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beccadavies's review against another edition
4.0
David McLean lived a long and spectacular life but there was still so much he wanted to do but for some reason or another, couldn't. So when he died, he passed on his bucket list to his seven grandsons. Each boy was given a task in a secret envelope and told not to tell anyone about it. Each adventure is different but each boy gets something out of the experience.
Adam Murphy is David McLean's only American grandson. His task was actually three-fold but all took place in the south of France- where his grandfather was stationed as a pilot for a time during the war.
His first task: go find the family that saved David McLean from the French Milice (French Nazis) and tell them they are in possession of a Van Gogh painting. They thought it was worthless but it hangs in their barn. David McLean himself was tempted to steal it and avoided that area long after the war as he felt shame for these thoughts.
His second task: find the rock that David McLean gave to this friend, author of the Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Expery to confirm that the wrekage found in the early 2000s was indeed the plane that he was flying in (and also to confirm that the friendship was a true one).
Task three: See what no public person has seen before- go the the Chauvet Cave and see the images crafted over 30,0000 years ago.
I really enjoyed the tasks and following Adam on his adventures through France. I loved the fact that this Canadian author made his protagonist American. It made it funnier and I loved how it kept refering back to Canadians in humourous ways.
The whole premise of the seven books is just such a brillant idea I keep thinking "why hasn't it been done before?!" The fact that its Canadian means even more to me.
The only reason I'm giving it four stars out of five is that it was just a little too unrealistic. Yes I know its suppose to be a mystery for boys and a little out there and all but I felt that Adam met too many nice Frenchmen who were more than willing to help him out when the reality would have been very different indeed.
I think what I liked the most about the book was the fact that it introduced me to parts and history of France that I knew very little of and now have a curiousity about. If this was the author's intent, he did a very good job of it.
The book has just enough adventure, mystery, action and even romance to keep any young teen or pre-teen boy hooked.
My first book in the series and looking forward to reading another!
Adam Murphy is David McLean's only American grandson. His task was actually three-fold but all took place in the south of France- where his grandfather was stationed as a pilot for a time during the war.
His first task: go find the family that saved David McLean from the French Milice (French Nazis) and tell them they are in possession of a Van Gogh painting. They thought it was worthless but it hangs in their barn. David McLean himself was tempted to steal it and avoided that area long after the war as he felt shame for these thoughts.
His second task: find the rock that David McLean gave to this friend, author of the Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Expery to confirm that the wrekage found in the early 2000s was indeed the plane that he was flying in (and also to confirm that the friendship was a true one).
Task three: See what no public person has seen before- go the the Chauvet Cave and see the images crafted over 30,0000 years ago.
I really enjoyed the tasks and following Adam on his adventures through France. I loved the fact that this Canadian author made his protagonist American. It made it funnier and I loved how it kept refering back to Canadians in humourous ways.
The whole premise of the seven books is just such a brillant idea I keep thinking "why hasn't it been done before?!" The fact that its Canadian means even more to me.
The only reason I'm giving it four stars out of five is that it was just a little too unrealistic. Yes I know its suppose to be a mystery for boys and a little out there and all but I felt that Adam met too many nice Frenchmen who were more than willing to help him out when the reality would have been very different indeed.
I think what I liked the most about the book was the fact that it introduced me to parts and history of France that I knew very little of and now have a curiousity about. If this was the author's intent, he did a very good job of it.
The book has just enough adventure, mystery, action and even romance to keep any young teen or pre-teen boy hooked.
My first book in the series and looking forward to reading another!
curiosityp's review against another edition
2.0
This is the first book I've ever read where the plot is captivating while I dislike the main character. Sure, he comes to appreciate things in the end but he starts out as an asshole.
pussreboots's review against another edition
2.0
http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2015/comments_11/last_message.html
amdame1's review against another edition
3.0
An excellent hi-lo read-alike for the Alex Rider series.
When Adam’s grandfather passed away, he left behind some very specific directions for his grandsons to follow. Adam is sent to France to complete 3 tasks that are dangerous, difficult – and possibly even illegal. As if the tasks weren’t hard enough, Adam is also forced to reflect on his own and his grandfather’s fallibility.
When Adam’s grandfather passed away, he left behind some very specific directions for his grandsons to follow. Adam is sent to France to complete 3 tasks that are dangerous, difficult – and possibly even illegal. As if the tasks weren’t hard enough, Adam is also forced to reflect on his own and his grandfather’s fallibility.
canadianbookworm's review
4.0
This is the final book in Seven: the Series. I've read all the others starting with Between Heaven and Earth, then Lost Cause, then Jump Cut, then Ink Me, then Devil's Pass, and Close to the Heel. They've all been good, and because they're all written by different authors, very different from each other as well.
In this one, the grandson is Adam. Adam lives in Buffalo, New York, and his dad is a commercial pilot, and a veteran of the Gulf War. Adam's last memory of his grandfather is overhearing him say something that really hurt Adam. He feels that his grandfather was disappointed in him, and the task, or really series of tasks, that has been set for Adam is a test of a sort.
Adam is a good kid, plays sports and does okay in school, but has come to feel that being okay at a lot of things means that he isn't really good at anything. He has a girlfriend he likes, but still yearns for the girl that all the other boys want. He is kind to others, but doesn't see that as the character asset that it is.
As Adam works through the tasks, he constantly second guesses his actions, but his determination carries him forward. Adam's tasks take him to France, with his parents enjoying a vacation in Marseilles while he bases his movements from nearby Arles. There are links back to his grandfather David's time in World War II and the contacts he made then, including one with the famous writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. These experiences cause Adam to look at his actions and the choices he made and reflect on them in a thoughtful way.
In this one, the grandson is Adam. Adam lives in Buffalo, New York, and his dad is a commercial pilot, and a veteran of the Gulf War. Adam's last memory of his grandfather is overhearing him say something that really hurt Adam. He feels that his grandfather was disappointed in him, and the task, or really series of tasks, that has been set for Adam is a test of a sort.
Adam is a good kid, plays sports and does okay in school, but has come to feel that being okay at a lot of things means that he isn't really good at anything. He has a girlfriend he likes, but still yearns for the girl that all the other boys want. He is kind to others, but doesn't see that as the character asset that it is.
As Adam works through the tasks, he constantly second guesses his actions, but his determination carries him forward. Adam's tasks take him to France, with his parents enjoying a vacation in Marseilles while he bases his movements from nearby Arles. There are links back to his grandfather David's time in World War II and the contacts he made then, including one with the famous writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. These experiences cause Adam to look at his actions and the choices he made and reflect on them in a thoughtful way.
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