Series

Unleashed by Gordon Korman Review

January 16, 2015 by Daniel Johnston 2 Comments

Gordon Korman’s Swindle Series has been going on for quite a long time, and now the seventh book of the series has been released: Unleashed, in which Griffin Bing’s (aka The Man with The Plan) school is going an invention contest, and he’s competing against Darren Vader. There is thievery, breaking into government buildings, and knocking off the power grid for miles around

Summary

When Griffin starts getting congratulatory remarks at school one morning he can’t figure out why. Then he realizes it’s because his school is competing in a statewide invention contest. Because Griffin’s dad is an inventor, everyone figures Griffin is going to ace the contest. The problem: Griffin doesn’t know the first thing about inventing.

His worst nemesis, Darren Vader, however, goads him into the contest, and they even make a bet that whoever wins will write a script that the other will be forced to read to the entire school. Now Griffin really doesn’t want to lose.

When Melissa Dukakis, one of Griffin’s best friends and tech wizard, signs up for the contest for herself, Griffin is not pleased; he was expecting Melissa to help him. She’s about to agree, but then their friend Pitch comes in, fresh off not being allowed on the wrestling team because she’s a girl, and levels an outrageous accusation at Griffin that he’s being discriminatory. Melissa doesn’t know what to do, but now their group has split into two; the boys and the girls.

Savannah is having trouble with Luthor constantly chasing after a delivery truck, so Melissa invents a machine that emits a high-pitched noise whenever Luthor starts chasing that keeps him off the road. Savannah is overjoyed, but that doesn’t last too long when Melissa’s invention disappears.

Not that Griffin’s invention is going along too well, either. He’s trying to invent a silent vacuum cleaner, but for some reason it’s knocks out the electricity everywhere when he turns it on. Finally the team gets back together to help find Melissa’s stolen invention. Melissa is shattered and refuses to talk to anyone anymore.

The gang thinks Vader might have stolen the Hover Handler, as Melissa calls it, but he’s so confident about his own professionally made invention that they realize he’s not even worried that anyone could pose a threat to him. Their next target is their new neighbor, Mr. Hartman; or Heartless, as Griffin has dubbed him. When he moves in he no longer allows the kids to take a shortcut across his property to school, making an extra twenty minutes of work for them. He’s very suspicious of the government, and even worries that the Hover Handler was actually a means of spying on his house.

When they hear the noise of the Hover Handler emitting from Mr. Hartman’s house, they spy on it and eventually are forced to raid it in an attempt to take it back. But when they realize the noise is really coming from a piece of mechanical equipment, they wonder whether Mr. Hartman was right about the government all along: Did Uncle Sam really steal Melissa’s Hover Handler?

Review

Unleashed was good, combining typical Korman action and excitement with awesome plot twists and outrageous characters. The book also showed that the series may be growing a little old and not be as fresh as it once was.

What made the Swindle Series continually good, despite the fact that this is the seventh book, published seven years after the first one, is that Korman has managed to construct an entirely new and exciting plot in every book. I was a little wary about the last book, Jackpot, but Korman managed to keep it new and inject it with an entirely different storyline. The overall theme is not new here, with the plot of the team looking for a stolen item basically taken from Framed, to which the plot bears many similarities.

Griffin becoming an inventor, and his invention succeeding in a way he doesn’t want it to by sucking all the power for itself is hilarious. Many new characters in this book were also very funny, including Mr. Hartman, who has the floor plan of every government building a 100-mile radius, and the U.S. government itself.

The characters are becoming more important in the series, in the past being mostly a backdrop to the plot, and now being interesting and real enough to make an interesting story just on their own. It seems to me that Korman probably didn’t have too much trouble writing this one, since he’s gotten to know the team so well, but there are still tons of jokes and other cool things sprinkled throughout the pages. While the arc of the story may have been somewhat recycled, the characters and the actual details of the plot make up for it easily, Korman clearly giving 100% into making the whole book engaging and funny. We are still seeing new sides and actions from the characters all the time, instead of just recycling the same things, which continues to make the books interesting.

One weird thing is that Victor Phoenix, a big new character in the last book, is simply missing. Korman told me that he didn’t suspect anyone would miss Victor, and that the story isn’t really going in a continuous order. I’ve seen other people raising questions about Victor’s absence, however, and it is kind of shocking to see him simply gone, considering the fact that while Griffin is still the leader, Victor was sitting at lunch with the team through all of the previous book, and it only reasons that he still would.

I think the storyline works a lot better without Victor (after all, who wants more than one book of a guy whose main characteristic is that he was bullied?), but it would’ve been helpful to give some explanation like that he was on vacation or moved away or something like that. Victor’s disappearing act isn’t really that big of an idea, though, and it doesn’t really impact the strength of the book apart from being a little disappointing.

Overall, I love Unleashed, and any middle grade kid will like it. All the books in this series are pretty much equally good, with the possible exception of Showoff, and though some say that the series is getting old, Korman continually proves them wrong. He has said there is at least one more book, which I’ll be looking forward to. This is the first one that slightly lacked originality, but it’s still a great addition and it’ll be interesting to see other adventures Korman has up his sleeve for the team led by The Man with The Plan.

On the Run Series by Gordon Korman

January 7, 2015 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

Imagine if one day, in school, your house just happens to be on CNN. And FBI officers just happen to be raiding it, taking your parents away in handcuffs. Imagine if, before you know it, people all across the country are decrying them as the worst traitors imaginable.

That’s what happens to Aiden and Meg Falconer. Aiden (15) and Meg (11) have their world rocked upside down amidst charges that their parents, respected criminologists, helped aid and abet terrorists. Sure, their parents have an alibi that they were working for the CIA, under the guidance of agent Frank Lindenauer. The problem: Frank Lindenauer has disappeared, and the CIA say they never employed an agent by that name.

With their parents stuck in prison for life, Aiden and Meg are thrown on Sunnydale Farm, a prison farm that is run by the Department of Justice. One night a fire sets the place to burn, and Aiden and Meg realize that this is their opportunity to escape; and to prove their parents innocence. But how likely is it going to be, with the whole country, the FBI, and a bald assassin after them?

Book 1: Chasing the Falconers

Here we get the backstory, and the fire that engulfs Sunnydale. Aiden didn’t start it on purpose, but he didn’t exactly jump to stop it, either. He hurries and saves Meg, and they take off. They are forced to walk all night, and to steal clothes in order to remain inconspicuous. They travel a great deal, but the cops are after them and they are forced to team up with the manslaughterer, Miguel Reyes, in order to survive.

The Falconers in this book don’t really know what they’re going to do, but they figure that somehow they’re going to do what it takes to save their parents. We are introduced to Aiden as a cautious and practical, and Meg as brilliant and filled with unbelievable spunk, plus the gift of gab. We also meet J. Edgar Giraffe (their nickname for Emmanuel Harris, the massive FBI agent who put the Falconer parents away for life), and have a strange encounter with Hairless Joe, a man who is out to kill them.

Book 2: The Fugitive Factor

The series now starts to really pick up, Aiden and Meg trying to track down former associates of their Uncle Frank for leads. In this vein they head to Boston, where they attempt to meet with their Aunt Jane. She doesn’t prove helpful, but Aiden and Meg are able to enjoy themselves in a super luxury hotel thanks to their parents skymiles accounts that hadn’t been shut down.

Unfortunately, Meg gets captured, and Hairless Joe dresses up as a police officer to take her into custody. The book gets its title because they are now very well known as fugitives, making it dangerous for them to venture into public. Still, the Falconers prove resourceful and manage to not only solve a crime going on in their expensive hotel, but more importantly get information on the trail of Frank Lindenauer.

Book 3: Now You See Them, Now You Don’t

The third book has Aiden and Meg hot-footing it to LA on the basis of old driving tickets issued to their Uncle Frank. Unfortunately their skymiles accounts have been compromised, so the government is aware of their location and they are forced to hang out with a gang after Aiden saves the life of Bo, a gang leader. Although Meg grows close to the gang members, they are soon off put by the violence and killing that surrounds gang life. Still, Bo manages to come in for them and in a big way, and Aiden saves his life a second time.

In addition, Aiden and Meg learn more about Lindenauer, gaining access to an old locker of his that shows he may have been connected with the terrorist group HORUS. That may prove Lindenauer’s guilt, but that doesn’t mean their parents are out of the woods yet. Aiden and Meg also stumble into a vicious trap threat by Hairless Joe and narrowly escape with their lives.

Book 4: The Stowaway Solution

Aiden and Meg have to get from LA to Denver (where HORUS headquarters used to be located), but they have no cash and the whole city is on the lookout. They solution: Get shipped out by sea.

It proves to not be so easy, though, when they get caught stowing away and are forced to jump overboard during a massive storm. Aiden is badly hurt and captured, and it’s up to Meg to save him with none other than Emmanuel Hairless standing in her way. The next order of business is still to get to Denver unnoticed, where possible salvation for their family awaits.

Book 5: Public Enemies

This is the best book is the series. Aiden and Meg manage to steal a motorcycle and head unnoticed to Denver, where they are able to pick up some clues about HORUS. While resting in the library Meg is furious about the hatred the famous radio broadcaster Mr. Mouth is spewing at them, and dramatically calls him to set the record straight.

The FBI see them on a surveillance video and are heading over, but unfortunately Hairless Joe is already there, ready to kill them. This time he’s not giving up, and makes several brutal attempts on their life. Only the help of The Mouth and his millions of listeners can save the Falconers from certain capture. Aiden and Meg also learn the real identity of Frank Lindenauer…and Hairless Joe.

Book 6: Hunting the Hunter

Aiden and Meg now realize that the bald assassin after them is Frank Lindenauer, and the only way to exonerate their parents is to force a confession. They lie low out in a farm and try to draw Hairless Frank into a trap, but soon learn that it is not going to be so easy. Desperate, Aiden decides he’s going to sacrifice his own life to save their parents.

Meg is not going to allow that, so she goes to the FBI and turns herself in, arranging for them to show up at the suicide meeting between Aiden and the killer. It doesn’t look like Hairless Frank is going to wait, however, and a dramatic battle ensues with the fate of the Falconer family in the balance.

Review

This series is pure gold. It is by far the best adventure series Korman has done, and is reminiscent of the style of the books he wrote when he was younger. In fact, he himself has on occasion said On the Run is what he’s the most proud of.

This six book series is packed with intense and crazy action that will keep you guessing, on the edge of your seat, and barely able to wait to learn what happens next. I’ve read all six books many times and they’re still just as good as the first time I read them.

Aiden and Meg are very identifiable characters, and I especially like Meg, an eleven year old girl with almost unbelievable tenacity and strength and yet who seems very real. Even Emmanuel Harris and other characters along the way feel both intriguing and quite real-life.

This series is an absolute must, period. It is one of the best kids book series ever written. There is also a second series of three books, Kidnapped, in which Meg is taken and held for ransom. It’s definitely not on the same level, but it’s a very good series nonetheless, and anyone who enjoyed On the Run will be excited to read it.

Get Book 1 of On the Run on Amazon

Get Book 1 of Kidnapped on Amazon

Beware the Fish! (MacDonald Hall Series) by Gordon Korman Review

November 23, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Beware the Fish! by Gordon Korman is without a doubt the funniest book I have ever read in my life. This book is incredibly good, especially considering it was published when Korman was just 17 years old.

It is the third book in the MacDonald Hall series, but they need not be read in order to understand them fully. The story takes place at the Canadian Boarding School, MacDonald Hall, and centers on Bruno and Boots, two roommates who are always stirring up excitement.

Summary

At the beginning of this book, weird things are happening at MacDonald Hall; they’re having to eat cheaper food, and Bruno and Boots have to move into a new room (with eccentric genius Elmer Drisdale) because one of the school dormitories’ is closing. The school is running out of money, and fast.

Bruno is of course not going to let the school go down without a fight. He starts trying to come up with crazy ways to save the school. They fAdd Newigure that if they can do something spectacular, then the school will get publicity and be resurrected.

Conspiring with the girls across the street at Miss Scrimmage’s Finishing School for Young Ladies (especially the crazy Cathy and roommate Diane), Bruno sets a number of absurd plans in motion. The school tries to collect 40,000 pop cans to build the biggest popcan pyramid in the world. They also try to cash in on many of Elmer’s inventions, including a remote controlled aircraft and a cure for the common cold.

Unfortunately, they are also being tailed my Miss Scrimmage, the headmistress of the girls’ school. She has a shotgun, and Bruno and Boots are constantly running from her when she discovers them “terrorizing” her girls. Although Mr. Sturgeon, the boys strict headmaster who has earned the nickname The Fish for his fishy glare, knows about what Bruno and Boots are doing, he is so mad at Miss Scrimmage for her antics that he falls for their lies to turn against her.

During this time, Bruno is broadcasting on a TV that Elmer has invented, using a fish in the background for his picture and saying inane things such as, “The Fish could descend at any time! Beware the fish!” Even though Bruno believes that what he is saying is only being broadcasted on his little screen, in fact it is disturbing television and appearing on screens all across the county! The police decide to investigate, and send out Agent Featherstone, who believes that The Fish is a dangerous terrorist, and goes to great lengths to stop his Fish Patrol missions.

At the end, everything eventually converges into a literal explosion. Will Bruno and Boots save the school? And if so, how?

Review

This book is so funny, I find myself in laughing fits every time I read it. Agent Featherstone’s investigation and the ultimate police presence at MacDonald Hall is just hilarious. All the characters in this book are vibrant and fresh, and I always feel really happy after reading this book.

I’d say it’s best for kids (especially boys) from the age range 7-13. The only thing you have to be careful about is to get a good edition. I have an original 1980’s copy, and you can find many of them for cheap on Amazon, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that is still in good shape now that the book is out of print.

Gordon Korman is one of my favorite authors, and this is definitely my favorite book of his. Trying reading this book without collapsing into laughter. I dare you.

Go Jump in the Pool! by Gordon Korman (MacDonald Hall)

November 23, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Go Jump in the Pool! is the second book in the MacDonald Hall series, started by Gordon Korman when he was just twelve years old. This book was published when Korman was just 16 years old, and is one of the funniest he has ever written!

Summary

At the beginning of the book, the MacDonald Hall swim team gets destroyed by their rivals from York Academy because MacDonald Hall doesn’t have a pool. Although Bruno and Boots (the main characters) are able to get back at the “turkeys,” trouble is starting mount. Although MacDonald Hall is the number one academic school, some parents are thinking of switching their kids over to York Academy; including Boots!

Of course Bruno isn’t going to have any of that. He immediately sets about trying to get a pool for their school. The only problem: It costs $25,000.

That doesn’t deter Bruno, though. He’s not about to let his best friends become turkeys. He sets out to raise the money, enlisting the help of their friends Cathy and Diane from Miss Scrimmage’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, which is across the road. Bruno comes out with ideas such as having a bake sale, a talent show, and trying to set a world record. However, $25,000 is hard to come by.

Review

This book is hilarious all the way throughout. Bruno and Cathy are awesome characters, and there is no telling what they are going to do next. Go Jump in the Pool! shows boys and girls of incredible determination and spirit trying to save themselves and their friends.

This book, like many of Korman’s (especially his early ones), is not exactly realistic; it is instead quite rollicking and crazy, but this is exactly the point. There is not one event in the book that you could call impossible; all of them could happen, it’s just that the likelihood is about a million to one. There aren’t a lot of books like that which tell stories that are quite unlikely and yet you believe they could be real.

Although $25,000 is a lot today, it’s interesting to think what it would have been in 1979 when this book was written. $25,000 back then would be worth $82,000 today, a pretty incredible sum.

Reading the first book is a good starter to this one, but the truth is that not reading it won’t hurt your enjoyment of this story at all. Nevertheless, once you read of these books you’ll definitely want to read all of them! They’re that good.

Cahills vs Vespers Book 6: Day of Doom by David Baldacci

April 28, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Here it is. The end. One way or another.

Amy and Dan have been fighting against the evil Vespers for some time, but it wasn’t until the end of the last book that they realized the truth: Vesper One is trying to create a doomsday device to destroy the world.

For those of you who don’t know, Cahills vs Vespers is the second arc in the exciting series The 39 Clues. In the first arc Amy and Dan learn they are members of the most powerful family in human history. They embark on a quest around the world, fighting their vicious relatives to be the first to discover the secret of their families’ power.

In Cahills vs Vespers, Amy and Dan and the rest of the group face off against a rival family named the Vespers who want to rule the world for themselves (or destroy it).

Click here to learn more about The 39 Clues

Day of Doom is the last book of the series. All the secrets are revealed, all questions are answered, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Summary

At the end of the previous book Atticus discovers the Vespers master plan: To recreate a doomsday device designed by Archimedes. The ingredients necessary to activate the device were given by Dan and Amy to Vespers as ransom to keep the hostages alive.

Now the Vespers have all of pieces and are about to activate it. Already there are natural disasters happening all over the place.

Dan freaked out at the end of the last book and took the serum he had been assembling. However, Amy realized what he was trying to do and switched the serum with a harmless concoction.

Amy also became very upset and ran out of the room when she learned of the Vespers true intentions. How could she have been stupid to trade the lives of the hostages for the whole world?

The Cahill team have been doing some digging and learn that Isabel was not Vesper One, as they had thought, but Vesper Two. They also have ascertained that she is heading to Washington D.C.

They also try to chase after Isabel, but fall into her trap. Luckily, they are able to escape, but Isabel gets her hands on the serum. Dan also learns that Isabel has been posing as his dad and sending him messages.

The hostages (now including Evan, Ian, Jonah, and Hamilton) are being transported to the Rocky Mountains, but manage to escape and meet up with Amy and Dan. They arrive at the doomsday device at the same time as the Vespers, in time for a colossal fight.

Here is the moment that matters. The moment that the Cahills will trimuph over the Vespers once and for all or the world will be destroyed forever. Who is Vesper One? Will he destroy the world? How many will die? Will an old enemy end up saving the world?

Review

After enjoying this book, I was surprised to learn that it has received absolutely terrible reviews on Amazon. The current star rating is only 3.2/5, by far the lowest of any book in The 39 Clues series.

Although I understand the criticism, I have to disagree. I thought this book wrapped up everything very nicely. It did do everything quite rushed, but there was no way around it because of all the events that took place in the book.

Some people complained about the characters being very different than in the other books. I didn’t notice this, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. However, I felt the characters were fine.

The action at the end is very exciting. It is not dealt with as delicately as we would all like, but what do you want when an evil maniac is about to activate a doomsday machine? I was glued to my seat reading about who would triumph.

Probably the worst thing this series does in wrapping up compared to the first one is that it gives absolutely no lead in to the next one. I was kind of looking forward to this being the last 39 clues book, and then at the back it said there is a new series.

I was like, “Really, come on.” However, I’ve been reading the series since it’s start all the way back in September of 2008, so this book came out about four and a half years later. That’s a long time to be reading a series.

As far as this series, though, I think this is a good wrap up. Is it as good as Into the Gauntlet? No, the emotional connection Margaret Peterson Haddix was able to make in that book was truly special. For everyone who has been involved in the fight against the Vespers, however, it is an exciting book that ties the series up in spectacular fashion.

Get Day of Doom by David Baldacci

Cahills vs Vespers Book 5: Trust No One by Linda Sue Park Review

April 21, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

In Trust No One by Linda Sue Park, we reach the fifth book of the explosive Cahills vs Vespers series. There are only six books, so.the action is coming to a head. Whereas in previous books Amy and Dan were willing to sit by and wait, things are heating up now as the Vespers are getting closer to their goal.

For those who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series in which two orphans, Amy (14) and Dan (11) Cahill discover that they are members of the most powerful family in human history. The source of their families power is scattered throughout the world in the form of 39 special clues.

Unfortunately, Amy and Dan aren’t the only ones after the clues. Their vicious relatives are willing to do anything to get the clues first; even kill.

The first ten books of the series were about Amy and Dan fighting to try and find the clues. The second series, Cahills vs Vespers is about Amy, Dan, and the rest of the Cahills facing off against an evil rival family named the Vespers who want the clues for themselves.

Click here to learn more about The 39 Clues

Summary

At the end of the last book, Vesper 1 informed Amy and Dan that they’d need to steal the Voynich Manuscript. Unfortunately, there is another problem going on as the Cahills have realized they have a Vesper mole in their midst.

Although at first they thought it was Ian Kabra (especially after he disappeared), Amy’s boyfriend Evan discovers that Sinead Starling was actually the one who sold out to the Vespers. She attacks Amy and tries to kill her, but Amy is able to subdue her.

This is a huge shock for Amy because Sinead was an integral member of their team and had even become Amy’s best friend. Sinead admits she did it because the Vespers promised her that they would develop a cure for her brothers ailments if she helped them.

Ian also lets Amy and Dan know about what he’s been to. He traveled to Africa to research his mothers charity, which he learned is just a bogus fake. They are well aware by now of the fact that Isabel is an active Vesper (possibly even Vesper 1).

Meanwhile, Atticus and Jake are continuing to develop as characters. Atticus remembers some of the stuff his mom told him (including about the Voynich), and they keep running into people who do them favors because them remember Astrid. He also knows he’s a guardian, although he’s not exactly sure yet what that means.

They are able to track down the Voynich from Yale to a Dr. Siffright who worked with Astrid. Although Amy and Dan are able to retrieve the manuscript, they keep getting attacked. It doesn’t take long for them to realize Isabel is the one behind it.

With all of the pieces in place for whatever the Vespers are doing, things are about to get bad. Amy and Dan begin to realize what the Vespers may really be planning, and that by trying to save their relatives, they may have destroyed the whole world. Will the Vespers take Amy’s ring? Will Dan take the serum in order to stop the Vespers? Is it too late, or can Amy and Dan still save the world?

Review

This is an excellent book. Even though Park isn’t an action writer, you wouldn’t know it by reading this book. She leaves us in complete suspense the whole way through.

While Park’s earlier contribution to the series was kind of in her own style, it appears she has gotten more in touch with the series now and this book is written very well, much like the rest of the books.

We learn a ton of mysteries in this book, which only make us want to ask more. This is the best part of The 39 Clues, and this book does it masterfully. You won’t be able to wait to read book six after this!

If you haven’t read The 39 Clues yet, I’d recommend starting with the first book of the current series. If you have, Trust No One is a definite slam dunk.