Middle Grade Mania! How To Survive Ancient Spells & Crazy Kings

MMGM aka Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday was created by Shannon Messenger to give middle grade reads the attention they deserve. I'm joining in, today. If you'd like to see more MG books, Click HERE to follow other participants.

Title: How To Survive Ancient Spells & Crazy Kings
Author: Laura Pauling
Genre: Middle Grade Adventure
Publisher: Pugalicious Press
Released: November 2012
Format: eBook & paperback
Pages: 174

Favorite Line/Passage: His words hovered over me, hissing at me that I'd made the biggest mistake of my life. My legs wobbled and I grasped the edge of the stone table. Safekeeping? I mean I knew they needed to be guarded, but this was bad. The survival or downfall of a madman rested on my shoulders and one little innocent mistake I made because I loved Zeb and wanted to feel close to him. But this? This could destroy everything.

Description: Convinced that her grandfather, Zeb, needs help, twelve-year-old Bianca persuades her family to fly to the Mayan ruins of Tikal on a search and rescue mission. Impatient, she and her brainy cousin, Melvin, sneak out in the middle of the night and follow the clues to the ancient Maya city of Etza, where the people haven’t aged in 2,000 years.

The cousins must learn to work together as they face loincloth-wearing skeletons from the underworld, a backstabbing princess, and an ancient prophecy—one that says in three days the city will be destroyed. They’ll find Zeb and zip right out of there. No problem. 

Except, Bianca starts to care for her new friends, and Zeb does not want to be rescued. The fact that a crazy king wants to serve Bianca up to the gods as an appetizer is just a minor technicality. But this ancient evil dude has finally met his match.

NIGHTSTAND WORTHY +1

My Splats: ancient adventure seeking and fun, Pauling takes kids on a wild ride through secret rooms, passages, and a whole lot of crazy in the mysterious culture of the Mayans. 

The opening of the story instantly blankets the reader in intrigue. Something strange is going on with Zeb, Bianca's grandfather, and she's determined to figure out what that is; a bit stubborn, one might say.

Bianca and Melvin have a great relationship: funny, teasing, and caring. They do engage in conflicts and disagreements, making it real and plausible, like families are. Having them cousins was another effective technique to give an overall feeling of wholesomeness and family unity. 

I love where Bianca started out--tough on the outside; a bit insecure on the inside. As the story progresses, she grows and changes. She takes the challenge of finding her grandfather, uncovering a secret that could end life as we know it, and accepting disappointments in stride as she devises a plan of action, turning all on its head with confidence and a willingness to sacrifice for others. 

Short chapters make for easy and quick reading, while details about a civilization gone by enrich the story. From exterior tattoos to head dressings, young readers are given a view of the Mayans and how different they are from us, today. It's all done with a little humor, too. 

I'd recommend this story to young middle grade readers and their parents, adventure and historical culture lovers, and even school teachers to read with their students. 

NOTE: Sadly, shortly after the release of this book the publisher closed. For those interested, Laura has offered to send an ePub copy of the story. Just leave your email addy in the comments. Thanks so much, Laura!

What's the last book you've read, where the setting is an ancient civilization or really unfamiliar to you?