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A review by jezzebelljc
The Invisible Tower by Nils Johnson-Shelton
4.0
Dr. Pepper Heads and Tom Thumb
I find Middle Grade reads rather invigorating because they can take you places that other books just can't with good clean fun.
The Good
The transition from old school legend to modern day gamers and technology in this book is fascinating. I don't know a child alive that wouldn't enjoy the idea that they could actually go into their video games. Now, what I know about the legend of King Arthur comes from the movie The Sword in the Stone so I'm aware that I only have one wonderfully colorful side of the story. It happens to be one of my favorite animated movies to date, and like that movie, this book has Merlin and King Arthur and a red-headed Kay although she is his sister. They appear to get along rather well for pre-teen siblings, but then again he is adopted.
This book follows Artie as he journeys to a video game store for a controller for his sister to use in a tournament and meets Merlin. It all goes wild from there. He is introduced to Tom Thumb and is on a quest for two incredible swords (one for him and one for sis). Excalibur in The Invisible Tower has a lot of awesome abilities. I don't want to go into a lot of detail and ruin it for readers, but I'm an adult and my 10 year old has been reading it, and we both enjoy the action and characters. Johnson-Shelton really knows how to talk to children and the child in us. I am not really sure what a Dr. Pepper head is, but I know that I love Dr. Pepper and definitely do things that people think are nerdy.
The Bad
While I grew close to a wide array of characters, there were some that felt flat.
The Romance
There is a little bit of crush action going on, but nothing really in the realm of romance.
Conclusion
This is a fun ride down a path in a modern world of video games, melded with an old school legend, riddled with obstacles, well-known names, and fun. Adults and kids alike that like these kinds of adventures will enjoy this book.
I find Middle Grade reads rather invigorating because they can take you places that other books just can't with good clean fun.
The Good
The transition from old school legend to modern day gamers and technology in this book is fascinating. I don't know a child alive that wouldn't enjoy the idea that they could actually go into their video games. Now, what I know about the legend of King Arthur comes from the movie The Sword in the Stone so I'm aware that I only have one wonderfully colorful side of the story. It happens to be one of my favorite animated movies to date, and like that movie, this book has Merlin and King Arthur and a red-headed Kay although she is his sister. They appear to get along rather well for pre-teen siblings, but then again he is adopted.
This book follows Artie as he journeys to a video game store for a controller for his sister to use in a tournament and meets Merlin. It all goes wild from there. He is introduced to Tom Thumb and is on a quest for two incredible swords (one for him and one for sis). Excalibur in The Invisible Tower has a lot of awesome abilities. I don't want to go into a lot of detail and ruin it for readers, but I'm an adult and my 10 year old has been reading it, and we both enjoy the action and characters. Johnson-Shelton really knows how to talk to children and the child in us. I am not really sure what a Dr. Pepper head is, but I know that I love Dr. Pepper and definitely do things that people think are nerdy.
The Bad
While I grew close to a wide array of characters, there were some that felt flat.
The Romance
There is a little bit of crush action going on, but nothing really in the realm of romance.
Conclusion
This is a fun ride down a path in a modern world of video games, melded with an old school legend, riddled with obstacles, well-known names, and fun. Adults and kids alike that like these kinds of adventures will enjoy this book.