I listened to the unabridged audiobook editions of Sylo (10 hr, 42 min) and Storm (12 hr, 12 min), both published by Penguin Audio and read by Andrew Bates. I can't wait to see how Tucker's story is going to end. Like Tucker Pierce and his friends, you'll find it difficult to decide whom to trust, and you'll second-guess yourself with each new bit of knowledge. MacHale has created an exciting, sometimes-scary, heart-pumping story with complex, believable characters surprising twists and plenty of puzzles. The audience is clearly middle grade readers, but the themes and situations are sophisticated and muli-layered. Although Tucker is at the center of the books (and tells the story), there are tough, smart girls in the group, and the adventure should appeal to both boys and girls. Sylo and Storm both earned starred reviews from Kirkus and were recommended by EW, Publisher's Weekly, and the School Library Journal. It's hard to tell, and that is one of the major problems Tucker and his friends must solve. I love that there are several factions and groups, and it's not at all clear which one is made up of the good guys. It's a dangerous world out there, and people (teens and adults) can get hurt and can die. They don't always like each other, don't always make the right decisions, and are not invincible. The teens have distinct personalities with unique upbringings and family situations. Besides the general adventure and the inventive technology in the books, it was MacHale's characters that drew me in. Instead, Sylo and Storm offer an action-packed look at a different kind of America. government has high-tech weapons and vehicles and some scary drugs, but the books are not sci-fi. The trilogy is not dystopian it's alternate history. Tucker is not Ellie, but he and his friends keep a cool head and manage to find a way to stay alive, even as others die and they find themselves separated (for various reasons) from their parents. Did you like the Tomorrow series by John Marsden? You can think of the Sylo Chronicles as being in the same vein but geared to a slightly younger audience. Genre, audience, similarities to other books.What they find there will change them forever. Mustering up courage and relying on teamwork, Tucker and four friends attempt a daring escape to the mainland. But when mysterious deaths, military personnel, and strange lights in the sky disrupt the status quo, Tucker is forced to take stock of himself, his family, and his country, especially when the island is cut off from the rest of the world. Tucker, who was born off-island, feels at home in the small community and, unlike his friends, is not counting the days until he can leave. What's the trilogy about? Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce lives on an island off the coast of Maine.Recently I read the first two books in MacHale's newest trilogy, Sylo and Storm, and am happy to report that he hasn't lost his touch with writing compelling action-adventure stories. Now that she's in college (yikes!), I have to discover middle grade books all on my own. My niece loved the books and couldn't wait to talk about them. MacHale's Pendragon series, which follows the adventures of fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon as he and his friends fight the evil Saint Dane in this world and other dimensions in an effort to save humankind from total destruction. When my niece was reading middle grade books, she introduced me to D.
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