Alfed Kropp: The Seal of Solomon by Rick Yancey

This book is the second in a series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Alfred is called on again when the Seal of Solomon is stolen. The seal can be used to release all kinds of demons that have been imprisoned for three thousand years. Alfred is kidnapped by a rogue agent but escapes and ends up going to Egypt to help stop the demons. Unfortunately, the rescue team is too late, and the demons are unleashed on the world. The rogue agent planned to rule the demons, but he lost the seal that controls them. The demons now rule themselves, and there's no weapon on Earth that can stop them.

I put the first book in the series with the adventure books, but this book fits more into the fantasy genre. Alfred is a likable character and reluctant hero. He's amazed at how he can mess up but still have good things happen. Action scenes are mixed in throughout the plot, so they can help hold the interest of readers.

Time Riders: Day of the Predator by Alex Scarrow

This book was recommended by our school librarian, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Liam, Maddy, Sal, and an artificial intelligence named Bob are in charge of keeping the correct version of history intact. They are able to travel into the past or the future to fix any events in history. In this book, Liam is sent into the future to save the life of a boy named Chan, a key person in the creation of time travel. However, in the process of saving Chan, there is a huge explosion that sends about a dozen people back in time to 65,000,000 B.C. The group needs to figure out a way to send a message to Maddy and Sal to let them know where/when they have been sent in history without leaving any evidence that might change the course of history. To make matters worse, the group must survive attacks by intelligent reptiles that work and communicate with each other and have the ability to learn. Some members of the group don't make it.

The beginning of the book was a little confusing as the setting jumped to several times in history. However, it quickly settled down to two settings and was easier to follow. This book requires some thought to follow the plot and keep things in order. The present-day characters are trying to figure out ways to find Liam and Beck, a female version of Bob, and other characters show as history seems to be altered. I guess this book is actually the second one in the series; the first book is called Time Riders.



The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This book is a dystopian novel, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Tessa worships Gideon and is especially proud of him on the day he's to receive a medal for bravery in the war. However, Gideon refuses to accept the medal. Tessa decides to help him search for the truth about his heroic mission, and it involves flying a black-market plane across enemy lines. What they find only confuses them more, and with the help of a stowaway, Dek, the trio returns to the military headquarters for some answers. The truth is unbelievable and unimaginable.

The plot reminds me a bit of an old movie War Games, but it goes beyond that. I thought the trio were a little slow to catch on to the truth, but I guess it makes sense if you're whole view of the world is based on lies. I thought the ending was a little anti-climactic, but the novel was still very enjoyable.

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides

This book is a little strange, and is the first in a series, but I gave it a rating of four out of five. Spencer starts seeing some strange creatures lurking around his school, but no one else can see them. Classmates think he's trying to get attention, and his teacher thinks he's being disruptive. Eventually, Spencer learns the creatures "... inhale brain waves of young people and exhale certain toxins that affect children's ability to learn." The janitors want to gather the creatures to get their magical properties. Or do they? Spencer later realizes that he may have made a huge mistake and that his actions may lead to dumbness of all future students in the world.

This plot is so unusual that it's interesting. Who could think up the idea that brooms, mops, vacuum cleaners, and lint could actually become weapons against magical creatures? I kind of expected the school bully to become Spencer's helper, but that didn't happen. Spencer ended up being assisted by his mousy, gullible classmate, Daisy. This book won't interest everyone, but it's a change from more serious novels.

The Death Cure by James Dashner

This book is the last one in The Maze Runner trilogy, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. You should read the first two books in the series which are described in my blog. Thomas discovers that the trials aren't quite over, but he's had enough. He escapes from WICKED and travels to Denver, one of the few cities that has not been destroyed by the Scorch and the Flare. He discovers an organization that is fighting against WICKED, but it may be too late as the Shanks start an uprising. Thomas also finds out that other people like him are being captured to begin new trials. Thomas seems to be the key to the solving the whole disaster, but is he willing to give up his life?

The format of this book is very much like the first two books, although there aren't as many surprises from WICKED since Thomas has escaped them. The reader is still left to wonder which characters are good and bad. Some of the characters have been working for WICKED while the Flare has been working on the brains of others. The resolution to the story was not what I expected.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

This book is the sequel to The Maze Runner, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Thomas and the Gladers find themselves in a new world, but Teresa has been taken away. They are eventually told that they must walk down a very long, totally dark, tunnel, cross The Scorch, an area of land that's been ravaged by the sun, and then make their way to the Safe Haven. They weren't told about the metal weapons that dissolve their heads in the dark, the lightning that would blow them off the face of the planet, or the Cranks that would ambush them along the way. Thomas also wasn't expecting to be betrayed by one of his best friends.

You'll probably enjoy this book if you enjoyed The Maze Runner. Most of the main characters remained from the first book, but a few more were added to this plot, including a group of girls. I liked when many of the characters were labeled with tattoos that identified their roles in the group. However, Thomas's tattoo seemed to be a prophecy that the girls would soon kill him. There were many twists and turns, and the conclusion leads right into book three.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

This book is the first in a series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Thomas emerges from an elevator box and discovers he's in the middle of a camp full of boys. He decides it must be some type of prison, but none of the boys can remember anything about their pasts. The place is surrounded by a wall, and that's in the middle of a huge maze made of ivy. The exits to the walls close each night, because Grievers will kill anyone caught outside the walls. The boys have been trying for two years to find a way to escape through the maze, but a couple of strange things happen once Thomas arrives. Thomas becomes the first person to survive a night outside the walls, and the first girl shows up in the box. There's something deep in Thomas's mind about the whole situation, and he senses the other boys will hate him if they find out about his past. Things start changing quickly, and everyone figures out that they will all die very soon if they can't find a way out of the maze.

I enjoyed this book, but there will probably be some readers who do not. The conflict was imaginative, and action was mixed into the plot. It satisfied my interest in mysteries, because I needed to figure out the solution to the maze and how Thomas's past affected the whole problem. Thomas couldn't remember anything about his own life, but other boys said they had memories of him. Things seemed to start falling apart when Thomas and the girl arrived, so they are blamed. Thomas and the reader were left to figure it all out.