Friday, June 09, 2017

The Door in the Alley A Quick, Quirky, Adventure-Filled Romp

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Even though there are maps tacked up all over his bedroom walls, Sebastian is not the kind of boy who longs for adventure.  He's certainly not the type who goes looking for it.  In fact, he prefers his life just the way it is—safe, predictable, and logical.  So, why does a cryptic sign posted in a dingy alley make him so darn curious?  What is it about The Explorers Society that keeps tugging at his underactive imagination?  

Most illogically, it's a pig in a tiny hat who grants Sebastian entrance into the mysterious society's headquarters.  What he finds inside are people and stories so mind-boggling he can hardly believe they're real.  The Explorers Society is a fun place to hang out, especially since Sebastian's not required to do any adventuring for himself.  

When 11-year-old Evie Drake appears on the Society's doorstep, however, everything changes.  Suddenly, Sebastian finds himself in the middle of a grand adventure complete with a missing explorer, a puzzling mystery, and two sinister bad guys hot on his trail.  Sebastian wants to help Evie find her missing grandfather—he really does—but he's no Indiana Jones.  How can he solve the mystery, rescue Mr. Drake, and keep himself and Evie safe from goons with guns?  It's impossible.  Especially for a risk-averse, panic-attack prone boy like Sebastian.  He's no hero.  Or is he?

The Door in the Alley, the first book in a new series by Adrienne Kress, is a fun-filled, action-packed adventure perfect for armchair explorers.  Featuring a quirky, conversational narrator, it's an upbeat tale with plenty of twists, turns, and surprises.  Sebastian and Evie make a likeable team—it's easy to root for them as they work together to save the only family member Evie has left.  The Door in the Alley is an easy, exciting read that middle graders will surely eat right up.  Personally, I can't wait to see what happens next to this dynamic duo.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of York by Laura Ruby; also of books by Lemony Snicket, Psuedonymous Bosch, and Chris Grabenstein)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Door in the Alley from the generous folks at Random House Kids.  Thank you! 

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Want more opinions about The Door in the Alley?  Of course you do!  Follow along on the book's two-month long tour:
 
Date
Blog
URL
24-Apr
Live To Read
25-Apr
Imagination Soup
26-Apr
Mom and More
27-Apr
Pandora's Books
28-Apr
Mommy Ramblings
1-May
The Lovely Books
2-May
Batch of Books
3-May
Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
4-May
To Read, or Not To Read
5-May
Grandma's Cookie Jar
8-May
Good Reads with Ronna
9-May
Geo Librarian
10-May
Life By Candlelight
11-May
Jumpin Beans
12-May
Always in the Middle
15-May
Librarians Quest
16-May
The Book Wars
17-May
Middle Grade Mafioso
18-May
Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
19-May
Tween You & Me
22-May
Mrs. Knott's Book Nook
23-May
Mundie Moms 
24-May
The Write Path
25-May
26-May
Beach Bound Books
29-May
Middle Grade Ninja
30-May
Night Owl Reviews
31-May
Cracking the Cover
1-Jun
Jenni Enzor
2-Jun
Literary Hoots
5-Jun
From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors
6-Jun
The Winged Pen
7-Jun
Operation Awesome
8-Jun
Leeanna.me
9-Jun
Bloggin' 'bout Books
12-Jun
13-Jun
Ms. Yingling Reads
14-Jun
MGMinded blog
15-Jun
Smack Dab in the Middle
16-Jun
Swoony Boys Podcast
19-Jun
Book Foolery
20-Jun
Unleashing Readers
21-Jun
Kit Lit Reviews
22-Jun
The O.W.L.



 

6 comments:

  1. I love when kid books offer up such fun adventures; I still like to read them now and again, even though I don't have kids of my own. This one sounds like a great summer read. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love MG, too. Fast, easy stories that are engaging and fun are my fave :)

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a cute one. And I'm not even a middle grade fan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is cute. The perfect length, too.

      Delete
  3. This looks and sounds like another winner in the MG category. Even if I'm no longer reading to my kids who are now teens, I still like reading MG books for myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love MG. Fast, easy reads are so nice to sandwich between heavier books. I've come across quite a number of deeper MGs as well, so it's a genre with a lot of variety and potential.

      Delete

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