Published on 12/5/2011

Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all. Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. In "Farsighted," by author Emlyn Chand, Alex must embark on a journey, with the help of the mysterious psychic next door, and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own,to change his future.

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand: Book Review

Blue Crown Press (2011)
ISBN 9780983930808
Reviewed by Chandler Dixon (age 13) for Reader Views (11/11)

In Emlyn Chand’s first novel in the “Farsighted” series, Alex Kosmitoras is a lonely high school sophomore, hoping to make friends. When he meets Simmi he has hopes he won’t be so lonely after all. Simmi is new in town, having moved from India and it seems that she is the only person in school who is interested in becoming friends with Alex. Soon Alex has someone to talk to other than the school bully, as Simmi proves to be a great friend.

Alex’s mother runs a florist shop called Sweet Blossoms, and tells Alex about a new neighbor in the shop next door, a psychic from New Orleans named Miss Teak. Alex is curious and goes to meet Miss Teak, and eventually also makes friends with both Miss Teak and her daughter, Shapri.

Soon Alex starts having visions of the future, hinting that Simmi is in grave danger. When he has his visions, he sometimes thinks that they are happening in real time. This leads to embarrassing outcomes, such as the time he is in the lunchroom at school and has a vision of Simmi choking. Alex rushes to Simmi and tries to perform the Heimlich maneuver, and is embarrassed in front of everyone in the lunchroom, since she isn’t really choking. Eventually he learns to recognize when he is having a vision and can distinguish what is real from what is in his vision.

Alex’s visions include nightmares, in which he watches Simmi being killed over and over again in every way you could imagine. He’s seeing visions of a man named Dax killing Simmi and other people. Sometimes Alex sees himself helping Dax kill people. In order to sleep, he takes to stealing sleeping pills from his dad.

In his effort to eliminate the threat to Simmi, Alex learns a lot about himself, his powers and how to develop and use them. He also discovers important information about his father and grows closer to his newfound friends.

Author Emlyn Chand presents a believable storyline, with a very realistic setting and people. The story moves smoothly, at a good pace, with lots of surprises that fit in well with the plot
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This book is for teens who like books about magical powers, and the process of learning how to use them. I enjoyed “Farsighted” very much and can’t wait for “Open Heart,” the next book in the series!