But they can also be the coolest thing in the whole wide world. Like when they squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube. It’s a clever, successful setup and so long as Patterson and Grabenstein keep their passion for the series, it’ll be a perennial favorite. It’s a light-hearted romp where you know that nobody is going to get hurt, that the kids will learn a moral lesson, that the parents will be some sort of trouble, and the kids will save the day. However the readers see themselves in the book, there’s a character that fits them. There’s Bick and Beck, who most closely identify with the intended audience, and Storm and Tommy, who are either representative of older siblings or older versions of the audience. Ultimate Quest is geared toward middle-grade readers and fits that age-frame well. Grabenstein doesn’t let this happen, penning a narrative that’s just as energetic and upbeat as book one (if not better). The problem that can ensue when a book series is always successful with a certain pattern is that the pattern grows stale and the stories fail to live up to the structure. By book eight, Patterson and Grabenstein (joined by Juliana Neufeld for illustrations) have the series down to a science. In this particular tale, the Kidds are looking for an ancient Knights Templar treasure-but the aren’t the only ones! Hijinks, double-crosses, and some pretty outlandish action sequences ensue.
(Bick narrates the story Beck provides the illustrations.)
And Beck and Bick, well, they’re going to be wise-cracking twin younger siblings who tie the family together. You know that Storm is going to have all the answers. Like, you just know that Tommy (oldest brother) is going to fall immediately in love with some girl (who is likely a spy or a villain). Characters are written to have one dominant trait that defines them, sometimes for comedic value and sometimes to insert some education or exposition into the story. The Kidd siblings have grown up with famous treasure hunters as parents and by book number eight they’ve got a lot of adventures under their belt. The result is a little bit ridiculous-but just think of this as The Fast and Furious franchise for kids. Patterson and Grabenstein craft a goofy, imaginative narrative full of jokes, plot twists, and fun facts. Chris Grabenstein has been James Patterson’s primary go-to author for middle-grade fiction and you don’t have to read too far into Ultimate Quest, the 8th Treasure Hunters book, to see why.
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