D.J. MacHale is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pendragon series and the Morpheus Road series. He has written, directed and produced many television series and movies for young people that have been seen on Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel, HBO, Showtime, PBS, Discovery Kids, and the broadcast networks. D.J. lives with his family in Southern California.
Gr 5-8-In the second book of D.J. MacHale's sci-fi thriller (Aladdin, pap. 2003), 14-year old Bobby Pendragon and his Uncle Press, a Traveler, journey to the underwater world of Cloral. There he meets daredevil Vo Spader and the two friends have nonstop, action-packed adventures involving multiple high-speed chases and narrow escapes. Cloral's food supply is poisoned and the fate of the underwater utopia depends upon Bobby and Spader's ability to find the mythical city of Faar. Meanwhile, Bobby writes of his astounding adventures in journals he sends back to his friends Courtney and Mark in suburban Connecticut. MacHale has a tendency to use visual flourishes that kids will recognize from various TV shows, such as the twitching ring on Mark's finger to announce a new journal delivery from Bobby and vicious shape-changing guards near the entrances to every "flume" (black-hole type tunnels that connect alternate worlds). If this bad guys versus good guys story isn't ludicrous enough, the entire production is enveloped in junior high melodrama, with frequently used adjectives such as "bizarro," and awesome. Still, it's an entertaining tale. Actor William Dufris's reading transforms the predictable plot line, flat characters, and mundane writing into a fresh and energetic production. He does a great Aussie accent as Spader, provides a deep, authoritative voice for Bobby's selfless Uncle Press, and sounds just like a teen witnessing fantastic events as Bobby. This recording can be enjoyed alone, but it would be helpful to have read or listened to the first title in the series. As long as the stage is set for another high-velocity adventure, no one will quibble about literary value.-Celeste Steward, Alameda County Library, Fremont, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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