Maze of Bones

 

Really liked Dan. He was funny in a ten year old sort of way. Kind of like, he didn't know what he didn't know. I love that the character liked and was good at math. Especially for this age group, that isn't a popular thing and I hope this makes kids more interested. I related a lot to Amy at this age, more comfortable with books than people.
I love the colorful side characters, even the "bad guys" and always found their interactions amusing. I think the Holts are my favorite team aside from Dan and Amy. I love their military dynamic and who wouldn't want to attack people with ice cream. However, I think this is a family that will end up destroying themselves. The same could be said for the Cabras, but I didn't care for them as much. I'm still unsure of Alister and Mr. McIntyre was definitely suspicious at the end. He never did answer whether or not he was a Cahill when asked at the reading of the will and I think that will play a part somewhere in the series.

I usually don't get so invested in the plot of middle grade books, but this one just did not stop. From the very beginning there was consistent action, which moved the books along very quickly. Between the bombings, fire, poison, and traipsing from America and through Paris, Amy and Dan were in constant motion with no down time. Normally, I would find this exhausting, but it so worked here.

My favorite aspect of the writing was the knowledge that was poured effortlessly into the story. I learned so much about Franklin and I love that young people can pick up on those things as well without feeling like they are studying. Will definitely be picking up some more books by this author soon.