After a two-year hiatus, this blog is back from the dead. An improved rating system and review style is now here, as well. Anyway, on to the real guts of the review.
Book summary:
The book is about a boy who, after a twist of fate involving soap, discovers that magical creatures roam the halls of almost every school in America. They breathe brainwaves and make it hard for children to learn. These creatures, dubbed "Toxites," are classified into three subgroups: Filths, Rubbishes, and Grimes. Filths are rodent-like beasts that cause intense sleepiness, Rubbishes are vulture/bat hybrids that exhale apathy, and Grimes are salamanders that cause distraction.
SPOILERS AHEAD: PLEASE SKIP IF YOU DON'T WANT PLOT SPOILED
At first, the Bureau of Educational Management's regional director, Garth Hadley, convinces the main character that the janitors in the school are evil wizards that help the Toxites. However, Spencer (the main character), hears a different story from the janitors. They said that the BEM originally protected schools from Toxites, but suddenly withdrew support for unknown reasons. Spencer believes this and begins to train and fight the janitors.
Plot:
The plot in this story is actually my largest gripe about it. The summary may make it sound good, but in reality, it moves too slow and has large, gaping holes. There were times when the book nearly had me on the edge of my seat, but the author's way of writing seems like he just tries to drag it out for no reason. In regards to plot holes, there are scattered tiny holes in the book, but the most prominent problem is this: No reason for the BEM's withdrawal of help is given, and it leaves a huge question mark--"Why did they stop helping? There's no reason for it!" This is impossible to ignore, and makes you question why you're reading the story in the first place when there's no explanation or backstory.
Despite this, the plot can have interesting twists and good moments where it moves at a decent pace.
Overall score for plot (40% of final score): 5/10--2 point deduction for the horrible BEM plot hole, 1 point deduction for minor plot holes, 2 point deduction for slow progression.
Characters:
I'll be honest here: the main character in this book really grates on me. He's an obnoxious germaphobe that seems like he has obsessive-compulsive disorder and regularly makes rash decisions. Now, he's 11, and I can understand that. But, when somebody this ridiculously annoying is made the main character of the book, it's really hard to read about him. The other main character, Daisy, is unrealistically gullible. This fits well with the plot progression, so I won't rant about it, since it would be considerably harder to write the book with a rational sidekick. The janitors and villains in the book are, while a bit cliche, decent enough to work.
Overall score for characters (30% of final score): A 3-point deduction for horrible main character and 0.5 point deduction for cliche side characters puts us at a score of 6.5 in this area.
Setting:
Most of the book is set in a school. The parts that aren't are in houses. Not much to say here, so I'll just give the setting an 8/10 (-2 points for not having anything unique, 10% of final score.)
Mood/style:
The mood of most of the book feels somewhat generic, with a few cheesy jokes mixed in. Overall, the mood isn't very important to the actual plot. The language is usually easy to understand for the target audience (4th/5th/6th graders) with a few larger words that may require a dictionary. The writing style is similar to Brandon Mull's (Fablehaven, Candy Shop War, and Beyonders series) but slightly slower. Overall, I'd rate it a 7/10 (which is worth 20% of the final score) for generic mood, cheesy jokes, and slow-paced writing style.
Overall rating:
6/10
Please note that scores are rounded.
Scores calculated using Ben Eggleston's grade calculator.
