Review: JANITORS by Tyler Whitesides (Shadow Mountain, June 2012)

From Amazon: The magical, secretive society of JANITORS will sweep the country in the fall of 2011. Have you ever fallen asleep during math class? Are you easily distracted while listening to your English teacher? Do you find yourself completely uninterested in geography? Well, it may not be your fault. The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it s draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelveyear- old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. Who can Spencer and Daisy trust and how will they protect their school and possibly the world? Janitors is book 1 in a new children s fantasy series by debut novelist Tyler Whitesides. You ll never look at a mop the same way again.

Audience: Middle-grade (Upper)
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 288 pgs

Rating: **** (Really liked it)

Review: I actually read this book a while ago and forgot to review it! A friend posted it was free on Amazon, and I always jump on top of that, especially when I’ve heard of the author or it’s published by a publisher I’m familiar with. As you know, if you’ve read my middle-grade reviews, it’s not my favorite age to read, but this book was fun and quirky and I loved the characters. It just so out of the box, you can’t help but love it. I liked the twists and the imagination. I loved how the parents weren’t totally absent, but their roles were still believable. Great book for a 10+ kid! I know when my oldest finally gets through The Lightening Thief (he’s an over-achiever), this will be one of my first recommendations for him.

Content: Rated 1-5, 1 being minor instances and 5 being saturated
Violence – 2 (minor fighting)
Language – 0
Sex – 0

Source: Bought from Amazon during a sale.

Try this Like middle-grade fantasy? Try ARTEMIS FOWL by Eoin Colfer.