ALCATRAZ VS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS
SUMMARY
On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things.
REVIEW
Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Are you looking for something whimsical, sarcastic, and all around action packed from a middle grade book? Then Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians is just the book for you.
I was more than a little hesitant to give the Alcatraz series a try. They seemed overly goofy, silly, and not geared towards my age group (myself being a 28-year-old and not a 10-year-old).
However, because this series was written by Brandon Sanderson, one of my all-time favorite authors (so yes, please note that this review is biased based on that statement alone), I thought I would give it a shot.
And let me say, I’m very happy that I did.
Not only is Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians full of fun action, witty and unique characters, and pretty much non-stop fun in a fast-paced form, but it also has enough sarcasm and self-awareness during its many breaking of the fourth wall to keep even older readers thoroughly engaged and entertained.
What do I mean by this you might ask? Well, when Alcatraz speak to the audience he often speaks in such a sarcastic and self-aware tone that readers can’t help but smile and chuckle to themselves. On top of this, when Sanderson so cleverly puts little tricks and entertaining tidbits in the books, such as making the last page of the book a false storyline that will depress and confuse readers who skip to the last page without reading the entire book, he just shows his genius in writing.
As for the books themselves, they are short and to the point. This is not The Way of Kings (Sanderson’s epic fantasy), which runs in at 1008 pages in hardcover format. In hardback, Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians is 320 pages of non-stop fun.
Of course, even though I keep mentioning that these books are loads of fun to read, please note that this does not mean that they do not have substance. Over the course of the series the characters develop and become more complex. Backgrounds are explored, weaknesses probed, and personality traits more thoroughly understood. To be able to do this, while at the same time being able to keep elementary age children engaged is truly a feat upon itself.
So why you should read the Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians Series? Well, if you’re looking for a good series for your kid that will entertain them, that you won’t have to worry about them reading, but that will end with them asking to get the next in the series, then this is the series for you. If you have just finished a long epic fantasy and want something light but entertaining, then this is the series for you. Or even if you just want something fun to read at the end of the day, then this is the series for you. All in all, clearly I enjoyed this series and personally can’t wait until the last book in the series is released. But don’t take my word on it, go check out this series yourself, believe me it’s worth it.
INFO
Publisher: Starscape
Published: February 16, 2016
Price: $16.99
Link to Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Alcatraz-vs-Evil-Librarians-Versus/dp/0765378949/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WTX671ZWQ9ZCFGCQ3D3P&dpID=51jOgzLsKYL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail
