Graysen Foxx and the Curse of the Illuminerdy Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fifth-grade treasure hunter Graysen Foxx is no stranger to the mysteries hidden in Ordinary Elementary—the bat-filled tunnels, the secret passageways, the underground chambers, and the sticky spiderwebs—and he's on the hunt for a creepy, old painting that will guarantee his victory in the school's Halloween contest. But finding and claiming the painting is only the beginning of a wild adventure filled with puzzles that will put Graysen's treasure-hunting skills to the test.

When the fedora-wearing, sticky hand-wielding Graysen finds a mysterious symbol on the back of a dusty spelling bee medal, news of the discovery spreads like creamy peanut butter, and a disguised student quickly steals the medal. But who would want the medal, and why? Is it Graysen's nemesis, Raven? The Second-Grade Spy Network? Or the Doodler, the sixth-grade boss who blames a lost spelling bee for ruining his life?

While researching what the spelling bee symbol might mean, Graysen and the twins, Maya and Jack, cross paths with a secret society of supersmart kids who call themselves the Illuminerdy and have access to a treasure so powerful it could change the world of education forever. Graysen and his friends must work together to obtain the treasure, outwit the secret society, and break the bone-rattling Curse of the Illuminerdy.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J Scott Savage is the author of 19 novels including the Mysteries of Cove series, the Farworld series, the Case File 13 series, and the Lost Wonderland Diaries. His books have received various recognitions including Junior Library Selection, Starred reviews from PW and Kirkus, Amazon Book of the Month, Barnes and Noble Select book, and several state award nominations.

He has visited over 2500 schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and seven grandchildren. He lives with his wife Jennifer in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.


AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Life Is What It's Called - What do you think your fans will love about this new book?

J. Scott Savagae - I think kids will love the adventure and the humor, but the best part of Graysen Foxx and the Curse of the Illuminerdy is the message that everyone has different talents, and that they all make a difference, especially when we work together.

Life Is What It's Called - How many books in this series are you planning? 

J. Scott Savage - Right now I don't have any more books in the series under contract, but you never know! 

Life Is What It's Called - Which character in the Graysen Foxx series are you most like and why? 

J. Scott Savage - I'm most like Graysen. When I was in elementary school, there was a hill behind the school where you could dig for fossils, and I always loved the idea of finding treasure!

Life Is What It's Called - How is this book similar to your other books? 

J. Scott Savage - I think all of my books have characters that aren't perfect but try really hard to do the right thing, even when it's difficult.

Life Is What It's Called - How is this book different from your other books? 

J. Scott Savage - I think all of my series are really different from each other. I have written books with steam powered dragons, zombies, wizards, and even a series set in Wonderland. I like to make all of my book series different from each other. I think it's boring to always write the same kind of book!

Life Is What It's Called - What was your favorite scene to write in Graysen Foxx and the Curse of the Illuminerdy? 

J. Scott Savage - Without giving away too much, I think it was the scene with the crocodiles and the card catalog.

Life Is What It's Called - What do you want your readers to know about you? 

J. Scott Savage - I want my readers to know that I love meeting them and hearing from them, and that I believe that they are awesome in ways that they haven't even discovered yet!

Review

Graysen Foxx and The Curse of the Illuminerdy is the second book in the Graysen Fox series. It could be read as a stand-alone, but it would be better to read the first book, Graysen Fox and the Treasure of the Principal of Redbeard, first. In Graysen Foxx and The Curse of the Illuminerdy, Graysen Foxx must work together with schoolmates to figure out the mystery symbol on an old spelling bee award and the clues in a painting to discover more about the Illuminerdy. 

I enjoy the Graysen Foxx series. My 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son have both read books from this series and they enjoy the adventure, characters, the mystery, the intrigue. As a parent reading the series, I felt like it was age-appropriate in characters, intrigue, and adventure. It also has a good overall message that teaches kids to work together and to look out for each other. J. Scott Savage does a good job at drawing the reader in through the dialogue, descriptions, and action in the story. Graysen Foxx and The Curse of the Illuminerdy reminded me of a mix between Indiana Jones, Recess, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, and a detective book. The dialogue is smart and witty while the adventures in this book are creative and engaging. I hope the author writes more books from this series. I would highly recommend it. It's also a great series for kids that are just starting to read middle-grade fiction in that the characters are elementary school age, and the action and adventure is very kid-friendly. To learn more about Graysen Foxx and The Curse of the Illuminerdy, click here.

Please note that I received a free copy to review, however, this is my honest opinion. This post is in cooperation with Shadow Mountain Publishing. This post contains affiliate links.