The Emerald Tablet

Every once in a while I like to throw out a book that I’ve read and enjoyed, and the latest one is middle grade debut novel from PJ Hoover. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of this one, since PJ is a friend from the Class of 2K8, and I’m glad I did. I’ve been trying to read books that are outside my usual realm (that being contemporary realistic teen and middle grade fiction) and this was a fun one.

It starts with a bang on the very first page as Benjamin sees his mother evaporate into thin air and the mirror on his wall starts talking to him. Obviously there’s no putting it down after a start like that! It turns out the neat abilities Benjamin had always taken for granted, like his telekinesis and the way he can read minds, are in fact one of the things that marks him as different and that Benjamin and his family aren’t human but are telegens. He is part of an ancient people and is being sent off to summer school to learn all about it.

I won’t give away anymore but I will say that it was a nifty read that left me eager for the next book in the trilogy. One of the many fun things about this book is how much of a boy Benjamin is. He is the wise cracking kid in seventh grade who makes things fun and is easy to talk to. After about two sentences I felt like I knew him and was happy to know I’d be hanging out with him for a few hundred more pages. I think it’s so neat when women can write boy characters well and PJ really pulls it off.

This was a terrific read that I think middle grade boys and girls will get very into. And here’s to hoping I get my hands on an ARC of the next one!

#daphne