Review of Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings

[Kaitlin Licato]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings" by Leah Cupps.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When your father is a "world-renowned archaeologist and engineer," you tend to live a nomadic lifestyle filled with adventure. Such is the case for Harley James, the protagonist of Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings. A sixth-grader with aspirations of success as a cryptographer, Harley is drawn into the mystery of the Three Kings when she discovers a puzzle in the Mayan rainforest. The legend says that when the statues of the three kings are brought together, the world will end. That's something that Harley would prefer to avoid. She sets out to find the statues and save the world with her dog Daisy. Along the way, she will get help from some unexpected friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. The setting of the Guatemalan rainforest near the ruins of Tikal was fascinating. The author did her homework on the Mayan side, discussing the gods, including glyphs and Mayan history. As someone who has traveled to Mayan ruins before, I appreciated this. The character of Harley was well done. She takes after her father and seeks his approval while struggling to adhere to his rules. She's a sixth grader who wants to explore ruins and is being told not to! What else could she do? Now, she does take things a little too far sometimes, but it's believable for a pre-teen who is beginning to rebel against her parent.

There were only a few things that were problematic for me. The pacing overall was a tad uneven. There were moments of fast-paced action but also long stretches of description and waiting. This is the first book in a series, so I hope the author will fix the pacing as the series continues. The only other thing that bothered me was towards the end; a big test of the reader's suspension of disbelief didn't work for me. Then again, I am an adult, not the target audience.

This book would work well for the middle school demographic. As Harley is a sixth grader, many in this age group would be able to empathize with her and her struggles. I like that it would inform these readers about Mayan culture while entertaining them with a supernatural mystery. The vocabulary is appropriate for this age group, and it was well-edited. The only error I found was a spelling mistake in an advertisement picture for the next book.

Due to the entertaining and educational storyline that fits its demographic, I give Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings by Leah Cupps 4 out of 4 stars. I highly recommend it for middle school-age readers who enjoy mysteries and learning about new places. I hope to read the next in the series sometime soon.

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Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings
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[Summer Henrietta]

This is an adventurous book for the middle aged. I admire Harley's courage in taking up the task and I commend her friends for being supportive.
Great review.