Book Review: Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant
by Derek Landy

When Stephanie's Uncle Gordon dies, Stephanie's life is changed forever. Not because she misses him, although she's almost the only one who does, and not because she inherits his fortune, which she does, but because she discovers the existence of magic. Stephanie meets a mysterious stranger at Gordon's funeral, a stranger who claims to have been her uncle's friend. The stranger, who calls himself Skulduggery Pleasant, turns out to be a walking, talking skeleton! Skulduggery is a detective and an elemental mage, and Stephanie soon teams up with him to solve the mystery of her uncle's death. Suddenly, breaking and entering, battling monsters, and confronting evil mages is all part of a days work for Stephanie.

Skulduggery Pleasant is one of those books that you just can't put down. It's exciting, it's funny, and it's filled with interesting characters doing interesting things. You just can't help but like Stephanie - her stubbornness, courage, and impulsivity make her a character to be reckoned with. The witty repartee between Skulduggery and Stephanie is hilarious and one of the delights of the book:

"So why do they want me to be there? Aren't I the innocent young girl being led astray?"

"See, I don't really want them to view you as the innocent young girl. I want them to view you as the rebellious, insubordinate, troublesome rapscallion who has made herself my partner. Then maybe they'll take pity on me."

Skulduggery Pleasant is a fun, fun book that will appeal to kids and adults who love adventure, excitement, magic, and humor.

Younger and more sensitive readers should know that there is a fairly high level of violence in this book. The humor takes the edge off of it, but some people may still be disturbed by it.

Book Review: Middleworld

Middleworld
The Janguar Stones: Book One
by J&P Voelkel

Fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is used to getting his own way. So he's dismayed to learn that his parents, who are archaeologists, are heading to Central America for a dig and that they've signed Max up to spend the summer at a camp that builds character in teenagers through survival training. But when Max's parents disappear, Max finds himself heading to San Xavier (a fictional Central American country) to search for his parents, instead. In San Xavier, Max is caught between factions seeking the Jaguar Stones, ancient Mayan stones of power. Accompanied by Lola, a Mayan girl who can communicate with monkeys, Max tries to find the Jaguar Stones, summon an ancient Mayan king, and rescue his parents from the Mayan Lords of Death, before the evil Count Antonio DeLanda can collect the stones and take over the world.

Middleworld is a fast-paced, unique, and fascinating story. The non-stop action drives the story along, while at the same time the book provides a fascinating look at Mayan culture, both ancient and modern. While some elements of the story are fictional - notably the country of San Xavier and the Jaguar Stones themselves, the authors go to a great deal of effort in both a preface and in the appendices to separate fact from fiction. Those appendices provide a great deal of information about the Maya for anyone interested in learning more, and a bibliography gives an extensive list of sources.

The only problem I had with the book was that because Max is spoiled, selfish, and petulant at the beginning of the book, he's not a very likable character. These flaws are important to the story, and he does develop and grow as the story progresses, but it makes it very hard to identify with him for the first part of the book, which tends to yank you out of the story. By halfway through the book, he's become a much better character, and the the second half of the book is much enhanced by the addition of two ancient Mayan royals in the form of howler monkeys, who provide a welcome comic relief.

The book is enhanced with beautiful illustrations by Andrea Voelkel and Jon Voelkel.

All it all, Middleworld an enjoyable book that should appeal to adventure-loving reluctant readers, as well as young people interested in ancient cultures.