Charley Hutchison is a 6th grader at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and an amazing reader. His voracity for reading reminds me of my own at his age–I constantly was in trouble for reading under my desk while the teacher taught the lesson. Richard Paul Evans is best know for his adult novels such as The Christmas Box and The Gift. However, in his first novel for young adults, Evans uses his own childhood for the basis of Michael Vey, who has Tourette’s syndrome like Evans. Here is Charley’s take on Richard Paul Evans’ first foray into young adult literature:
As I was reading Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans, I was reminded of The Lightning Thief, in which Percy Jackson sets out on a quest to discover why he has special powers. In Evans’ science fiction mystery, the reader is kept guessing throughout the book. It was this suspense that held my attention until the last page. I thoroughly enjoyed the book because of its riveting, suspenseful plot.
Just like Percy, Michael Vey sets out to discover why he has special powers. When we first meet him, he is just an average teenager, other than his Tourette’s syndrome. But then we learn an electrifying secret…literally. He has the power to push electricity into other objects, including people. As Michael struggles with his new found abilities, he discovers he is not the only one with special powers. He learns that a cheerleader named Taylor can scramble the signal in your brain to effectively “reboot” you. The reader is along for the ride as the two begin to unravel the secrets of their past, discover the mysteries of their powers, and learn what all this means for their future…if they have one.
Michael Vey, the Prisoner of Cell 25, is a novel about the discovery that you can always use your unique abilities for good and to triumph over whatever obstacles life may throw at you. At the end of the book, I was still wanting more, and luckily for me, there will be more…six more. The next book in the series will be Michael Vey: Rise of the Electroclan.
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