This book was cute and I really liked the adventure of the story. This was a nice pick up from the last book and I cannot wait to move on to the next book. ( )

Rating: 2.75

I liked this book slightly more than the first book. (I'm still not emotionally invested. I haven't laughed or cried.) However, I did gasps a few times while reading this book. It's full of surprises, twists and turns. I got to meet another character as well, and the old ones all grew on me. I love the plot line for this book. It's so interesting. When the book opened up with a guy on a cruise ship, I thought it was a companion story, but the worlds from book one and two quickly collided, and boy was it exciting!

When I first met Brett's dad, I thought he was concerned but loving. That view quickly changed when I learned how Brett got on the island. Clay and his friends try to protect Brett and the creature they find throughout the book. This involves going into volcano tubes, infiltrating a cruise ship, and sleuthing. It was fun to read about.

I was a bit disappointed with the lack of magic in this book. After all, we learn in the first book that the camp is a magic camp, but we don't see much magic. Flint makes fire with his hands, and the magician on the cruise ship performs a few tricks, but that's about it. With that being said, I think the magic is kept to a minimum so that the complex plot stays at the forefront rather than spell casting (which they never perform).

I did enjoy this book, and I look forward to the third book in the series. If you like this book, I recommend getting the third book. And if you want another middle grades story with a ship in it, check out [b:Mistress of the Storm|9397733|Mistress of the Storm|M.L. Welsh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320558090s/9397733.jpg|14281576] [bc:Mistress of the Storm|9397733|Mistress of the Storm|M.L. Welsh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320558090s/9397733.jpg|14281576].

**I received this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my rating or review.** ( )

Bad Luck by Pseudonymous Bosch About the book: Title/Author: Bad Luck / Pseudonymous Bosch Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Date of publish: February 2016 Pages: 288 Recommended Ages: middle grades to young adult Book Links: Amazon  Bad Luck (The Bad Books) / Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / Riffle / BookLikes
 

 
 
I will admit, I requested this book from Netgalley based on the author’s name alone. It is about Earth Ranch, a summer camp for kids with magical abilities set on volcanic island with an obscure history and a personality of its own. In this tale the campers must solve the mystery of certain cave drawings and discover a bit of history about their island because outsiders know about it, and them, and are after something, no one has dared to believe might still be there. It is up to Clay, with his new found magical ability, and his friends to stop them anyway they can.
This is the sequel to Bad Magic. I was not aware that this was a second in a series and it stood alone very well. The ‘Author’s’ narration and delightful footnotes are more than enough to recommend this book. This is the kind of book that will catch a kid’s attention and hold on to it right until the last page. There is not a single insignificant character in the entire story and it is quite magical how each of them seem to leap off the page and make the book more than just a reading experience. The set up for book three is spectacular. I can’t wait to catch up on this series and then move on with the next books.

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary: At Earth Ranch, things can get a little magical (some might say strange). Intrepid readers will discover a runaway boy, fishy cruise ship, strange cave paintings, dragon-like footprints, and other mysteries that Clay and his friends need to solve. Danger, adventure, mischief, mystery, llamas, and a delightfully irreverent and hilarious narrator make bestselling author Pseudonymous Bosch's anticipated new novel irresistible. 
 
Author Info: http://www.pseudonymousbosch.com / Twitter
 

Pseudonymous Bosch is the anonymous pseudonymous author of the Secret Series and The Bad Books. Not much is known about him other than that he has a passionate love of chocolate and cheese and an equally passionate hatred of mayonnaise. Rumors of Boschian sightings are just as frequent and about as reliable as reports of alien abductions. If you ever meet anyone claiming to be Pseudonymous himself he is almost certainly an impostor. The real Pseudonymous is said currently to be hiding in a cave in a remote jungle (although there are contrary reports that he is somewhere in Greenland). ( )

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up this book. It actually turned out to be a funny and interesting read even though I have not read the first book in the series.
Clay is spending his summer vacation at Earth Camp on Prince Island. It seems ho-hum but it just so happens that this is a secret camp for kids with magical talents. Clay finds a mysterious cave, encounters a boy who was thrown off of a ship by his father, and finds something very magical in the cave. It turns out that the castaway boy's father has evil plans for what is in the cave and it is up to Clay and his friends to save the day.
I think it would be a wonderful read for children around late elementary school and up who love magic, adventure and mystery. My son who is 7 actually started reading this when I wasn't looking and is interested in the book. Even though I am an adult, I am planning to read the first book because I really enjoyed the author's humor which shined all through the book. ( )