret. It becomes more difficult for Graham to keep his secret after he moves to London. There, one day, Graham performs a feat that makes him a hero and, some say, a miracle worker. However, one co-worker has no qualms about calling Graham a freak. Unbeknownst to Graham, he was followed that day in London by a woman whose witness to what happened there creates a need in her to contact Graham. A part of her email to Graham reads, “You know how to contact me. If you choose not to, I will be forced to come and find you.” Having secrets in the family and from the family, being caught up in other people’s lies, and learning whom to trust and with what are issues Graham faces and learns to deal with. But Graham isn’t the only one with secrets in this story. He learns other people’s secrets; some are whispered to him, and some he figures out on his own then confirms. In the end of The Wrong Hands, secrets are going to be revealed to a lot of people, both family and strangers, and in a very big way. Author Nigel Richardson lives in London and writes for London’s Daily Telegraph. His book will not be in the wrong hands if your child likes a story packed with surprises and intrigue.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2006 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)