Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This first of a series of young adult fantasy novels, originally published in 2007, makes excellent use of cinematic music and digital sound effects. Multiple actors voice the central characters, who are oddly named after famous prisons: there's the 13-year old protagonist Alcatraz Smedry, his grandfather Leavenworth, best friends Sing and Quentin, and Bastille, a strong, clever, angry, and thoroughly obnoxious girl who tags along. They are fighting the "evil librarians" who are attempting to take over the world. Alcatraz, struggling with his irresolution and lack of confidence, has, like the other members of his family, an unusual talent: in his case, the ability to destroy whatever he touches. This is evoked with lots of loud and suggestive sound effects during the big battle scenes. The production includes 17 actors, most of whom seem to have very minor roles, but their variety and a remarkably good musical score contribute to the jolly mood of violent mayhem. Ages 9-up. A Scholastic hardcover. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-The conventional trappings of the middle-school fantasy get turned upside down in this zany novel. Alcatraz is a 13-year-old boy with hidden powers, but his talent is "breaking things." The powerful object he must find is a bag of sand, he battles monsters made of paper, and his arch nemeses are evil librarians. It all sounds ludicrous, but there is actually some consistent logic that makes the adventures engaging, as well as silly. Seemingly random insertions, such as a bunch of very civilized dinosaurs that speak with English accents, later play key roles in the plot development. Alcatraz opens nearly every chapter by addressing readers directly, and frequently interrupts the narrative, a technique that adds to the enjoyable bizarreness. He reflects flippantly upon writing techniques, gives broad hints about what may happen next, and even tells outright lies about his own story. It takes a while to adjust to this intentionally chaotic narration, but it ultimately becomes quite effective. The details of this fantasy world, where librarians dominate "Hushlanders" by withholding information about many things, including the existence of three other continents, make just enough sense to frame the sometimes frantic plot. Though there's intentionally more humor than drama, Alcatraz becomes a more complex figure by the time his adventure is through as he discovers the value of friendship, courage, and family. Readers who prefer fantasy with plenty of humor should enjoy entering Alcatraz's strange but amusing world.-Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) It's a formula that's becoming a little familiar: on his (in this instance, thirteenth) birthday, an orphan raised in unpleasant circumstances by uncaring adults discovers an amazing birthright. In Alcatraz Smedry's case, it's an unremarkable bag of sand. The sand's not as ordinary as it may appear, however, for in short order Alcatraz is visited by his long-lost grandfather Leavenworth and the gun-toting minion of the evil Librarians. It seems that the world is bigger than we thought, for here in the Hushlands, Librarians choose what information not to share, including the existence of the Free Kingdoms. Alcatraz just happens to be the scion of one of the Free Kingdom's most powerful families (so powerful that the Librarians name Hushlands prisons after them); his Talent is breaking things. Newcomer Sanderson gleefully deconstructs his fictional world, up to and including his self-conscious narration, delivered by Alcatraz in chapters that begin with digressions on literary forms and conceits before getting back to the story. For all its self-aware preciosity, this still stands as a happily action-packed romp, with just the right amount of repartee between Alcatraz and his cantankerous teenage protector Bastille, and a cliffhanger ending that promises more of the same. Plus dinosaurs in tweed vests. Who could ask for more? From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
On his 13th birthday, Alcatraz Smedry receives a bag of sand and burns down his foster mother's kitchen, beginning his involvement in the struggle between the Free Kingdoms and the world we know, controlled by a conspiracy of Evil Librarians. Part of the contradictory flavor of this self-referential fantasy is that the good guys are named for famous prisons. Alcatraz says this is the first volume of an autobiography that will prove he is not really a hero or even very nice. Members of his family have Talents we might call liabilities. Alcatraz breaks things. In the course of the story, he knocks down floors, a wall and two doors in the main library. The premise is intriguing and Sanderson gets in some good digs at pushers of books about dysfunctional families and dying dogs, but the joke becomes tiresome with repetition. Awkward similes add absurdity but stop the narrative flow. Alcatraz often interrupts his story with comments about reading, sometimes predicting accurately that we won't believe the events on the page. He doubts that librarians will recommend this book. He may be right. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
