Coda. (The Seven Sequels). Ted Staunton. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2014. 205 pp., trade pbk., pdf & epub, $10.95 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-4598-0549-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4598-0550-7 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4598-0551-4 (epub). Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Mark Mueller. **½ /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

“Dream on, guys. Apart from the war, the closest Grandpa got to a killing was a good business deal.”

Coda, part of the “Seven Sequels" series, is the follow-up novel to Staunton’s Jump Cut, one of the novels in “Seven the Series.” In this installment, the main character, Spencer, finds himself plunged into an eccentric world of espionage, terrorists, popular culture, and rogue republics as he tries to save his brother, Bunny, from a group of kidnappers. Spencer and his friends, Amber Lea and Toby, use their networking, acting, knowledge of movie thrillers and basic internet research skills to locate a missing sheet of music and to find out about the mysterious Republic of Pianvia in their attempt to locate the kidnappers and save Bunny’s life. As time runs out for the trio, they soon discover that there is more to Spencer’s grandfather’s past and to the story of the rogue republic than they originally thought.

      Coda was a fun read with interesting characters and a quirky plotline. As a Torontonian, I also connected with the story when reading the scenes that took place in familiar parts of the city. The author knows Toronto well. I think Staunton could have done more with the main character though. At times, he came across as a little shallow for a university student, and I was overwhelmed by his continual references to movie thrillers. If these character traits were meant to add humor to the novel, perhaps more disastrous consequences of Spencer’s decisions would have merited Coda a higher rating in this review.

Recommended.

Mark Mueller is the Education Librarian at Tyndale University College in Toronto, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

Next Review | Table of Contents for This Issue - September 5, 2014.

CM Home | Back Issues | Search | CM Archive | Profiles Archive