The Magnificent 12: The Call | Michael Grant

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Mack MacAvoy is not your ordinary hero. He has phobias. He even has a phobia OF phobias. He's regular - regular looking, regular family, regular problems with the school's local bullies. And when he saves the life of Stefan, the king of all bullies, Mack thinks that's about as unusual his life is going to get. Until an ancient soul appears to tell Mack that he is one of the Magnificent 12 - the only people in the world capable of stopping the Pale Queen when she rises from her 3,000 year long slumber. If they can survive the wrath of her daughter, that is...

We got a copy of this book into the school library this week and it caused a little bit of a controversy in the sticker department. A co-worker wanted it labeled as humor and I wanted it to be labeled as adventure. I hadn't read many reviews of it, as not to cloud my Cybils judgment prior to reading, but from the obvious facts it was an adventure first. My co-worker, having flipped through it, was adamant that we market it as humor. Having now completed it, I humbly concede to her opinion.

This book is hilarious. I like the globe-hopping premise, the promise of new characters in each book and the pacing of alternating storyline chapters. I quickly warmed to Golem's diary for Mack, although it took me a little longer to realize that some of the character names were plays on other words. Blame it on the brain fog, I'm so knee deep into this cold and lost my voice completely somewhere in the middle of last night's midnight viewing of The Room.

As a side note, I'm interested to know if series that incorporate online components, such as those in this book, The Search for WondLa and The 39 Clues, are actually doing well among particular demographics of middle-grade readers. As a grown-up, I'm on the fence - I like that the book can be expanded into an experience, without necessarily having to be option for a television show or movie, but I still have some reservations. Is it meant to target reluctant readers, or those who need to immerse themselves completely into a series before moving on to the next big thing? Is there an equal level of participation among genders? What does it say about the future of reading experiences for children on the wrong side of the digital divide?

Although I wasn't crazy over Michael Grant's YA series, I'm looking forward to keeping up with this series and hope that it becomes the Next Big Thing.

Posted on Saturday, Oct 23, 2010