Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia

Gr 6-8-Alcatraz returns to Crystallia, his homeland in the Three Kingdoms, in the third wild and wacky installment (Scholastic, 2009) in the series by Brandon Sanderson. With his usual brand of sarcastic, chastising humor, he continues the story of his life. All of a sudden, Alcatraz has fans and a series of books based on his recent exploits. On top his new fame, there are plenty of problems to deal with-Bastille, his friend and protector, is going to have her knighthood stripped, and her father, the King, is contemplating signing a peace treaty with the Evil Librarians! Ramon De Ocampo's narration enriches the author's descriptive text, and he perfectly captures this unique character's every quirk, including his annoying habit of interrupting the narrative to offer asides. However, fans of the first two titles will be accustomed to this and enjoy the adventures.-Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Middle School) In the first two volumes of his tongue-in-cheek heroic saga, narrator Alcatraz Smedry (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, rev. 1/08; Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones, rev. 11/08) firmly established the rules of his world: librarians are the evil secret rulers of half of the world (our half), and Alcatraz is the unsuspecting hero destined to defeat them even as he discovers the wonders of his hitherto unknown heritage. Volume three is where author Sanderson starts breaking those rules. A librarian defector, struggling to overcome a compulsive (and hilarious) cataloguing addiction, joins the ever-zanier ranks of Alcatraz's allies and introduces the radical idea that controlling information and organizing it might not be the same thing. The knights of Crystallia, sworn to protect the Free Kingdoms, might be corrupt -- which is bad news for Alcatraz's butt-kicking almost-crush Bastille. And Alcatraz himself gets a taste of fame and comes out looking not quite so heroic as before. With comical insight into human nature and just enough substance to make it all matter, the plot offers up plenty of action, gadgetry, metafictional humor, grudgingly dispensed hints of the librarians' endgame, and counterintuitive Smedry Talents (on particular display is a Talent for bad dancing that translates to mad ninja skills) to keep old fans and new readers alike turning pages. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.