Middleworld
Max, 14, lead character of Middleworld by J&P Voelkel has archaeologist parents who are obsessed with the Maya. Essentially, he has the coolest parents EVAR! However, he thinks his parents are lame. Um, what? Max, dear, have you met MY parents? Their interests include country music, fart jokes, and complaining about how much things cost. Anyways, privileged Max really grated on my nerves, I kept wanting to tell him to STFU or GTFO.
Max winds up in Central America, in a chase for the Jaguar Stones which are like the sorcerer’s stone in Harry Potter, only these stones control the gods. He whines a whole lot in Central America. He’s rude to the natives. Eventually, he comes across a Mayan girl named Lola. She’s like a 14 year old Lara Croft. Girl has got it going on. She was definitely my favorite character, aside from the gods. I think this was because Lola was SO different from Max.
I will say, Middleworld is quite funny in several instances. However, the humor is a bit juvenile for MY tastes. But, it’s a juvenile book, so really, what do I expect. It’s also quite educational. I learned quite a bit about the Mayan religion, calendars, and food. This isn’t really an adult-YA-MG crossover. I think the appeal is strictly for the MG set, which is fine. Not every book has to appeal to children and adults. Ultimately Middleworld by J & P Voelkel would be great for middle schoolers, but not me, an adult reader of YA.
Disclosure: Received for review.
Other Reviews of Middleworld by J&P Voelkel:
Mindful Musings
He Followed Me Home
Brooke Reviews
Purchase Middleworld Here.
Also, there’s a pretty cool official Middleworld Website, which may enhance your enjoyment!
This post was written by...
April (Books&Wine) – who has written 1074 posts on Good Books And Good Wine.
April is 24 years old. She is an educator. In her free time she can be found reading, working out, or eating junk food. She often wears her sunglasses at night.
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+JMJ+
I might actually be interested in this one. If I like it, I'll recommend it to my cousin who loved Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. First Greek gods, then Mayan gods. I wonder what is coming next!
(But I do agree with you: archeologist parents would be uber cool. What is with Max???)
+JMJ+
PS–I hate to expose myself now, but I tried Google and all I could come up with for "MG" was "Middle Grade". Is that what you mean by MG, April?
I'm taking this one on vaca with me in a few weeks!
Oh I have this book at home. I was going to read it for my blog.
Great review, I liked the talking monkeys, they added so much humor to the book. I also recommended this title to my cousin for a book report he had to do.
I agree with how some MG books are good for that age group but lack crossover appeal. I've tried to express that sentiment before but never could get it to come out like you said it lol. I like that this book has to do with Mayan culture. Very cool!
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