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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Has the "Do not Read This" angle of The Series of Unfortunate Events, with the puzzles, code-breaking and backpack-carrying smart kids from The Mysterious Benedict Society, but offers more synesthesia and Alchemy than either of the other series. I liked the ending.
From a parents perspective, I wasn't too keen on the few sections where it talked about how important it was to be a good liar, all of which were followed by the main characters lying to their parents.
From a parents perspective, I wasn't too keen on the few sections where it talked about how important it was to be a good liar, all of which were followed by the main characters lying to their parents.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a lot of fun. I knew I would love the narrative voice from the first page and I was right. Perfect for anyone who likes Lemony Snicket. I will say it was sometimes surprisingly dark and complicated for kids, but overall I would recommend it to upper elementary/middle school (and I was excited that my recommendation inspired one of my students to check out of from the Library!)
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
I am aware that the book's intended audience is Young Adults and yet I thoroughly enjoyed it well into my twenties. There were some foreshadowing elements that I caught onto before they were revealed but even still, there were so many things to love about the book - references to different histories and cultures, science and its history, the narrator's fourth wall breakage, the list goes on and on.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't remember which of my students recommended this series to me, but it's a great adventure story if you're 11 or 12 and a nerdy girl, autistic boy, or have friends who fit either of those descriptions. It plays with the cliches of the genre, with (not too deeply) hidden identities, swaggering villains, and absent parents, but it also unobtrusively supplies our female hero with a gay couple as her grandfathers. I love how that's just normal!
The author "breaks the fourth wall"--that is, speaks directly to the audience--and it's funny that I've now read two books in a very short time that play with that technique. (The other was Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone). I see that most other reviewers either love that about the book or hate it. Some compare this book to the Lemony Snicket books, while others say there's no comparison. Personally, I found it amusing at moments and tedious at others.
The codes and cryptograms were so easy that even an adult could solve them!
The author "breaks the fourth wall"--that is, speaks directly to the audience--and it's funny that I've now read two books in a very short time that play with that technique. (The other was Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone). I see that most other reviewers either love that about the book or hate it. Some compare this book to the Lemony Snicket books, while others say there's no comparison. Personally, I found it amusing at moments and tedious at others.
The codes and cryptograms were so easy that even an adult could solve them!
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this as a child and have remembered it ever since. I reread it as part of the World Book Day Badge for Rebel Badge Club and loved it again, the narration style is really fun and charming and the storyline keeps you hooked. This series deserves way more hype than it gets!