Rating: 4 Stars
Source: NetGalley
Description: The Cranes' goal is to live in all 50 states which makes it difficult for their youngest child, Emily. Making friends has never come easy to her and she survives with the help of Book Scavenger, a game where users hide books and post clues on an online site. When the Cranes move yet again the only thing that makes it bearable to Emily is that they're moving to San Francisco - the home of Garrison Griswold, the creator of Book Scavenger. In San Francisco she meets James, a boy who might love puzzles even more than she does and when they discover a strange book in the place where Griswold was attacked just days earlier they find themselves in the middle of a whole new game and this time it might be dangerous.
Genre: MG/YA
Why I Picked This Book: I couldn't resist the cover and then the title actually has the word book in it!
My Impression: This book was such fun! I loved the idea of books being hidden around the country and bunches of people solving puzzles to find them. The parts about the game and solving the clues both for Book Scavenger and the new game were incredibly entertaining. I liked Emily and it was hard not to sympathize with her frustration with constantly moving. She and her brother have an interesting conversation towards the end of the book that was really lovely. I liked James and his instant acceptance of Emily and his willingness to be up for any adventure. There are some slightly more serious issues tackled here about being a good friend. The pacing of the book was excellent and I definitely wanted to find out how it all wrapped up. I enjoyed the read from start to finish.
There is some violence which while is basically "off screen" is still talked about and might be a little disturbing to younger readers. I would think this would be appropriate for 3rd grade and up. I also would have preferred there to be an adult somewhere that the characters felt that they could trust. While this was fast paced and exciting the mom in me would periodically think "shouldn't they be telling someone where they're going??". This book is lots of fun, fast paced, and is just as enjoyable for adults as it would be for kids.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely! I'm looking forward to reading more from Bertman
Would I Recommend this Book?: Absolutely!
Challenges Met?
I love the sound of this, with the games and the clues, it comes over as being a fun read. Thanks for reviewing it, I'm going to make a note of this one.
ReplyDeleteThis sound great! And the webiste is cool too- apparently there are real hide and finds. What a neat idea! I do find that sometimes books like this don't have the parents involved- but still it looks delightful. I think of geocaching every time I see this one- although I think finding books would be more fun! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a fun sounding book. I'm going to look for it!
ReplyDeleteAw, the book scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun and I love books with puzzles in them. The violence sounds a little off, even if it's off screen so it's worth pointing out.
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover of this one too--and it sounds so fun, the way you describe it! I am glad you enjoyed it, Katherine.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI've currently started The 39 Clues and it's really good.
DeleteDespite the lack of parental oversight, I did enjoy this book and the concept was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing this one before(probably from you) and thinking it sounded like such a fun read. I'm glad you liked it! I absolutely love the idea of a book scavenger hunt. In fact if I was more adventurous I would look into starting that kind of thing in my area. Lol. I love MG. They can usually be fun and quick with a great deeper message.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life