Kyle XY: Under the Radar
| Author | S. G. Wilkins |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Kyle XY |
| Genre | Science fiction & teen drama novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Publication date | January 2008 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 189 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-143033-6 |
| OCLC | 156816568 |
| Preceded by | Kyle XY: Nowhere to Hide |
| Followed by | 'Kyle XY: Novel #3' |
Kyle XY: Under the Radar is an original novel based on the hit ABC Family series, Kyle XY. As a novel designed primarily as a "tie-in" to the television series, Kyle XY: Under the Radar follows many of the same themes present in Kyle XY's second season concerning Kyle Trager. The novel is set a few days after the bonfire in the episode The List is Life. Similarly to the previous novel, each of the Trager children, Josh and Lori have their own parts in the plot, though as a whole the book focuses on Kyle. Also bearing a similarity to the first novel is a sub-plot. While the sub-plot in Nowhere to Hide focused on Tom Foss, Foss now acts as Kyle's trainer, and the sub-plot concerns a mysterious new girl known as Jessi Hollander.
Plot
The story once again begins with the rather strange life of Kyle Trager. A few days after the bonfire and the release of the infamous "list," Kyle is trying reconnect with Amanda Bloom, while Lori struggles with her own relationship to Declan, who has become distant unexpectedly. After a freshman student cuts through a park near the school, he finds himself being chased by a football jock, who catches up with him on school grounds and brutally attacks him. When Kyle sees the student in trouble, he immediately steps in and delays the larger and more muscular jock with ease.
Immediately Kyle's popularity rises, which quickly has an unintentional effect on Josh, who has grown jealous of Kyle's new status. Kyle's popularity jumps once more when he is nominated for school student government president. Once learning of the job and responsibility required, he believes he can live in Baylin's words and make a difference, while also winning back Amanda. Josh grows even more jealous of Kyle and wants to find a way to get himself noticed, against Andy's best advice.
While Kyle is excited at the thought of becoming school president, his trainer, Tom Foss, disagrees. Foss believes that the election could be a trap meant to lure Kyle out into the open. Foss attempts to teach Kyle to see through an object, a talent Baylin used only once and discovered shortly before his death. Upon the end of the training session, Foss presents Kyle with Baylin's journal hoping it will bring Kyle to his senses, but the early entries only exaggerated Kyle's quest to make a difference.
As Kyle prepared to run for the election, Lori used her newly self-appointed position as campaign manager to avoid thinking about her failing relationship with Declan, and avoid the fact that she really isn't over Declan. Josh attempts to hatch a scheme to bring himself into the center of attention, as everyone goading over how awesome Kyle was had begun to prey on his mind. Against Andy's judgment, Josh sneaks into the school at night and steals the donkey and elephant stuffed animals put out every year during the election, previously thought to be impossible.
On the day of the election, every student was impressed with the prank Josh performed, only another student tried to take responsibility; Josh foolishly told the students the prank was his own idea. As Kyle began his speech, the assembly chanted for a Trager, but Josh, not Kyle, and Josh was escorted from the assembly and disciplined. Kyle's speech went over extremely well, and it seemed Kyle was a shoo-in for victory, but when Kyle discovered a strange metallic device in his backpack, and read more of Baylin's journal, he realized how dangerous being in the spotlight had become. After flushing the device down the toilet, Kyle made his way to the votes room, attempting to prevent himself from winning, but a locked door stood in his way. Finally realizing what all his training had been for, Kyle used telekinesis to toss out some of his votes.
When being brought on stage to announce the winner, Kyle feels incredibly sick, collapses and goes into seizures. When the ambulance arrives, Foss sneaks aboard and changes Kyle's test and symptoms to dissuade any questions. Kyle realizes that he must stay under the radar to avoid bringing any danger to himself or the Tragers. Josh's parents reconcile with him, realizing that they all had got swept up by Kyle's success. Kyle was now prepared to focus on his training, finally committed, and keeping his secrets at all costs.[1]
Sub-Plot
Jessi Hollander is about to enter high school, and she feels incredibly confused at her life. After nearly strangling a boy to death at the bonfire, she cannot explain the strange flashes of the woods she sees from time to time. This is not the only thing troubling her: Jessi realizes that her sister makes mysterious references to a "Kyle", whom she happens to discover from a campaign poster, and seems fixated on bringing her to see the woman Jessi discovers is Kyle's mother, a psychologist named Nicole.
The more Jessi thinks about her life, the more she realizes she likes strawberries, yet never remembered actually tasting them, liked Avril Lavigne, but never remembers hearing the artist. All of her memories seem to be facts more than actually experiences, which her older sister Emily describes as part of her illness. Though Jessi half-heartedly accepts this, she begins to question her sister and what her fixation is with the Tragers.[1]
Trivia
- As in Kyle XY: Nowhere to Hide, each chapter of the book contains a secret message slipped into the text. They each present a name, number, or series-relevant piece of information. With the January 2008 release date, these notes in the book present new information and clues to not yet released information.
- Though the novel introduces Kyle's training regimen, it also mentions his practice to move objects without water in them, as well as see through objects. Though Jessi begins to use telekinesis without the object having water in it towards the end of season two, no mention of the x-ray vision abilities or training has appeared in the television series.
- Adam Baylin's diary is never referenced in the series, despite it being a major part of the plot of the novel.