Invisible City

May 1, 2010
Grades 6-8 When Joshuas archaeologist father dies while searching for a Mayan codex that pertains to the 2012 end-of-times prophecy and his mother takes to her bed, the 13-year-old decides to go to Mexico (with two friends) to find out what happened. Thats the first time readers will have to suspend disbelief, but hardly the last. Theres an intriguing story buried in here, but if an action-propelled tale can have too much action, this one is it. As Joshua comes closer to learning about the link between his family and the missing codex, bullets fly, crocodiles snap, and friends and enemies alike drop, sometimes in ghoulish ways. All the carnage tends to take the focus off the best bits of the book, especially the exact nature of the codex and the ancient civilization that still protects it. Random blog entries are also a disruptive way to incorporate information. On the plus side, the end-of-the-world scenario is hard to resist, and appealing Josh makes a solid hero. His adventures will continue in succeeding books of the Joshua Files.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
Thirteen-year-old Josh lives an ordinary life until his archaeologist father dies. Josh doesn't believe the police report and starts his own investigation; this leads him to Mexico on the trail of a secret Mayan codex. Written in present tense (partly as blog entries), the story is sharp and engaging, fueled by Josh's suspicions.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)