Book Review: Middleworld by J&P Voekel

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 416 pages

Publisher: EgmontUSA; Revised edition (April 27, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1606840711

ISBN-13: 978-1606840719

Middleworld by J&P Voekel

Fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in the tiny Central American country of San Xavier. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. When he's mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they've had a change of heart.

Upon his arrival, Max's wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier begins. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies, and even human sacrifice!

My Review

This was the best book I've read in a long time. I was so immersed in it, I read it in one day. The characters, the story, the writing, everything was absolutely great. It is kinda like Rick Riordan's books, in the way it brings ancient mythology into modern life. I loved all of Riordan's books, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles and The Heroes of Olympus. You can see my review for Lost Hero here. I love all of this mythology stuff, Greek being my favorite, but Mayan mythology definitely gives it a run for it's money. The way J&P Voekel incorporated it, dropping subtle hints here and there, and making you feel like it's all real, is masterful.

My only problem with this book was that the main character, Max, was a complete wimp throughout the first part of the book. He just wouldn't stop complaining about anything. It got a little annoying but, he started to tough things out and he turned out to be a pretty good character. And, let me just say the Hermanjilio is awesome. This book is full of great humor much like Riordan's and it really just makes for a great book. It is pretty much non-stop action and any parts that aren't action (there are few) are still very interesting because you are 99% of the time learning about the ancient Mayans even more. I picked this book up at the library and am very glad that I did. It is truly a great read that will fascinate and enthrall all fantasy lovers.

If you didn't catch my drift in reading my previous statements, if you like any of Rick Riordan's books, you will love Middleworld. It is one of my favorites of the last few months, hands down. Thank you, Jon and Pamala Voekel. You wrote an excellent book.

-Austin

Hey to all you people who read for fun. U R COOL.

Second Hand Saturday! A Book-A-Week Giveaway 10

Welcome to Second Hand Saturday a once a week giveaway started by Reading Teen. In an attempt to clear our bookshelves, and pass on great used books to our stalkers followers, WE =  Austin, Andrew, Faith, Reagan, Anna, Bransen and Adrien have decided to hold weekly giveaways of some of the books on our bookshelves! Every Saturday, we will post the books available, and the following Saturday, we will announce the winner and our next challenge. The winner will get to choose a book from the list and we will ship it to that lucky person! Each week we will have a different challenge to complete (see below). YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!  Open Internationally.  Ends at 10:00 pm EST the following Friday!

Middle Grade

-  Middle School Confidential Books 1-3 by Annie Fox (PBR) 

-  Eragon (hardback) by Christopher Paolini (PBR)

-  Eldest (hardback) by Christopher Paolini (PBR)

-  Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (PBR)

-  Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

-  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (PBR) (RT)

-  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (hardback no jacket) (PBR) (RT)

-  Mattimeo (library copy) by Brian Jacques

-  A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

-  Summer Ball by Mike Lupica

-  Half Moon Investigations (library copy) by Eoin Colfer

-  Island Girl (library copy) by Sandra Byrd

-  Hoot (paperback) by Carl Hiaasen

-  Tuck Everlasting (hardback) by Natalie Babbitt

-  Nothing But The Truth: A Documentary Novel (paperback) By AVI

-  Triss (Redwall, Book 15) (paperback) by Brian Jacques

-  Clovermead by David Randall

-  The O'Reilly Factor For Kids by Bill O'Reilly
-  Portal by Imogen Rose
-  Trackers by Patrick Carman
-  Nerds by Michael Buckley
-  Zan Gah by Allan Richard Shickman
-  The Carnival of Lost Souls by Laura Quimby
-  Star Power book 1 Supernova  by Catherine Hapka
-  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
-  High School Musical: The Junior Novel Disney
-  High School Musical: Stories from East High #6 Disney
-  Animal Ark Pets books #12 - #16
-  25 (very small thin) books from The Babysitters Club (you pay media shipping)
-  Madison Finn #1 Only the Lonely Boy, #2 Boy, OH Boy! #3 Play it Again ( whole set)

To enter this week's giveaway, you must be a follower of this blog, and...

 Answer me this...

What's your favorite holiday movie? 

For extra entries this week:  Fill out  this form

Thank You so much for following. We could not would not do this without our followers. Come back next Saturday to see the winner and enter in for another book giveaway!

This week's winner is:

Vivien 

said...

Lots of books, plus some really nice princess cut diamond studs....really badly

Email us at ReadingTween(at)ReadingTeen.net with your address and book choice!  You have a week to respond!

Dragon Keeper

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423101715
• ISBN-13: 978-1423101710

In the time of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, the last remaining dragon is in danger of being killed by the cruel Emperor. A nameless orphan with no past and an uncertain future becomes his unlikely ally. The young orphan soon discovers that it is her destiny to protect the aging dragon and his mysterious purple stone. Chased by an evil dragon hunter and a powerful sorcerer, their adventure is not easy.  Each must learn to help and understand the other if they are to survive. To succeed in her task, the young orphan must reach deep within herself to find courage she never knew existed. No longer can she be the timid, shy orphan she once was. She is now the one, true Dragon Keeper.

Plot Summary:

There is a slave girl.  She is a slave to Lan of the Han Empire.  She finds out her name with the help of a dragon.  The last emperial dragon.  They escape together and start their journey to the ocean witha  dragon stone and a dragon slayer tailing them trying to capture the dragon.

Main Characters:
Ping: The slave girl and dragon keeper
Danzi: The dragon and the reason that they are going to the ocean
Diao: The dragon hunter
Lio Che: The Emperor
Wang Cao: The dragon's old friend and a herbalist
Hua: Ping's rat companion


Setting:
 This story took place in China.  Sometimes in farms, palaces, the ocean, forests, people's houses, the Huan Empire and so on.  They are pretty much traveling the whole time in this book.

Personal Opinion:
I really loved it!!!  I liked reading about a dragon.  The dragon on the cover really caught my attention!  Hua, Danzi, and Ping were my favorite characters.  The book was really exciting and adventurous.  It is really weird because she keeps getting betrayed by close friends.  There are many twists and turns.  Even though a lot of friends betray her, I would still recommend it to everyone!    

Avatar the Last Air Bender

I Love Avatar the Last Air Bender!!!

Water, earth, fire, air.... long ago the for nations lived together in harmony, then everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, the Master of all four elements, can stop them. When the world needed him most, he vanished. 100 years past, my brother and I discovered the new avatar, an air bender named Aang. All though Aang's air bending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. I believe Aang can save the world! So, I think that Avatar the last airbender is really good, and they have a shows and books! I LOVE AVATAR!!

My Favorite characters: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko.

Aang? he's really funny and he has great sense of humor.

Katara? she is a water bender and I love water benders.

Sokka? FUNNINESS! Sokka is a funny guy. although he is not a bender,  I love his boomerang.

Zuko? he is a fire bender, but I still like him because he joins Aangs team.

Happy reading! I hope you watch the show and read the books!

Check out their Avatar the Last Airbender Wiki page!

Massive Emily the Strange Giveaway for Christmas!

Looking for a great gift to give your tween/teen for Christmas?  We've got the perfect thing, and we're giving it away for FREE to one of our followers!!


13 Elements you will find in the first Emily the Strange novel:

1. Mystery
2. A beautiful golem
3. Souped-up slingshots
4. Four black cats
5. Amnesia
6. Calamity Poker
7. Angry ponies
8. A shady truant officer
9. Top-13 lists
10. A sandstorm generator
11. DoppelgÄngers
                              12. A secret mission
                              13. Earwigs

Emily the Strange: 13 years old. Able to leap tall buildings, probably, if she felt like it. More likely to be napping with her four black cats; or cobbling together a particle accelerator out of lint, lentils, and safety pins; or rocking out on drums/ guitar/saxophone/zither; or painting a swirling feral sewer mural; or forcing someone to say "swirling feral sewer mural" 13 times fast . . . and pointing and laughing.

Reagan's review:

I love Emily the Strange books!  I really liked how this one was written as her journal.  It had drawings and she had pasted pictures and some pages looked like they had been ripped out.  I liked how during the whole story you really had no idea what was going on, and you figured things out at the same time that she did.  Then at the end, you were like "OH!!! That's what was happening!"  I thought the whole town/world that she lived in was really neat and odd.  I liked that it had a sort of dark overtone to it.  The characters that Emily meets are so bizarre and interesting.  I loved the boy who worked at the circus and could read your mind, but he sat around and played video games all day.  Emily the Strange is awesome!!  I want to be her!  You should totally read this book!

Now For The Giveaway!!

Thanks to Harper Collins for providing the following!

-Emily the Strange: The Lost Days book (Advanced Reading Copy)

-T-shirt

-Bandana

-Journal

-Wallet

-Stickers




Abigaile's review of Emily the Strange:  Stranger and Stranger
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