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A review by mrskatiefitz
Manhunt by Kate Messner
3.0
In the third (and possibly final?) book of the Silver Jaguar Society series, Anna, Jose, Henry, and British-born junior society member, Hem, find themselves in Paris, following the trail of the Serpentine Princes in the wake of a major international art heist. At first, the adult members of the society are very protective of the kids and leave them to stay in a French bookstore with a chaperone. When the adults go missing, however, the kids become their only chance of rescuing the Mona Lisa and stopping the Princes once and for all.
This is a plot-driven story, so it is no surprise that the strongest element is the plot itself. Though the writing style is very simple and straightforward, the plot line includes many twists and turns. Adult readers might see the twists coming, but most kids will be caught off guard and pleasantly thrown for a loop.
The story is carried mainly by dialogue. At some points, the dialogue flows very naturally and seamlessly works in the necessary exposition. At other points, when Hem is the speaker, the language becomes very mature in tone and the voice less believable as that of a child. There are also a number of adult characters who use pat phrases when speaking to kids that don't ring true either.
There are a number of threads in this story that are not completely resolved, which is annoying, particularly if this book is the last of the series. This book's adventure also comes to an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending which feels rushed and leaves too much room at the end of the story for unnecessary maudlin reflection over what the future might hold for the kids' friendship. Kids who read for the action might not even read the last couple of chapters.
Though there are a few moments of quality writing in this story, much of the book is simply mediocre. The one-dimensional characters who each only have one real interest (journalism for Anna, Harry Potter for Jose, video games for Henry and map-making for Hem) are hard to connect with and, at times, annoying in their eagerness to face danger. There is enough suspense to keep readers hooked until the mystery is solved, but it takes more than that to be truly successful as a novel.
Those who have read Capture the Flag and Hide and Seek will probably want to read Manhunt to satisfy their curiosity. Other action-adventure readers might be better off with a Boxcar Children book instead (Also, Messner might consider writing some nonfiction. The author's note was great and provided lots of interesting information in accessible language.)
This is a plot-driven story, so it is no surprise that the strongest element is the plot itself. Though the writing style is very simple and straightforward, the plot line includes many twists and turns. Adult readers might see the twists coming, but most kids will be caught off guard and pleasantly thrown for a loop.
The story is carried mainly by dialogue. At some points, the dialogue flows very naturally and seamlessly works in the necessary exposition. At other points, when Hem is the speaker, the language becomes very mature in tone and the voice less believable as that of a child. There are also a number of adult characters who use pat phrases when speaking to kids that don't ring true either.
There are a number of threads in this story that are not completely resolved, which is annoying, particularly if this book is the last of the series. This book's adventure also comes to an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending which feels rushed and leaves too much room at the end of the story for unnecessary maudlin reflection over what the future might hold for the kids' friendship. Kids who read for the action might not even read the last couple of chapters.
Though there are a few moments of quality writing in this story, much of the book is simply mediocre. The one-dimensional characters who each only have one real interest (journalism for Anna, Harry Potter for Jose, video games for Henry and map-making for Hem) are hard to connect with and, at times, annoying in their eagerness to face danger. There is enough suspense to keep readers hooked until the mystery is solved, but it takes more than that to be truly successful as a novel.
Those who have read Capture the Flag and Hide and Seek will probably want to read Manhunt to satisfy their curiosity. Other action-adventure readers might be better off with a Boxcar Children book instead (Also, Messner might consider writing some nonfiction. The author's note was great and provided lots of interesting information in accessible language.)