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This month's best selling kids series from The Children's Book Review's affiliate store, Pete the Cat, is great for highlighting a glass-half-full outlook.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Review by Chris Singer

About the author:

Richard Paul Evans is the #1 best-selling author of The Christmas Box. His novels have each appeared on the New York Times bestseller list; there are more than thirteen million copies of his books in print. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers. He is the winner of the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards for his children’s books, the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women Novel of the Year Award, and the 2011 Wilbur Award for Fiction (Book).  Evans received the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award and the Volunteers of America National Empathy Award for his work helping abused children. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children.

About the book:

To everyone at Meridian High School, fourteen-year-old Michael Vey is nothing special, just the kid who has Tourette’s syndrome. But in truth, Michael is extremely special—he has electric powers. Michael thinks he is unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor has the same mysterious powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up with their abilities, and their investigation soon brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric teens—and through them, the world.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Paul Evans introduces a character whose risk-filled exploration marks the beginning of a riveting new series. With only his powers, his wits, and his friends to protect him, Michael will need all his strength to survive….

My take on the book:

I reviewed this book despite its affiliation with a media pundit I extremely dislike. This is Richard Paul Evan’s first book written for young adults and while it is a simple yet entertaining read, I had many doubts about its applicability to this genre. I think Michael Vey actually fits better as a book for middle readers (8-12). The characters and story itself lacks a lot of depth which I think would be difficult for older teens to really find believable. The main characters especially, are full of stereotypes and act much younger than their ages as well.

Still, the book is entertaining to read, especially after the introduction of the main characters and story begins taking shape. There is a lot of action and many young readers, especially those who enjoy comic books, will recognize elements from the X-Men series in this story. There’s also some interesting elements in the story regarding the science of electricity. Since all of the children in the story have special powers related to electricity, young readers who understand or have learned about electricity in school may be able to use this knowledge to figure out how the characters use their powers.

It looks like this book is the first in a series of seven books. Although it’s pretty simplistic for the YA genre, I’d still like to check out the second book before making a full conclusion. For the most part, I think this is an entertaining read and worth a shot. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to middle readers 8 to 12. I think they’ll enjoy it much more than older teens will.