| I was excited to score a free ARC of Jody Feldman’s new book, The Seventh Level (Greenwillow, 2010), which comes out tomorrow! I really liked The Gollywhopper Games, about a kind of modern-day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory contest full of puzzles and intrigue.
I love puzzles and intrigue. The Seventh Level also delivers both, plus something I would have loved to have had in junior high–a secret club. Not a lame secret club, but one called The Legend that organizes cool school events and everyone wants to be part of. |
Travis, who’s always getting into trouble, starts receiving envelopes with puzzles in them, puzzles he must solve to gain admittance to the club. But are ALL the envelopes actually from the club?
And is The Oaf really his enemy? Why is 23 the right answer? (I couldn’t figure that one out either, Travis!)
Relationship dynamics, brainteasers, humor, and a main character I could really empathize with all made this a totally fun, smart book. I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers. Let’s just say I really want to know more about the inner workings of The Legend. And just maybe, in another book(?), I will.
Jody captures the middle school/junior high mind so well. This was a real treat. My only complaint is the cover, which seems odd to me. The avatar-style rendering of the main character and the streaming binary code definitely give the impression this is a high-tech adventure. But it’s not. The brainteasers and tasks are almost all decidedly low-tech in this book, so I thought this cover was a weird choice.
But hey, if it gets kids to pick it up, great. They’ll love it! And so do I.
Congratulations, Jody! I hope The Seventh Level has as much success as The Gollywhopper Games has enjoyed.