Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Navel of the World (MG)


Hoover, PJ. 2009. (October). The Navel of the World. CBay Books. 296 pages.

As soon as the elevator passed by, Benjamin Holt jumped; and then he started falling--straight down the shaft. Sure, he'd planned to levitate himself, but seeing as how he was out of practice, he dropped a good two hundred floors before he finally got the whole levitation thing under control.

The Navel of the World continues the quest first begun in The Emerald Tablet. The problem...I don't know how to discuss this second book without spoiling the first one. So be warned...

In the first book, Benjamin discovered some shocking truths about himself--his past, his family. His parents aren't his biological parents. His biological father is evil. Oh, and he's one of three, a triplet. He needs to find his brothers in order to protect the world and complete his mission...

But finding his brothers may not be so easy. He enlists the help of his friends. He tries to follow the few clues he has, but this quest may send him shuffling back and forth in time.

The book is full of adventure, risk, and danger. It begins when Benjamin and Andy are working at his dad's office in Wondersky City over Spring Break. That's where they receive a new clue. But most of this one takes place over the summer as everyone returns to summer school. It is the second year for Benjamin and his close friends--Andy, Gary, Iva, Heidi, and Jack.

What did I enjoy about this one? I loved the use of mythology. I loved the adventure. I loved the humor. And most of all I loved the time travel.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2 comments:

Liz said...

Arghghgh! You've hit on one of my great fears -- that the elevator will plunge to the ground while I'm in it.

I like the sounds of this book -- the idea that the three are working together to protect the world. That's a theme that's part of this YA fantasy novel, "Rumer and Qiz," by Kathleen Wilson. The youth are in charge, trying to save the 31st century world. I think it's great to have a 16-year-old (and her tiny sidekick, Qix) doing battle with the bigwigs and winning. Very empowering for teens/youth.

Zibilee said...

I have a huge fondness for time travel books, and I hadn't yet heard of this series. I am going to be looking out for it, it looks awesome. If you haven't read it already, there is another YA book out about time travel, it is called The Book of Time. My apologies if you have reviewed that one already.