Review Detail

Alcatraz Smedry has lived in twenty seven foster homes in thirteen years. His Talent? Breaking Things. For instance, for his thirteenth birthday, he received a package in the mail with the following note: Alcatraz, Happy thirteenth birthday. Here is your inheritance, as promised. Love, Mom and Dad. And inside? A bag of sand, about the size of a fist. Upon receiving his inheritance, Alcatraz when inside his foster home and accidently burned down the kitchen.

Now if that isnt odd enough, the next morning a strange little man wearing a black tuxedo and red tinted glasses comes waltzing into the house looking for the inheritance. His Talent? Being Late. He was supposed to get to Alcatraz on his birthday. But as you would have it, the inheritance, the precious Sands of Rashid, were stolen by Ms. Fletcher, who all these years was posing as his case worker but was aligned with the evil librarians of Hushland.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, in the Free Kingdoms (those not ruled by librarians) the Smedrys are considered royalty and heroes. And with these Talents and because they are Oculars (people who see the things they need to see), the Smedrys have been fighting the librarians who have been trying to take over.

I realize this doesnt explain much. So, heres a short synopsis. The Smedrys, all of whom are named after prisons, are trying to defend the Free Kingdoms against the librarians. Attica, Alcatraz, Sing Sing and (San) Quentin Smedry, and Bastille, a guard, infiltrate the library. You see, the myth is that the Sands of Rashid can be smelt into powerful lenses and the librarians must be thwarted in this endeavor. This motley group sees sedate British dinosaurs and mean looking librarian thugs (are there such things?). They use antiquated weapons such as Uzis and machine guns against the sophisticated swords used by the librarians. They use their Talents: Breaking Things, Being Late, Tripping and Speaking Gibberish. They battle using a variety of lenses, each one stronger than the next. They hide. They get captured. They escape. They fight.

Does this tell you anything significant about the book? Not really? Well, thats probably because this book is indescribable. Its fun. Its funny. Its action packed. Its serious. Its thought provoking. Its narrated by Alcatraz himself, a hero in the Free Kingdoms. It will make you cringe, make you shake your head in wonder, make you cover your eyes in fright. But it will also make you keep reading until the very end, which while wrapping up the story, promises a sequel. So, if you want a Talent, make it Reading and read this book, before the evil librarians hide it from you forever.