Hi Guys,
Gotta a few middle school reads coming up for you in the next few posts. Most of the middle school books I choose, I pick because they are on our new book shelf and the covers appeal to me.
Story Thieves by James Riley is a fantasy adventure for 4-6 graders that takes the reader inside their favorite fictional stories. Bethany isn’t a normal girl; she is half fictional, born of a fictional father and human mother and because of this she can jump inside stories. Bethany is on a quest to find her father, who disappeared after being pulled into a story and never making his way back out. Now Bethany jumps into as many books as she can, hoping to find her lost father.
Owen is a normal boy looking for something more. He knows there has to be something out there that will make his boring life more exciting. When he catches Bethany coming out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory he knows he’s found that thing.
Bethany takes Owen into his favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series in return for his silence about her abilities. But Owen can’t resist being the hero and he breaks Bethany’s number one rule: Don’t change the story! What happens when fictional characters find out they are fictional? Can Bethany and Owen make things right? And what could possibly go wrong when a fictional magician enters the real world with all his power intact?
Story Thieves is a middle school read right up my ally. Books, magic, science fiction, suspense and more. For a longer book (400+ pages), it was a quick read with a good pace. There were a few plot holes or story arcs that could have been tightened up or tweaked a little but other than that it was a good read.
This book will appeal to kids because the characters actually do what we would all love to do, they jump into stories and explore the worlds of their favorite characters. In a way, when we read, we do the same thing. A part of us gets sucked into the stories we read–that’s why it’s often hard to give up our favorites and admit they’re over.
Ultimately, this was a good read that did not disappoint. I would recommend it to my middle schoolers who are looking for books similar to Percy Jackson, Lemony Snicket, and Harry Potter. Just a fun quick read that will capture the imagination.
That’s all for now!
-M-