The Call (Magnificent 12 Series #1)

by Michael Grant

Overview

Sometimes One Hero Isn’t Enough

Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. And with a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life.

And then one day a three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears and delivers some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent 12. An evil force is on its way and it’s up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds to stop it. He will battle the wicked Ereskigal, also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary and Mack doesn’t want to be a hero. Will he answer the call?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061833670
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/26/2011
Series:	Magnificent 12 Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michael Grant, author of the Gone series, the Messenger of Fear series, the Magnificent Twelve series, and the Front Lines trilogy, has spent much of his life on the move. Raised in a military family, he attended ten schools in five states, as well as three schools in France. Even as an adult he kept moving, and in fact he became a writer in part because it was one of the few jobs that wouldn’t tie him down. His fondest dream is to spend a year circumnavigating the globe and visiting every continent. Yes, even Antarctica. He lives in California with his wife, Katherine Applegate, with whom he cowrote the wildly popular Animorphs series. You can visit him online at www.themichaelgrant.com and follow him on Twitter @MichaelGrantBks.

What People are Saying About This

Morning Call

“A laugh-out-loud story full of adventure and magic great for grades 4-7.”

Editorial Reviews

A terrific start, with an elaborate website festooned with games and contests to ease the wait for sequels.” — Booklist (starred review)

“A lighter-than-usual fantasy action-adventure that is sure to win many fans and fly off the shelves.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The story’s abundant action and humor…should win over readers.” — Publishers Weekly

“A laugh-out-loud story full of adventure and magic great for grades 4-7.” — Morning Call, Allentown, PA

“Grant’s brand of action and humor should satisfy both those readers who get down with fantasy and those who prefer to send it up.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

A laugh-out-loud story full of adventure and magic great for grades 4-7.

Morning Call

Grant’s brand of action and humor should satisfy both those readers who get down with fantasy and those who prefer to send it up.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A terrific start, with an elaborate website festooned with games and contests to ease the wait for sequels.

Booklist (starred review)

"A terrific start, with an elaborate website festooned with games and contests to ease the wait for sequels."

Booklist

Grant’s brand of action and humor should satisfy both those readers who get down with fantasy and those who prefer to send it up.

The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

Grant’s brand of action and humor should satisfy both those readers who get down with fantasy and those who prefer to send it up.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The first book in Grant's new series, The Magnificent 12, introduces unlikely hero Mack, who has "a serious case of mediumness" and a vast array of phobias. Enter Grimluk, a 3,000-year-old man who informs Mack that he is to be the first of the new Magnifica, a group of 12 kids who must join their talents and inherited-yet-unknown powers to fight the evil Pale Queen and her vicious daughter. Reluctant and frankly freaked out by this news, Mack and former bully, now guardian friend Stefan team up to evade deadly attentions from a seriously creepy set of insect-like monsters and demonic elves. The author keeps the story moving at a brisk pace with suspenseful action and laugh-out-loud humor. The juxtaposition of chapters that recount Grimluk's ancient adventures in times when math wasn't even invented against those when the young protagonist is equipped with an iPhone and receives text messages from his golem produces a lighter-than-usual fantasy action-adventure that is sure to win many fans and fly off the shelves. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews