Brandon Sanderson

[Book Review] Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

[Book Review] Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians (Book #1) by Brandon Sanderson

I haven’t read anything else by Brandon Sanderson, but I think he has outdone himself with this book. Let me just say that I haven’t ever laughed out loud at a book like I did with this one! I am so excited to share with you my book review of  Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians! 
 

Blurb:

 “On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry receives a bag of sand in the mail, an inheritance from his lost parents. When it is immediately stolen, he learns that it is no ordinary bag of sand. With it, the evil Librarians who secretly rule the Hushlands–Librarian-controlled nations, such as the United States, Canada, and England–will finally overtake the Free Kingdoms as well. Alcatraz and his ragtag band of freedom fighters must stop them, once and for all.”
 

My Book Review:

 
One of my friends in my book group recommended this series to me about a year ago. I got them at the library for my son, but never had the chance to read them myself. I checked them out again for my daughter to read, and finally  read the first one. I have to say, this book is so much fun! The voice in the book is hilarious! It’s told in first person, and I don’t think I’ve read another book where the first person narrator has such an engaging, witty, and humorous voice. Alcatraz suddenly gets pulled into this crazy world of evil librarians and conspiracies. Even though he’s the supposed hero, the first words in the book are, “I am not a good person.”
 
This book is a (fictional) autobiography of Alcatraz. In it, he tells his life story. I love how he says in the book that the evil Librarians will advertise it as a fictional book (because they don’t want the truth out), but it’s really an autobiography. So fun! It is very well written, engaging, creative, imaginative, and humorous. Yes, there are some scary parts where Alcatraz, Bastille, Grandpa Smedry, and Sing are in grave danger and have to fight those evil Librarians, but the way they’re written makes it seem not so bad.
 
I love the idea of the different lenses (Want more info. on the lenses….read the book!). Did you know that there are actually more than seven continents on the earth? Those evil Librarians have gotten away with not teaching us about them. Hahaha!! I knew some of those librarians were secretly evil! Alcatraz is a great character. He’s definitely not perfect, but in the book that imperfection becomes his strength, which is a great lesson! I love the part about their different talents! Grandpa Smedry is awesome too. Bastille is a little rougher around the edges, but I liked her more as the book went on.
 
If you’re looking for a fun middle-grader/YA series (moms like it too), you’ve come to the right place! There are five books in this series. As a mom, I love finding series for my kids to read. It’s great because then I know I have five good books in a row for them to read. If you want to laugh and learn the secrets of the evil Librarians then you need to read this! The kids love it because of the humor and the adventure, and I loved it for the same reasons. It’s very creative, imaginative, and unique. I highly recommend this book! 
 

Content Rating PGRating: PG (There is no profanity and no “intimacy.” There is some violence with characters being tortured-it’s not too graphic, fighting with different weapons, and lots of stuff breaking. Of course there is a bad guy, and he’s a really good bad guy!!)

 

Age Recommendation: 3rd grade and up (It’s a great middle-grader/YA book!)

Rated 4/5 Stars

4 Star Rating

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This post was first published on 12/23/16; updated on 2/27/18.

The Dark Talent (Book #5 in Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians)

The Dark Talent
(Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians: Book #5 )
by
Brandon Sanderson

Blurb:
“For years, the Evil Librarians have managed to keep this book under wraps–but Alcatraz is back at last with an all-new adventure! Alcatraz Smedry has successfully defeated the army of Evil Librarians and saved the kingdom of Mokia. Too bad he managed to break the Smedry Talents in the process. Even worse, his father is trying to enact a scheme that could ruin the world, and his friend Bastille is in a coma. To revive her, Alcatraz must infiltrate the Highbrary–known as the Library of Congress to Hushlanders–the seat of Evil Librarian power. Without his Talent to draw upon, can Alcatraz figure out a way to save Bastille and defeat the Evil Librarians once and for all?”

My Review:

So here it is-the last book! Sad! I always get mixed emotions when I read the last book in a series; I’m excited to see how it ends, but I don’t want it to end. This has been such a fun series, and I enjoyed every book. So what did I think about this book? You need to read it! Someone please read it and then email me so we can talk! Did this book answer all my questions? Sadly, no!! What?? I know. Seriously. I’m left hanging. Did Alcatraz end up like he said he would? Sadly, yes. 🙁 Mr. Sanderson (aka Alcatraz) did discover footnotes though, that was awesome. The cover art is great, the story is action-packed and full of surprises, and even though I still had questions, it was a great final book. If you have read the first four, go get on amazon (my affiliate link is at the bottom of the review so it’s very convenient to click right now…) and order it right now!! If it’s daytime when you read this then the library is also a good option. Just please someone read it and let me know so we can discuss!

Rating: PG+ (This one is rated a little bit higher because a few prominent characters die. It’s not overly graphic, but it is a bit more graphic than the other books. There is fighting. There isn’t any profanity or “intimacy.”)

Recommendation: 3rd grade and up

Alcatraz vs The Shattered Lens (Book #4)

The Shattered Lens 
(Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians: Book #4)

by
Brandon Sanderson

Blurb:

“Alcatraz Smedry is on a mission to save the day! The boy with all the wrong Talents has a lot to prove and, as always, little time in which to do it. In this final adventure, Alcatraz faces an army of librarians–and their giant librarian robots–as they battle to win the kingdom of Mokia. If the librarians win the war, everything that Alcatraz has fought so hard for could end in disaster. With his incredible Talent for breaking things, some explosive teddy bears, and the help of his friends, Alcatraz must face the glass-shattering gigantic robots, an entire army of evil librarians, and even his own manipulative mother! But will he be able to save the kingdom of Mokia and the Free Kingdoms from the wrath of the librarians before everything comes crashing down?”

My Review:

This series has definitely become one of my all-time favorites! I love the humor, wit, and creativity in these books, and this one is no different. For example, this is part of the Author’s Forward: “This is my story. Or, well, part four of it. Otherwise known as ‘The part where everything goes wrong, and then Alcatraz has a cheese sandwich.'” Hahaha!!! Seriously. I haven’t ever laughed out loud so much in a book before. Explosive teddy bears? Magic glasses? Dragons as cabs? The wrong Talents that actually wished for and celebrated? Who comes up with this stuff? So fun! As usual, there is trouble in the world and Alcatraz feels the need to save the day. Sitting back and letting things play out is not his strong suit. This book is a continuation of all the fun that happens in the first three books, and I thought it was great. There are a few surprises, and definitely some creative uses of magic and lenses. There are, of course, lots of evil librarians, but there are lots of good guys too. If you want lots of action, fun, humor, wit, giant robots, and lots of breaking things, this book is for you! If you enjoyed the first three then you for sure need to read this one! If you haven’t read any of these books yet, go brave the evil librarian at your local library and pick up book #1. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

This book contains quite a bit of fighting because it’s a war. It’s not overly graphic, though. There isn’t any profanity or “intimacy.” Alcatraz may be naked for a short while; however, it’s not because of anything inappropriate. There might be a small kiss?

Rating: PG (For minor fighting of those evil librarians.)

Recommendation: 3rd grade and up

The Knights of Crystallia (Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians Book #3)

The Knights of Crystallia
(Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians Book #3)
by
Brandon Sanderson

Blurb (Taken from goodreads.com):
“When Alcatraz and Grandpa Smedry make a pilgrimage to the Free Kingdom city of Crystallia, the Smedry home base, Alcatraz is shocked to see that he is, in fact, a legend. When he was a baby he was stolen by the Evil Librarians, and his mother, a Librarian herself, was behind the whole scheme. Now, with his estranged father, who is acting indeed strange, Bastille, who has been stripped of her armor, and Grandpa Smedry, who is, as always, late to everything (that’s his Talent), Alcatraz tries to save a city under siege. From who? Why, the Librarians of course!


My Review:

Seriously! These books are so much fun! I love the humor and wit, the creativity, and the imagination in these books, and this one is no different. It starts out different from the other books, saying that he’s awesome; in the other books he makes it very clear that he is not a hero, that he’s a liar, etc. I was intrigued from the get-go. It seems that fame has gotten to our non-hero in this book. Alcatraz begins to be just a bit arrogant and cocky. He lets the pride go to his head, and there are definitely consequences to that. The capital city of Nalhalla seems like such a cool place! I loved the descriptions of the buildings, the dragons that climb on buildings and act as taxis, and the technology they have there. Of course, there’s trouble, and Alcatraz’ mom is involved somehow. This time, however, the gang is not at the top of their game. They have to be doubly creative to make up for what they’re lacking. This book has lots of action, danger, librarian schemes, surprises, books that sing, and more amazing Talents. If you enjoyed the first two you will love this one! My family always ends up hearing a lot of these books because I’ll be sitting there reading and will burst out laughing; then they’ll want to know why and I’ll have to read it to them. It’s awesome! I can’t remember the last books that I actually laughed out loud at while reading. I love it; it’s definitely a breath of fresh air!

Rating: PG (There’s no profanity or “intimacy.” There is some minor violence as they fight off those evil librarians.)

Recommendation: 3rd grade and up! This book would also make a great read-aloud!