*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Michael Chase is a reluctant spy for the CIA. All he wants is to find his dad, but trying to locate him in China turned into a whole other mission that he barely survived. Now, credible intel puts his dad in Turkey, so Michael heads there with hopes of finally finding him. Instead, he comes up empty except for a few obscure clues and yet another mission to save the world from bad things. Will he survive this time, too? And will he finally find his father?

 

This is an exciting scavenger hunt and a race to find the pieces to the Tesla device  before the bad guys do. The race is heart pounding, the clues mysterious and Michael has no idea who to trust. It’s an enjoyable thrilling ride. However…Michael is just too knowledgeable about everything. He knows every kind of weapon, boat, ship, vehicle, helicopter and just about every fact from ancient history to the present in every subject under the sun. Ok, maybe he doesn’t know everything, but it sure seems that way. It gets to be tedious listening when everything is explained in painstaking detail and it slows the pace of the story down. Also, for a rookie agent he has an incredible amount of good luck. Now, some people are just that way, lucky in most things they do. But I find it hard to believe that the bad guys are such terrible shots. Did they learn from the A-Team or the Storm Trooper School of Firearms? Just sayin’. All-in-all though this thriller has a decent plot and several twists to keep the reader guessing.

 

The narration for this story is pretty good except for a tendency of the narrator to sometimes drag out the end of a sentence. It sounded weird. Other than that I give the narration a thumbs up.

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!! Great kids adventure!!Like Indiana Jones :)
***Received the ebook as part of the tour for an honest review

The cover is awesome and the best one yet :) Love it!!!

I really enjoyed this book the best, but I think I have learned to love Zoe & Zak :) This book has even more about India built in regarding terms, culture, and geography. I think it would be cool to really see the bazaar and go on hikes in the country side.
Zoe and Zak have new challenges to overcome while looking for the 2nd noble truth. New powers to learn, more drama at school with bullies, but they are also getting closer to those secondary characters and I have started loving them too :)

This is a fantastic series for middle grade kids who love adventure. It is very much like an Indiana Jones adventure for kids. I'm going to make sure my son reads this series because I think he will love it :)

Can't wait to see what Lars comes up with next :)

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!

The cover is very entertaining with the flying elephants and looks like kids will totally love it because it evokes curiosity to the great adventure :) What fun!! :)

Okay, I picked this book up back in January, but I didn’t put it in my read soon pile until I signed up for the blog tour for book 3. At the time, I didn’t even realize that I already owned book 1 & 2, I just hadn’t read them yet.

I definitely enjoyed this story even more than book 1, but it was still easy for me to put it down when I had to take care of day to day business.

This story is packed with more details on India where you learn little tidbits about the country which is a great way for kids to learn about other cultures and what an American’s perspective is with the differences, so you can imagine you own reactions to new things you would encounter in India. Also the boarding school seemed cool and had me wondering if such an academy exists in India though I couldn’t find it when I looked…lol

I still love the duo Zoe & Zak, and Zoe is still dealing with issues of acceptance and her own worth as she copes with bullying and learning that she cannot control everything. We also meet some great new friends that I’m hoping we will see more of in book 3…great secondary characters to help you get pulled more into the story.

I recommend this story to middle grade kids who want a great adventure with some puzzles to figure out like Indiana Jones kid style.

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!

The cover is awesome and looks like Indian Jones kid style :) It totally attracts people to the book :)

Okay, I picked this book up back in December, but I didn’t put it in my read soon pile until I signed up for the blog tour for book 3. At the time, I didn’t even realize that I already owned book 1 & 2, I just hadn’t read them yet.

This book is a great kid adventure in India. I love that it puts tidbits about India mixed into the entire book, so kids won’t even realize they are learning a little along the way. It is full of action, and kids getting into trouble both planned and unplanned.

Zoe is a girl who isn’t real girly, and she is smart, strong, and loyal, but she has some issues with trying to figure out who she is because she is adopted and picked on by bullies a lot. I love how the author puts these real life issues and comparison into his book. It will help kids think about others and things they have to deal with :) She sort of gets thrown together with Zak because their parents work together. Zoe starts out thinking he is annoying, but her mom told her to be nice because his family is going through a divorce. Another great topic built into the story. Zak sort of attracts trouble and drags Zoe along for the ride. Along the way, they become really good friends, and she sees past his annoying behaviors that are due to his own insecurities.

There are parts that are drawn out like a kid telling a story where they want your attention, and you just aren’t into the dramatics. Where you are thinking just get on with it, but I like fast-paced stories :) This is also the first book in the series, and it is told from Zoe’s point of view which is very believable like a diary or blog entry.

I think adventurous middle-schoolers who love to read will eat this book up. If you have a reluctant reader, I suggest reading it with them or getting the audiobook.