mglit | Page 7 of 9 | Daddy Mojo

Hardy Boys Adventures: The Smuggler’s Legacy, trust the process

Let’s party like it’s 1977. The Hardy Boys are on television, it’s Sunday night and I’m about to relax and get my mystery on. I had read a couple of the books, but for me, it was the television version that I enjoyed. Your version of The Hardy Boys might be different. There was a series that ran from 2020-2023 on Hulu, the classic books, and now, their literary sibling has been modernized. Change is not a bad thing and when it comes to The Hardy Boys, their adventures and lifestyle are modern-day, but they still have the same hallmarks of the elements that brought them here.

Hardy Boys Adventures: The Smuggler’s Legacy is a fast-paced, mystery that has the hallmarks of its namesake, but is updated for today’s readers.

Just don’t tell the kids it’s a reboot and they’ll dig it

Once There Was is mglit as good as it gets

World building is a concept that too many books start out in mind without fully looking down the path to see where the story is going. They create a half-baked world and then ask readers to remain hooked on a story that seems to exist only for a literary series or movie franchise. Once There Was builds a world. It’s a complete and detailed world that’s adorned with creatures who are capable of incredible beauty and violence. In my mind’s eye, I see Once There Was innocently taunting other books, in its best Crocodile Dundee attire, in bookstores or libraries across the land saying, “That’s not a book, that’s a book.”

Once There Was is perfect mglit, it builds worlds for those younger ages, is smart enough for any age north of that and creates something new.

Please tell me that the Dundee alliteration was understood….

Children of the Black Glass is starting point mglit with a fantasy twist

Don’t call it fantasy, because those books have never resonated with me. Children of the Black Glass is probably classed as fantasy, due to its sorcery, castles, dark alleys, and musty-smelling environment. Yeah, it’s fantasy, but it’s a dingy one that’s laden with black dust. It’s not dark, dank fantasy, rather it’s a world that you’d envision is moist, cloudy, and mysterious. If you were to meet a character from Children of the Black Glass in real life they’d most likely be quiet, untrustworthy, wearing an animal pelt, could live for decades in the country without any assistance and probably smell like a billy goat.

Children of the Black Glass is blessed with a great title, but also has the mglit smarts to craft a great story with details galore for ages 10 and up.

Mission Multiverse: Doppelganger Danger meets the sophomore slump

“Why would I want to see something that doesn’t move the story forward and only sets up a sequel”, my oldest son pondered. That specific takeaway was in relation to a conversation about cinematic entertainment, but our conversation then pivoted to the medium of books. From the perspective of any creator, that is indeed a challenging assignment. You want to add to the overall story, yet produce an entry that stands on its own, all the while getting fans to care more about the characters so that they’re willing to see them again. When phrased like that it’s no wonder why so many middle school students struggle in finding a book series that they can engage in. Mission Multiverse Doppelganger Danger is the second book in this series. We quite enjoyed the first one, but Doppelganger Danger doesn’t connect in the same fun, carefree and adventuresome way as its predecessor.

Know when to say when

Outside Chance stands a high probability of enjoyment for ages 11 and up

Outside Chance, as in, there’s an outside chance that it’ll rain on Saturday. Don’t Doubt The Rainbow, as in the book that’s written by Anthony Kessel. It only sounds like the taunting catchphrase for a cereal company that’s helmed by a magically delicious leprechaun. Don’t Doubt The Rainbow, Outside Chance is the second book in this series that’s very smart. The pacing, levels of description, and plot elements that go into Outside Chance seem to make it more on par with YA, than mglit, but does it really and why does it matter?

Outside Chance, the second book in the Don’t Doubt The Rainbow series is smart YA that also satisfies mglit fans with action, mystery and realistic fiction.

Smart ya does not mean that it’s not highly enjoyable

City Spies City of the Dead goes 4 out of 4 in this mglit must-read series

The really great books have readers hoping that the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger or on some absurd happening. An otherwise fabulous book that’s built up to a satisfying ending cheapens the entire affair when all of the events are for naught. It turns out to have been a dream. A long-forgotten relative appears at the door or they jump off into the sunset to their mortal peril…unless there’s a sequel. City Spies City of the Dead is the fourth book in this series that’s built on its predecessor with ease and a sense of plot satisfaction. It’s done this while leaving clues as to something much bigger that all of the books are building to.

City Spies City of the Dead, City Spies 4, continues to rip around the world as a must-read mglit series that builds and improves the story.

People in your house will wrestle over who’s the first to read it

Retro, wily YA lit that jumps between genres and expectations with glee

Retro, by Sofia Lapuente and New York Times-bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman is an unlikely candidate for the cat video and potato chip challenge. That’s our internal and highly unscientific procedure for reviewing things. Essentially, if you’re able to partake in said thing and are able to read, or do it only one time, then it would fail the potato chip challenge. This is a case where Retro passes the challenge that’s normally reserved for illustrated books and collections of comic strips, in addition to potato chips and cat videos. Just try to watch only one cat video, and you’ll fail quickly, much like trying to read only one chapter from Retro.

Retro is YA lit that’s written for the reluctant reader. It dabbles enough in thriller, relationships and mystery to reel in those who simply want a breezy read.

Retro, read all about it, retro

Naomi Feitelbaum Ends the World, an adventure spin on Golem mythology

Professional wrestling, just like a good mglit book needs an excellent heel. If the evil, bad guy, or source of conflict is not somewhat believable, in addition to being an actual threat, then the build-up is for naught. Iron Man 3 is a great example of that. Naomi Feitelbaum Ends the World is mglit that doesn’t suffer that same fate. It’s a quick-paced, lively romp with a Golem at the center of things.

Naomi Feitelbaum Ends the World is mglit with a Jewish mythological twist about a Golem gone wrong.

A weird little-monster book that’s based in Jewish mythology