Reviews

The World-Famous Nine by Ben Guterson

jarichan's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

snicf's review against another edition

3.0

Very fun read. My main problem with it is kinda the problem I have with all kids books in this magical adventure genre, and that is none of the adults seem too concerned for the kids safety. Like, I understand that the author needed the kids to not be seen as disobeying for trying to figure out the mystery, but the grandma was almost too excited to have her grandson and his friend solve the problems for her.
Other than that, really fun main characters. And the setting was as magical as any other setting, from Hogwarts to the chocolate factory. I also liked that it seemed for the most part like a real place with minor magical elements.

felissadee's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

javablue's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

erykah13's review

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

neffcannon's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

karen_is_awkward's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

heatherl0413's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

mrsclarkcatlady's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

darumachan's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I read the audiobook edition, and it was clear that I was missing many of the interactive puzzles and illustrations because I did not have access to the physical book. 

There was a lot to process -- all the characters and the massive lists of items on display and for sale ended up feeling tedious after the first few scenes of the department store. The other downside of the attention to description was that I never felt very invested in the main characters, Zander and Natasa. 

 The plot and setting promised a lot of fun adventure and sleuthing, but the premise remained vague and poorly defined throughout -- ultimately the villains' motivations were not very believable, and the point of finding and retrieving the missing magical object was never made entirely clear.

I love middle-grade novels that have the main characters team up to uncover the mystery through teamwork, but the key to doing that successfully is to let all the characters shine in a logical way that stays true to each character's special skills or experiences. The World-Famous Nine seemed to be doing that well enough through most of the novel, but really failed in the final climactic scene  --

why make Zander, who is afraid of heights, retrieve the plate, and leave Natasa on the sidelines to get captured and threatened, when Natasa's strengths were clearly better suited to to that final challenge? The scene would have been just as thrilling and Zander would have had plenty of ways to shine, but instead, it reads as a clumsy move to force Zander into the spotlight at the detriment to character and plot alike.