Mayhem

May 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-M is your typical teenager who has anxieties about starting a new school. She has made some friends (she remembers only hanging out with them in a group, never one-on-one) and meets a cute boy with an unusual name (Evel). When her substitute teacher, who has a Cockney accent and bulging muscles, tries to kill her in class one day, M's memories come rushing back. She is a graduate of the Fulbright Academy, waging war on the Lawless School, whose members are determined to take over the world. Salane does a remarkable job of slowly setting up the story in the first two chapters. Once the action starts, it never stops. M and her friends jump from helicopters, dodge flying blades, and engage in nonstop fisticuffs, James Bond-style. Fans of the two previous books will delight in the action-packed, adventure-filled narrative. Newcomers will find themselves lost in the story, as there is little to no background given. Even though this is touted as the final book in the trilogy, an open ending signals possible new outings with M and her cohorts.

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