Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones

Book Details:
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 322
Publication Date: Nov. 1, 2008
Why I read it: 2nd in series
Grade: B

The plot:
In this second Alcatraz adventure, Alcatraz finds himself on a mission to meet Grandpa Smedry when he gets swept up by a flying glass dragon filled with his unusual and mouthy Smedry cohorts.

Their mission? A dangerous, library-filled one, of course!

They are on their way to the ancient and mysterious Library of Alexandria (which some silly people think was long ago destroyed!) where they must find Grandpa Smedry, look for clues leading to Alcatraz's potentially undead dead father, and battle the creepy, dangerous soul-sucking curators who await them.


My review:
I think that my sense of humor meshes pretty well with Brandon Sandersons. It would have to, otherwise I'd find this book incredibly annoying. There is humor throughout, and sometimes I think it's almost trying too hard to be funny. But at the same time, I think that's part of the charm of this book.

There isn't a ton that happens here--it's really just one adventure, but I didn't feel like the book lacked plot at all. It was actually really interesting, and not at all predictable, which is nice. The story always seems to be going in one crazy direction after another. I honestly think it might be a bit much for some people. I can easily see how people could find the writing over the top, especially the humor. But it was right up my alley, and it was a quick fun read, especially for someone in a book slump.

I think if you had teen boys who wanted to find something to read, they would love this series. It would also be a fun bedtime story to read with your kids, if you like to do that kind of thing. This is nothing like Brandon Sanderson's other fantasy novels. It seems like whatever he writes is good, so as long as he keeps writing, I'll keep reading.

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