"Elves, strange worlds, magical stones-there was too much to absorb."
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Matt Monroe And The Secret Society by Edward Torba All Points Press
book review by Donna Smith
Edward Torba introduces us to an unlikely hero in his enthralling fantasy teen novel. Fourteen-year-old Matt Monroe is an average America boy. He lives with his parents and older brother, Josh, in Kingston, Pennsylvania. His mother is overprotective, due to Matt recovering from an undisclosed illness, and his seventeen-year-old brother, Josh, is popular, smart, and athletic. To earn money, Matt delivers newspapers to the residents of the town. Coincidentally, many of Matt's neighbors are dentists like his father.
Matt's unexplained encounters with strange creatures, forces his father to tell his sons about the Monroe family's obligation to save the world. This confession plunges Matt, Josh, and five of their friends on a journey to another dimension where they discover unimaginable obstacles. Torba leads the band of friends down a treacherous path where they must do battle to stop an impending end to the human race, and Matt must find the courage to carry out his mission even though he knows not all of them may return home.
Brotherhood is prominent throughout the book. There is the bond between elfin brothers, brothers in the past, and the present brothers, Matt and Josh. Matt and his friends must overcome evil just like the group did in Stephen King's, IT, or the young Wizard in Harry Potter. The story also is reminiscent of the Hardy Boys mysteries and the coming-of-age movie Goonies with the addition of the supernatural.
The book evokes the feel of an unexpected summer breeze, the freedom of riding a bike, and a time in your life when you believed in the possibility of unearthly adventures. And, Torba's novel makes you wonder about the secret life of people in other occupations like the mailman, the cable guy, and the woman who works at the deli.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review