Reviews

Moojag and the Auticode Secret by N.E. McMorran

aeonidon's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

jecinwv's review

4.0

MooJag and the Auticode Secret was sent to me by the publisher, a small press that publishes works by neurodivergent authors. This book is perfect for middle grade readers. MooJag follows a group of kids who live in the future. These kids don't have access to sugar but they do have access to high tech devices that help keep them well and safe. The kids meet MooJag, a mysterious person who leads them on a quest to a secret location where kids are being taken advantage of and must be rescued. The author has autism and based MooJag of off bedtime stories her parents would tell her. MooJag features a protagonist and several side characters with autism. MooJag can be a dark book but I think it raises a lot of good questions about societal advancement. CW for ableism and anti-autism chats on behalf of some of the villians in the book. I read this book for Disability Book Week.

anjasshelf's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Confinement, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death of parent

sanne_vds's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.5

Was a bit confusing sometimes, but really fun to listen to!! Absolutely love the fact that it was narrated by a neuro divergent cast ❤️

sternchenauge's review against another edition

I find this book really hard to understand, despite it being a middle grade book. I also find it confusing and I kept getting annoyed by it.

lails_x's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

karenaerts's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

nele_vds's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

In a world where everyone is treated the same, three friends met with a bizar little person called Moojag. He likes to talk in different languages, but prefers French,  enjoys to make silly dances and gives riddles to our friends. These riddles lead our trio of real worlders to an unreal place where they discover... 

I really liked it! Sometimes it felt a bit too explanatory in the descriptions of the Real World, the PIE skins, how the Auts function, etc. I loved how the writer was capable to make a story about autism where this isn't a problem. Everyone is his or her own person that deserves to be exactly as they are. 

meganmsmart's review

It's very whimsical, but I find it very hard to keep track of the characters and what's happening in general. I tried picking the book up many times, but the lack of coherent plot made it hard for me to stay interested. Other reviewers say that it has very good representation of various types of neurodivergence, which has a whole spectrum of traits, but I'm not very knowledgeable about neurodivergence so I will trust the other reviewers on that. It will probably keep middle school children entertained, and will be especially good for autistic and/or ADHD kids to see themselves reflected in a story without their neurodiversity being treated as a challenge or something to be looked down on. 

Just not the book for me, but definitely has its own important place in youth literature.
Won copy in Storygraph giveaway.

soog's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0