gordon korman

The 39 Clues Cahills vs Vespers Book 1: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman Review

March 24, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

When I first heard that The 39 Clues series was doing a reboot, I was pretty excited. After all, The 39 Clues is one of my all-time favorite series with some of my favorite authors and favorite characters.

For those of you who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series which features two kids named Amy (14) and Dan (11). In the first series, they realize they are members of the most powerful family in the world. The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world in the form of thirty-nine special clues. The person to find all of them will be the most powerful person ever.

Of course, Amy and Dan aren’t the only ones looking for the clues. In an intense race all across the globe, Amy and Dan face up against ex-KGB agents and ruthless killers. When that was done, they thought they could relax…

Not quite.

Unfortunately there is another family known as the Vespers who also want the clues. And they’re smart; really smart. Amy and Dan are going to have to be at the top of their game if they’re going to outsmart the Vespers.

Click here to learn more about The 39 Clues.

Summary

Luckily, The Medusa Plot is written by my favorite kids author, Gordon Korman, so you know it’s going to be good. Unfortunately, a lot of Cahill’s are kidnapped by the Vespers, and Amy and Dan have to act fast to try to keep them alive.

The Vespers are run by a Council of Six. The highest up on the council is Vesper One, supposedly the evilest dude on the face of the earth. He gets in contact with Amy and Dan and texts them what they need to do to satisfy him.

A weird part of the book is that Amy and Dan are now two years older, and Amy is dating a boy named Evan. I don’t really like this at all, although the romance factor is certainly popular among a number of readers.

Vesper One sends Amy and Dan on a chase to Florence where they have to steal Caravaggio’s “Medusa” from the Uffizi museum. This isn’t an easy task at all because the museum is very heavily guarded with tons of high tech security.

Amy and Dan are not alone, however. The Vespers only captured seven Cahill’s, so Amy and Dan still have plenty of help, including Jonah, Hamilton, McIntyre, and even Ian Kabra. Even though Evan isn’t a Cahill (at least not that we know of), he is devoted to Amy and agrees to help out.

Even though Amy and Dan perform heroically in trying to steal the Caravaggio from the museum, it is not enough for Vesper One. Nellie gets shot, with a clear threat of death. Will Amy and Dan let the hostages die? Or will they make an even bigger mistake by being Vesper One’s perfect pawns?

Review

This is a really good introduction to the new series. I think this series is a good followup to the original (although nothing can match it) and will be very captivating for many kids.

The Vespers are a good addition to the series because, similar to the clue hunt, we are left scrambling to try to discover who the different Vespers might be. It keeps the mystery of the series going and leaves Amy and Dan having to fight a new and realistic villain.

As I said earlier, I don’t really think the romance with Evan is a good idea because later in the series it turns into a battle between Evan and another guy. Although a lot of clue hunters liked that, it is becomes somewhat reminiscent of the “modern” young adult books that I hate. I think a lot of girls like the romance, but a lot of boys will probably be turned off by it.

Even so, this is a really solid book. I expected so with Gordon Korman’s name on the cover, and he doesn’t disappoint. Amy and Dan go through a bunch of crazy adventures in this book and we even learn more about their characters. So yeah, it’s really good. This is a good place to start The 39 Clues series if you don’t want to go all the way back to the first book. Kids around seven to thirteen will love this book.

Buy the book!

Thanks so much for reading this review. To get the scoop on what books to buy for your kids, just enter your email below.

Schooled by Gordon Korman Review

March 21, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 4 Comments

Gordon Korman has made his name writing about funny characters doing even funnier things; and the great things that come out of it. Schooled is one of my favorite books because of its honesty and its total shattering of normal social norms and attitudes, all through the simple love of a modern hippie.

Gordon Korman’s books fall into two main categories: Humor/human greatness and adventure. This falls into the first category, and these are my favorite books that Korman writes. He is just a master at creating believable characters that change our picture of the world and stick with us forever.

Summary

Cap Anderson is a thirteen year-old boy who lives with his grandmother Rain on a hippie farm. Rain was the leader of the local hippies movement back in the day, and she and Cap are still living it even though everyone else has deserted them.

Cap doesn’t go to a normal school (and never has) because he is being homeschooled by his grandmother. Unfortunately, however, all of this changes when Rain falls out of a tree and hurts herself. Until Rain can recover, Cap is taken under foster care and goes to a regular school.

Very regular, in fact. “C Average” Middle School, as the students call it, is a complete unknown for Cap. Cap is totally entrenched in his own hippie world, and has never even turned on a TV. He knows nothing about the ravages of junior high.

He finds out before too long, however. Zach Powers, the BMOC (big man on campus) singles him out as a fun target to bully. He elects Cap the eighth grade class president (the honor always goes to the biggest nerd), and leads him to fake meetings.

Cap, however, refuses to be phased. He doesn’t get angry at Zach, and in his innocence does a lot of great actions. These range from writing huge sums of money to charities on blank school checks to saving an ailing bus driver by driving without a license.

Before long, people begin to admire Cap and he also starts becoming more in tune with them. While he doesn’t care about their world, he knows that it means a lot to them, and that’s what matters to him as well.

Cap is also helped by Mrs. Donnelly, his foster mother. She was actually brought up on Rain’s commune, so she knows exactly what Cap is going through when he tries to function in the normal world.

A series of events lead people to believe that Cap is dead, but of course he is not; he’s just going to live with Rain. Or is he? Will he settle back into hippie life on the farm, or will he and Rain branch out to the outside world?

Review

This is an awesome book. Cap is a really identifiable character just because of how good a person he is. In fact, he is so good a person that he rises to the top of his middle school and makes those who try to attack him look like idiots.

This book also switches which character narrates based on the chapter, which introduces us to a lot of different perspectives and makes us understand the characters better. All of the characters are engaging and dynamic.

This book is hilarious, with all kinds of jokes riddled throughout. It also teaches a strong lesson, however. Cap’s simple kindness and good attitude completely changes his school and inspires everyone in it. Cap is a person we can all learn from.

Some people have criticized this book because they think it stereotypes homeschoolers. I was homeschooled for a total of a couple years, however, and I can’t agree. Cap is a hippie, not just any regular homeschooled boy. This book has nothing to do with homeschooling.

If you decide this book, you’ll be in for quite an adventure. This book is funny yet suspenseful, sad yet inspiring. Kids around fifth to ninth grade will love this book.

Buy the book

Thanks so much for reading this review! To get more book reviews for kids, just enter your email below.

The 39 Clues Book 8: The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman Review

February 24, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 4 Comments

Note: This article was originally written almost four years ago.

Yesterday, March 6th, 2010, was a big day for the readers here on The Readers and Writers Paradise: Book 8 of The 39 Clues, The Emperor’s Code was released! I was especially excited for this book, because it was written by Gordon Korman, who is, as most of you probably know by now, my favorite author.

And I have to say this was by far my favorite book in the series as of right now. In a live webcast back on December 2nd, 2008 (seems like it was just yesterday), Gordon said that with the series being multi-author, with everyone’s creativity piling up on top of each other, by the eighth or ninth book, it would be awesome.

Certainly, his predication came true. As for writing style, this book was clearly written in a different writing style than his other books (I know; I’ve read all of them). It wasn’t just Korman writing the book; the writing style of Rick all the way back from September 2008 is still showing in this piece.

I really love the writing style—I think it’s the perfect way to write The 39 Clues series. I don’t really like book three or seven, because of the writing style of Peter Lerangis, but really everyone else has followed suite from Rick and Gordon back in the first and second books.

The plot? Well, at the end of the seventh book, Amy and Dan discover the secret of their family branch: Madrigal. As you can expect, much of the book is centered around that topic.

First, Amy, Dan, and Nellie travel to China in search of the old Janus clue (yep, Jonah Wizard makes his long awaited rebirth into the series). In the Forbidden City, Dan finds a sheet with an equation of the different branch symbols in bottles added together equals the Cahill symbol, along with a Chinese message that later proved important.

Unfortunately, Amy starts voicing her thoughts that maybe their parents deserved to die, and Dan storms off. Then, he is captured by the Kabra children, Ian and Natalie. They dump him in a pile of trash, where he is found by Jonah.

Jonah claims he’s making phone calls to Amy and Nellie and trying to track them down. However, when Amy and Nellie ask him if Dan is with him, he lies and says he isn’t, and was never making calls. When Dan meets Jonah’s mom, Cora Wizard (the leader of the Janus branch), it becomes apparent that the Wizard family is just trying to use him. They even claim Dan is from the Janus branch! Unfortunately, that prompts Dan to respond with the following:

“Janus? I’m no Janus! I know exactly what branch I am!”

“I’m a Madrigal!”

The well-kept secret of who the Madrigals are is finally out, and people will be hunting Amy and Dan down even more.

Dan flees and leaves a message for Amy and Nellie. He did not give a location, as he would have to keep moving. Both decide the next clue is on Mount Everest, and meet each other in the hanger of a plane specially designed to go to the top of Everest. At first, the pilot refuses to take him, but Nellie puts her “boss” on the phone to talk to the pilot, who suddenly agrees to take them.

Nellie later claims it’s her uncle; obviously not true. They also see Nellie pick a lock with masterful skill, and we get to see part of a phone conversation between her and her boss. In her thoughts, she also reveals she has a secret objective. Amy and Dan are once again doubting her more and more.

When they get to the top of Everest, they see that Eisenhower Holt and Ian are already near the top. Amy grabs the vial containing the clue at the peak, but it slips from her hand, as she tries to grab it, she realizes that Ian is about to fall two miles into death. Instead of saving the clue, she saves Ian. Luckily, it was hidden in the secret Chinese message:

“That which you seek, you hold in your hand,
Fixed forever in birth,
Where the Earth meets the sky.”

Because the paper they are holding is made out of silk, the first line means it’s silk. Fixed forever in birth means it’s frozen, which means its raw silkworm secretion, and where the earth meets the sky means it’s hidden on Mount Everest.

Dan also finds an impression of Anne Bonny, a famous woman pirate in the Caribbean. This tells them that’s where the next clue is located.

The secret code in this book is made from the coded letters:

“Madrigals are behind everything. They lay out the path the others will walk. The end is coming.”

What I make from that is the Madrigal’s plant the clues and leads for others to find, and obviously that the contest is coming to an end. There are numerous examples of the Madrigal’s making leads, such as Nellie “accidentally” placing them into secrets (she’s obviously not from one of the four branches, the way they talk about her), and at the beginning of book eight, the Man In Black making sure Amy and Dan saw a certain movie which showed the Janus crest at their next destination. They certainly are the most powerful.

To be honest, The Emperor’s Code was sort of like a filler; not as much as books two, three and four, because we at least got some info from this book, and not quite as much as book six, but more like book five. Certainly this book sets the stage for the outbreak of the series that we know is happening in books nine and ten. I hope to see you on the hunt.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

Enter your email address:

Ungifted by Gordon Korman Review

February 20, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 12 Comments

My favorite childhood author was Gordon Korman. So it was interesting to read one of his most recent books Ungifted, now that I’ve passed the phase of passionate attachment towards his books. And I must admit I liked it.

Summary

Ungifted is about a troublemaking 7th grader named Donovan Curtis. He’s the type of kid who does things like rolling expensive bronze globe’s through glass doors. In fact, it’s that very action that gets him in trouble with the Superintendent of Schools when it accidentally wipes down a multi-million dollar statue in the middle of a basketball game, wiping out use of the gym totally and costing the district an exorbitant amount of money.

The Superintendent is furious and intends to give him serious consequences; something Donovan and his family can’t afford right now, with his sister pregnant and her husband in a dangerous war overseas. But somehow it gets mixed up, and instead of his name being put down for big trouble, it gets put on the list of new gifted students.

This is great: Donovan avoids trouble and gets to go to a school which has many advantages over his own, such as being kept in much better shape, encouraging students to have laptops and cellphones during school, and soft talks instead of getting in trouble. One problem: Donovan is ungifted.

The book is about Donovan’s adventures towards the class, which are quite entertaining. It is told in the first person, and each chapter switches the narrator, whether it be Donovan, his teachers, classmates, or sister. This is a good format for a book like this, and can’t help but remind me of No More Dead Dogs, although this book is not quite as funny.

Although Donovan does not quite fit in at first, he soon forms a close bond with many of the interesting characters in his school, including a kid with a 200+ IQ who wants to be in a normal school (Noah Youkilis) and a genius who takes a liking towards towards Donovan because he’s “normal” (Chloe Garfinkle). Some of his escapades include introducing Noah to YouTube and becoming star robotics driver for the Robotics Team, a fact which makes everyone greatly attached to him and wishing greatly for him not to be in trouble.

But he becomes even more valuable when he convinces his pregnant sister to teach a class on Human Growth and Development (saving everyone from summer school) by letting them touch and hear her stomach, talk about her experiences, do many tests on her, go to the doctor with her, and even be waiting outside during her giving birth.

You can’t please everyone, though, and a serious girl named Abigail Lee hates Donovan. She doesn’t think he belongs in the gifted program, nor do most other people. His homeroom teacher advises him to take a retest to get into the gifted program. He has to work hard just to get passable grades in his classes. Yet somehow he manages to pass the test. Or does someone else help him? Will the Superintendent eventually catch up to him? What will happen to the robotics team? What will his punishment be, and what will happen to his family?

Review

The book is 280 pages long, but written in a very easy style and easy to blow through. It took me about a day and a half to read it. Although I did like it, it’s a little below my age grade at this point, but it was still enjoyable. I recently read another one of his books, and that seemed a little more mature. This book would probably be good for people 4th to 7th grade.

The book is funny, but not quite as funny as we’ve come to except from Korman. It’s not really an action/adventure book, but much of it is still exciting and the narrative flows well. There is a lot of character development, and the book is really centered around an impulsive kid, which can be of intrigue.

I liked reading about some of the gifted students, and I’d like more into that subject, although I understand why he didn’t in this book. For some reason I like Korman’s modeling of those students, to the extent I feel he did it better than in the famous book Millicent Minn: Girl Genius.

I wonder if a side effect of the book is to make people feel better about not being gifted, as well as be somewhat in awe towards the main character of the book. Some parents may be concerned it would have a negative impact towards their kids, but I don’t think so. The main character is a good kid and likable, too; it’s not like he’s a jerk-he just gets into trouble sometimes.

Towards adults and older kids, I wouldn’t recommend the book, but for tweens and a little younger it will be a good read. This is more of the style of the old Gordon Korman, but puts some of the past decade or so into it as well.

The main things I like about the book is the storytelling, plot, and characters. It could be a little more exciting, and I’d like for it to have a bit more humor, but overall it’s another good book worth reading.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

Enter your email address:

This Can’t be Happening at MacDonald Hall by Gordon Korman Review

January 30, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 5 Comments

When twelve year-old Gordon Korman didn’t have an English teacher to teach his seventh grade English class, the school had no choice but to have a gym teacher put the reading and writing hat on. As Korman said, “When it came to writing he just sort of blanked, so he said, ‘Just work on whatever you want for the rest of the year.’ And I wrote my first book.”

It is such a crazy and inspiring. Twelve year-old Korman going crazy on a homework assignment and writing his first book, This Can’t be Happening at MacDonald Hall. Now remember, this wasn’t modern day where children authors are fairly common and most of them are self-published. The G-Man sent in his manuscript to the address on the Scholastic book order form, and the day after his thirteenth birthday he signed a contract for his first book.

But here, I’ll let Korman tell you himself (the first part of the movie is about his journey as a kids author. The second part is about his recent book Swindle):

Isn’t that so amazing? The thing is that it’s not like this book is a slacker, either. It’s actually quite good, already showing the humorous style of Korman that everyone loves.

Summary

At the beginning of the story we are introduced to the main characters, Bruno and Boots, two roommates at the boarding school MacDonald Hall who are “partners in crime,” playing all kinds of funny pranks. We see some of their hilarious escapades, including going over to the girls school and hanging out with Diane and Cathy.

Unfortunately, however, the headmaster of their school, Mr. Sturgeon (also known as “The Fish“) decides that their trouble making has come to point of being detrimental to both them and the rest of the school. He switches their rooms, making Bruno the roommate of Elmer Drysdale, the eccentric school genius, and Boots the roommate of George Wexford-Smyth III, a weird guy who is obsessed with money and the stock market.

Bruno and Boots attempt to get themselves back together into the same room, but all of their plans backfire. In the end, a series of improbable events take place that make Bruno and Boots heroes. They are congratulated by an important government official, but will their headmaster congratulate them by giving them what they really want; having each other as roommates again?

Review

It’s hard to believe that Korman really wrote this book at twelve. Many of the jokes in this book are quite funny, hilarious even. It’s written in a very different style than his current books, which are mainly based on action. Korman’s earlier books (and all the MacDonald Hall) books are based on humor.

The characters in this book are very familiar and it’s easy to connect with them. I still remember and feel for all the lovable characters in this series. It’s like a happy world that is no less real than this one.

The only way that you can tell Korman was twelve when he wrote this book is the fact that it’s only 144 pages. In those 144 pages, however, is a story of very great depth and enjoyment.

This book also opens the way for a great series. The books only get better and better and climax with The Zucchini Warriors and Beware the Fish, the latter of which is the funniest book I have ever read.

These books are super easy to read. The great thing about Korman’s writing is that he doesn’t write his books to prove a point, not for book committees or reviewers. He writes books to be enjoyed, period. Reading MacDonald Hall you feel a great happiness and joy for life.

As much as Korman’s current books are great, I know old fans of Korman’s classic stories who think that his new books pale in comparison. While they are both good in different ways, I have to agree that there is no better way to guarantee yourself you’ll be laughing up a storm than reading MacDonald Hall.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook page or subscribe through email below to hear about more awesome books.

Jackpot (Swindle Series) by Gordon Korman Review

January 24, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 5 Comments

Jackpot by Gordon Korman is the sixth and latest installment in the exciting Swindle Series. This series has sold millions of copies and has been adored by kids all over the world. They are standalone books, so you can read one of them and not miss anything. They have the same characters, however, and so I’d recommend starting at the beginning to learn some of the background.

I honestly wasn’t super excited to read Jackpot. After all, it’s the sixth book about the same kids doing basically the same thing. Korman, however, was already a step ahead of me, and wrote this book in a completely different way from the rest of the series. While the other books were primarily based on action, this book was driven by characters.

Summary

The book starts off with Griffin Bing and his friends learning about a lottery ticket worth $30 million. The catch: It’s lost, and is about to expire. Griffin is The Man with the Plan of the group, and everyone else has their own special talents that make them great friends and an effective team.

Griffin decides to use the lottery ticket to get back at Darren Vader, a school bully who is always trying to get in on their plans, and the rest of the team agrees. They make up a fake newspaper article about the ticket being somewhere in Cedarville, and, as expected, the money-grubbing Vader goes after the money and starts searching for it all around town, diving through dumpsters to get to it.

Unfortunately, a lot of other people take Vader’s idea and before long there a dozen people digging through the city in hopes of becoming a millionaire. The police put a stop to it, and also figure out that it was Griffin and his friends who played the trick. They get community service hours for playing the trick on Vader, and everyone starts to look at Griffin Bing as though he is a bully. After the event, the principle calls a school conference on bullying and Vader stands up and accuses Griffin of bullying him.

Anyone who knows the situation will be aware that Darren is the real bully. For people unfamiliar with the situation, however, it’s easy to take Griffin for a bully. That’s what happens to Victor Phoenix, a new kid. He breaks into Griffin’s group, but treats Griffin terribly. In fact, he’s starting to take Griffin’s place!

Griffin can’t figure out why, The Man with the Plan skips school and goes to Victor’s old school to do research. At the school, he learns that Victor was bullied terribly. He also learns that Victor changed his last name. Griffin realizes that Victor believed Darren when he called Griffin a bully and that’s why he’s treating him poorly. Griffin can see that Victor is deceiving all of his friends to try and join the group, but when Griffin tells them, they have nothing but nice things to say about Victor. Griffin stops hanging out with his friends, and instead starts sitting alone at lunch.

Vader is still after the money, however, and he recruits Griffin to try and help him find it. Griffin never thought he’d team up with the likes of Darren Vader, but without his friends he doesn’t have much else to do. They go to the lottery store where the ticket was sold and check the surveillance camera. They start trying to track down the people who may have the ticket, but the owner doesn’t know any of their names or addressees, so they don’t have much to go on.

By this time Griffin has also taken in Savannah’s dog Luthor. Savannah has taken in Victor’s cat Penelope, and they do not get along. Savannah blames Luthor and is happy to give him away for a little while. Griffin feels a companionship with Luthor; both of them have been driven away from their friends by Victor.

Vader also recruits Victor and “his” team to try and find the lottery ticket. With Melissa’s computer skills, they are able to figure out where the prospects live, and find them. In the end, Griffin, Darren, and Victor and the team all end up at the last possible person who could have the ticket at the same time, right before the deadline of the ticket. Will they find the ticket? Will they cash it in on time? Will Griffin ever get his friends back?

What I Thought

The beginning of Jackpot is written a little weirdly, in that it does a lot of telling and relies on some pretty unlikely things to happen. After a while, though, the story settles down and becomes very good.

This seems to be Korman’s first foray into a character-based story. Instead of humor or action to keep us turning the pages, it’s our identification with Griffin that does it. Griffin feels misunderstood and mistreated by his friends, and Korman does a good job of making you genuinely feel for him. The reader wants to see Griffin feeling better and united with his friends again.

Of course, there is action too with everyone trying to find and cash in the lottery ticket before it’s too late. After all, it’s a Gordon Korman book! The action is almost secondary, however, but is also well done and a big part of the story.

It’s good for Korman to add the character development at this point of the story, because up to this point it was just the plot that was driving it and it was getting a little boring because I didn’t care about the characters very much. I still am not super attached with them after six books, but it’s more than before. This book will keep the series alive.

This is a new type of writing for Korman, and he definitely makes some mistakes. Parts of the book are all over the place. Is it still a book kids will love? Yes, it is. I’ve never heard of a kid not liking a book by Gordon Korman, and this book is going to be no exception.