Middle Grade Madness! discussion

I'm really excited to read Found!
I just got myself a copy now in preparation for Friday🎉

Yeah, I just borrowed a copy from my library.

Hopefully not being overly helpful again, but I have read and really liked it, but just so you are aware, establishes the rest of the Missing series, but is very different from the books that follow.

@Lynn I don’t mind overly helpful! Different in what way? Like different characters, different writing style? I imagine it being a time travel series that it may be set in a different time and place... is that what you mean? Feel free to answer in vague non spoilery ways or with a spoiler tag😂 like I want to know but I also don’t want it to be spoiled😂

Lynn wrote: "Hopefully not being overly helpful again, but I have read and really liked it, but just so you are aware, establishes the rest of the Missing ser..."
I agree. It does seem like Found is just the introduction to the rest of the Missing series. I have read books 1-4.

@Ilsa wait this is a reread for you?

Yeah, I really loved the book and wanted to read it with other people the second time around :)

Ooh in that case it's going to be a lot of fun having you read all our reactions whilst you know exactly what's coming next! It's gonna be great I can't wait to start tomorrow!

Kadi wrote: "@Lynn I don’t mind overly helpful! Different in what way? Like different characters, different writing style? I imagine it being a time travel series that it may be set in a different time and plac..."

Yes, each book after takes place during a different period in history. It is a history lovers dream.

Lynn wrote: "Kadi wrote: "@Lynn I don’t mind overly helpful! Different in what way? Like different characters, different writing style? I imagine it being a time travel series that it may be set in a different ..."

That sounds so cool

I do love history! I’m not a fan of historical fiction but I am a fan of time travel... I guess we’ll see soon if I like it or not!

Just got my copy!

I just finished Stormbreaker and now I’ll be starting Found! Really excited I’ve read the first page or two and already I’m intrigued!

Kadi wrote: "I just finished Stormbreaker and now I’ll be starting Found! Really excited I’ve read the first page or two and already I’m intrigued!"

? I've never read it, but I'm watching the first season of Alex Rider on IMDb TV, and I really like it. Just wondering if you liked the book. Or is that the wrong Stormbreaker?

@Lynn nope you’re right that is the right stormbreaker! It’s the first Alex rider book. So I watched the show first AND IM SO HAPPY YOURE WATCHING IT! I really really loved it and the whole time through it I just genuinely wondered why I’d never read the books before because when I was a kid I checked the first book out of the library but I distinctly remember I read the first 2 pages then gave it back because it was going to be over a long weekend and for some reason I thought I wouldn’t like the book so then I just never read the series.

So once I finished the first season of the show I was like ugh that can’t be it I need more Alex Rider content and the second season is slated to be released at the end of 2021 which is far too long to wait for some content. A friend of mine I was watching the show with said she’d read the books when she was younger and that she’d liked them so I thought well I am an MG reader... what’s stopping me from reading it now? So I got a copy of the first book and it was really exactly what I needed after watching the show!

Yeah they’re slightly different and if you ask me the show has a lot more strong suits but that’s because the show had the advantage of being able to mash up any of the books it likes to get the best season. Like I’m not sure if you know but season one is essentially the plot of book 2 but with some details from book 1. (That’s not a spoiler if you read the summary of book 2 you’d realise it straight away) But at its essence it’s still an adventure that follows Alex in each book. You can ask me and comparison question if you like and I’ll answer it in a non-spoilery way!

I would also really love to hear what you think of the show whilst you watch it! What’s your fave part so far? Who’s you fave character?

I finished reading found already! I read it in a day I loved it so much! I have so so many things to say about it was FANTASTIC! Thanks so much Ilsa for asking to buddy read it because I loved itttt

I'm 3 chapters in and already very intrigued. Trying to finish it tonight!

@Bella that was me yesterday night! I easily got through a ton of chapters and at the top of every hour I’d finish whatever chapter I was on and be like, ok I should sleep now but I’d keep reading because it was so good. I didn’t sleep till 5AM and only then I did so reluctantly!

Kadi wrote: "@Lynn nope you’re right that is the right stormbreaker! It’s the first Alex rider book. So I watched the show first AND IM SO HAPPY YOURE WATCHING IT! I really really loved it and the whole time th..."

Well, I'm glad to hear that there is going to be another season. I figured out pretty quickly that this is mostly about the second book because it's called . I also remembered that there had been a movie about the first book, so I thought they might have mostly skipped for that reason. Like you, I had the whole series for years, but just couldn't get into reading it, but now, I may give it another try.
My favorite character by far is Alex's friend Tom. He can be such a doofus, but is also a very devoted friend. I'm only on the third episode, so Alex is just getting to Point Blanc. The moment at the end of the episode that was so funny was when Tom was beginning to write the story of Alex's adventures. Such fun. Who is your favorite character?
Also, I'm glad you liked . It is such an enjoyable mystery.

@Lynn you is smart😂 It was 3AM when I responded to you so clearly it wasn't my smart hour😂
Also yessss Tom is everyone's fave character! I loved him a lot. And Alex. I reckon I loved them equally. Together they have a fantastic dynamic. It's a shame Tom isn't featured in the books like he is in the show. They made quite a few changes in terms of how much importance they gave characters that I think made the show even better than the books, but I really did enjoy the first book it was a great adventure so you should check it out too! I've just heard my library has got the second book for me so I'm going to go pick it up and start it sometime this month or maybe next month and I'm hoping it's not exaaactly like the show so I'm still surprised somehow.

Also, yeah Found was FANTASTIC!! The day after I finished it I felt really sad because I could never reread it and experience that same heightened curiosity and joy that I experienced when I read it for the first time. Plus I now know what you meant when you said the first book isn't like the rest and I'm kinda worried I won't like that change. Still I really want to read the second book too if anyone wants to buddy read that one as well.

@Bella if you wanna let me know when you are free to buddy read Quintessence if you still want to then I'll be happy to set up a discussion page for it so we can all hop on there and whoever is reading along with us can discuss the book there too. There's no pressure or timescale to fit to we can even leave it for sometime next year if you want. I feel like I'm on a roll reading all these new exciting books you guys are introducing to me and I love it!!

Okay, I finished Found yesterday and it was AMAZINGGG. It was so mysterious and I loved the way there were strings connecting everything. I love time travel so that aspect of the book made me love it even more.

I'm trying to finish up 2 books right now, so maybe this weekend? (December 11th)

@Bella you finished it! Let’s discuss! Who was your fave character? Personally I loved all 3 main characters equally. Also I loved the way Haddix wrote about adoption so well.

I love time travel too! The whole time reading it I was screaming like TIME TRAVEL ITS TIME TRAVEL! The moment where (view spoiler)[Angela theorised that they were all adults before they got sent through time to the 21st century (hide spoiler)] was probably the most hard hitting moment. I was shocked by it. And the way (view spoiler)[ the time travel people in the future could see whatever was written (hide spoiler)]creeped me out. Gave me chills whilst I was reading it at 4AM in pitch black.

I’ve just started From the Desk of Zoe Washington for this month’s book of the month and I think I might not finish till the end of the week so probably including the weekend. I don’t know it depends how busy or tired I am over the next few days. I’ll set up the new discussion page tomorrow and we can keep the start date as 11th December, even if I’m not doneeith what I’m reading I can join in as soon as I am!

I loved the main characters equally also.
It definitely had the creepy parts to it. (view spoiler)[The notes, people from the future reading stuff, people disappearing, the fact that 36 babies just appear, locking them in a cave! (hide spoiler)] The ending was really good. I had no clue who to trust. I really want to know (view spoiler)[ who they were in the past. (hide spoiler)]

Okay, that's totally fine. I'm also trying to read From the Desk of Zoe Washington right now. You can put December 11th and then just read it when you can.

@Bella so I guessed who Chip (view spoiler)[was in the past. (hide spoiler)]
My guess: (view spoiler)[ he's Richard of Shrewsbury. I guessed that because they named that person in history in the list of missing children in time, they only named like 4 but that was one of them. But also because Alex and Chip are described to have the same blonde curly hair which is a characteristic of the English princes who disappeared from the tower. And even that they headed back to the 15th century which is the time Richard of Shrewsbury is from. (hide spoiler)]
(I put it separately in case you didn't want to see my guess)

And yeah some parts really made a shiver run down my spine!