Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians
by Brandon Sanderson
For: Ages 8-12
Genre: Humorous fantasy/science fiction, Humorous Action/Adventure
Published: 2007
Description: A hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians.
Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness.
Why I liked it: This book was pure fun from the first page clear to the last. And the premise was one of the most clever I have ever come across. I read this aloud to my middle-grade aged boys, and they loved it as much as I did. Word of caution: it's probably best not to read this as a bedtime story like I did. Nobody slept much when I did. We were too busy laughing. Also of note: this is the first in a whole series of books. You should read them all, imo.
Do you know of any other humorous fantasy or science fiction novels? If you do, please share them with me in the comments below.
Happy Weekend Reading!
How long was this book? Just out of curiosity. I'll have to add it to my list!
ReplyDeleteIt was 320 pages, but keep in mind that it's written for middle-graders (8-12yos) so it's a much faster read than, say, 320 pages from a book for adults.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it as much as I did!
It's about 57,000 words, which is not very long at all. (When you don't adjust for wide margins and lots of space between lines, 50K = about 200 pages. I think A Wrinkle in Time is about 50K.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I LOVE the Alcatraz books. I'm still waiting and hoping for that fifth one.
Me, too, Rose. Me, too.
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