License To Thrill
By Dan Gutman
272 pages – ages 8+
Published by HarperCollins on January 27, 2015
Synopsis- From Goodreads: “The wackiest road trip in history comes to an action-packed conclusion in book five of the New York Times bestselling Genius Files series.
When we last left our heroes, twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald were in Roswell, New Mexico, and they had just seen a strange beam of light. Now their cross-country road trip is about to take a detour that’s out of this world–literally!
Once the twins get their feet back on the ground, they embark on the final leg of their trip, which will take them from the Hoover Dam all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Chased by nefarious villains, the twins will be trapped with a venomous snake, pushed through a deadly turbine, and thrown into a volcano. And craziest of all, their parents might finally believe them!”
What I Thought- This was a marvelous conclusion to the Genius Files. Mr. Gutman knows how to pull the reader into a story, and then completely throw you off your guard. Mr. Gutman has narrated the story in a funny way, he tells you right from the beginning that Coke will get thrown into a volcano (which actually happens in Chapter Twenty). Mr. Gutman injects a lot of humor into his stories. I really enjoy his writing style. It is helpful to read the other Genius Files books before reading this one, but not necessary, as Mr. Gutman pretty much brings the reader up to speed. Coke and Pepsi have changed a lot from the first book to this one, and it really shows – I like that their personalities developed over the series. There are pictures throughout the book of real-life places that the characters went to – some of which I’ve been to (but some not) which are a nice addition to the book. This was a thrilling fifth book in the series!
I give “License To Thrill” 5 out of 5 bookworms!
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Categories: Age 6-9
You can’t go wrong with Dan Gutman! He’s always entertaining.
Exactly so! 😀
This series sounds fantastic. Definitely going to check out the first book (not a start at the end kind of reader, though can sometimes be persuaded). Nice review. 🙂
Yeah, me too. Glad to see you back [here]. Then I can
braghave fun! 😉You do have a lot to brag about. 🙂 Don’t worry, I will get caught up and then cream, I mean keep up, with you. In a high school play as a monkey (I hear). How apropos! 🙂
No, an ape. There’s a difference. We don’t have tails. 😉 What wasn’t mentioned (or highlighted) was the fact that I’m a ship captain, an ape for one scene, and an “expedition crew” for the second half of the play. 😉
You know, I’ve never read the Genius Files books, but I LOVE the way Dan Gutman writes 🙂 Big fan of Crazy Miss Daisy 😉
He’s a great author! 😀
Sounds very much like the way Lemony Snicket narrated A Series of Unfortunate Events!
YES! I didn’t think of that! Just, nicer. And funnier. Less gloomy. 😉
Cool title!
I recently noticed that the titles in the series all seem to be parodies of a famous movie title (From
RussiaTexas with Love, MissionImpossibleUnstoppable, etc.). 🙂How clever! 🙂
I know! It took me now to figure it out (I need to watch more older movies)! 🙂
Looks like something I should pick up. 🙂
Anna from Shout with Emaginette
It’s a great series! 😀
I don’t know how I haven’t read any Dan Gutman yet. This needs rectifying.
This is a great series to start on, then! 😀
My son never cottoned to Gutman’s “Weird School” series, but this one looks like it’s right up his alley. Great review!
It’s really cool! And, the places that the McDonald family go in the book actually exist (unknown lesson?)!
You just can’t seem to go wrong with Mr Gutman! He’s a favorite at my school!!
I can see why! 😀