My name is Ethan, and I have a chance to meet my hero Magnus the Magnificent! All I need to do is travel to Atlantic City and win my age category at the Magic Fest. I think my act is good, but is it good enough? I like practicing at home with my little brother Jake. He's confined to a wheelchair and can't speak, and his health can get seriously bad due to changes in his body temperature. Anyhow, things were going great until Ned arrived at school. We don't get along even though our mothers went to college together, but then he crossed the line. He called my brother a retard, and I lost it. There's no way I'm going to apologize for what I did, so Magic Fest is off. I mean, I shouldn't need to say I'm sorry for protecting my brother, right? I thought magic was the most important thing in my life until the day I received some horrifying news. I don't know what to do.
This book was a wonderful blend of love, humor, and sadness, and you can expect a roller coaster of emotions. It was fun to read about the tricks in Ethan's magic show, as they included talent and comedy. He displayed compassion for young and handicapped children, as most of his performances were for those audiences. Ethan tried to be an average middle school student and understood the importance of family. His character demonstrated admirable qualities for any protagonist. Ned and his family introduced a different type of problem for Ethan. Ned was dealing with his own issues and took them out on Ethan. Each character's anger kept him from trying to understand the other. Jake's character created a bumpy plot due to the ups and downs of his health. Even though he never said a word and couldn't move on his own, his character evoked strong feelings. Overall, the book presented a warm story of a family dealing with challenging problems. I liked it and recommend you give it a shot.
My name is Bart, and I've moved with my dad to a city near Los Angles. I'd be happy at my new school if everyone ignored me, but the bullies have other plans. I don't have any friends, unless you count CyberGirl03 living in my apartment complex. I spend most of my time secretly coding an augmented reality app called Hecklr. I shared it with CyberGirl03, but I don't know how the kids at school got a hold of it. I was shocked and proud when the app went viral, and now everyone around town is hunting the Lerkian aliens. We even have tourists from out of town converging on our city! It's kind of cool to see people looking into their Smartphones, searching for the little creatures. All of this attention is keeping me busy with creating updates and debugging the program, but I'm afraid I'll be discovered. What will happen if people realize I'm the boring loser behind this fantastic app?
You'll really like this book if you've enjoyed the humor found in other James Patterson books. It's told from a first person point of view, so you'll be inside Bart's brain. As described above, he wants to remain inconspicuous like many middle grade students, but his app draws interest from across the nation. Many people would relish the opportunity to be special and famous, but Bart's kind of shy. The bully problem is a very important factor in his life, but they're the only students who ever notice him. Much of his attention goes toward avoiding them or dealing with their conflicts. Even though I found the book fun to read, I must admit I wasn't sure where the plot was headed. The conflict didn't create major tension, and the events revolved around Hecklr. So where did the plot end up? It settled on a fun and funny story of a young boy trying to anonymously make his mark in an uncomfortable world. Overall, it was a quick-read of an entertaining adventure, and I recommend you check it out.
