Skip to main content

Click Here to Start by Denis Markell



Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Ted loves playing escape the room games online, and he has a knack for figuring them out. When his great uncle dies and leaves Ted everything in his apartment it becomes a real life challenge for Ted.

Category: Middle School 

Why I chose this book: Recommended for those who like The Westing Game 

My personal opinion: The first few chapters were good, but about the time that he breaks into his Mom's work it all turns down hill. The concept was interesting, but I don't think it was done in the best way possible. 

Warnings
Language: The word hell is said once. Ted is makes fun of his Mom for never using curse words at least twice during the story and near the end she says, "You #$%# promised us" (direct quote). Also, near the end of the book, when one character gets angry the main character says, "His vocabulary seems to now to consist of entirely of words for body parts and bodily functions. - words my parents would ground me for a week for using." 
Violence: kidnapping, a few punches, breaking and entering 
"Adult" situations: None
Death: Uncle, off stage.

Movie rating equivalent:  PG-13

Protagonist description: Typical pre-teen, loves spending time on the computer, thinks his parents don't know anything...

Point of view of story:  First, Ted's point of few. 

Book length: Short

Story flow: Fluid

Grammar and spelling issues: None

Character connection (no spoilers): I wish there had been more info on Isabel and her Dad. The author mentions several weird things about them that never get resolved. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Game by Terry Schott

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) What if this life is just a simulation? What if our bodies are in another world, plugged into a virtual reality game, and our entire life is just one play in that game? What would our real life be like, if we could experience several full simulated lifespans, in our teen years, and then enter adulthood? That is the premise of this story. Category Sci-Fi Why I chose this book It was either free or discounted on Amazon, and sounded interesting My personal opinion (the review) Too many inconsistencies. For example: The real world is able to view the players in the game in "real time", but time in the game is sped up, so that a week in real life is worth a decade in the virtual world. How do real world people have enough time to experience the virtual world, in real time, while still being accelerated? Danielle enters the game 3 days behind Trew, but she only ends up being 1 year younger. If a week is a decade in the game, then 3 days should have be...

Mark of Fire by Richard Phillips

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Two main stories: Carol, the daughter of Lord Rafel, wants to be a magic wielder. As she learns magic and grows in strength, she is unaware that she is being hunted by the greatest wielder in the world. The second story is about a ward of Rafel's, named Blade, who becomes an infamous assassin and works for the king. The king sends Blade to kill Rafel and Carol, but he warns them to flee instead. Blade wanders, to escape the king's justice, but finds himself in his own adventure. Category : Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA Why I chose this book : Kindle First My personal opinion : I really enjoyed the story line, the world the author created, and the depth of the characters. It was easy to lose myself in the story. I also really appreciate that the story is "clean" - no bad language, no sexual situations, etc. I feel comfortable recommending this to my teenage children. Warnings Language: none Violence: fairly frequent fighting "Adult...

The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

This is the fifth book in the Artemis Fowl series Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Artemis continues his adventures, leaning farther and farther away from the villain role, and closer to the hero role. He's quite the teenager, with all the hormones of that age. He has discovered another group of the People (demons), and they need saving. Artemis Fowl to the rescue! Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book Next in the series My personal opinion (the review) Artemis is typically flawless. His plans execute perfectly, and when they don't, coincidence saves him. This time, he fails a bit. He loses some time, his body is a little less perfect, and not all of his plans go through perfectly. I like that- it makes him more real, as a character. Warnings : Language - none Violence - mild "Adult" situations - none Death - yes, but temporary Movie rating equivalent PG Protagonist description Artemis is a genius beyond description. He tends to be prideful a...