Great children's book. Very well written!!

I really enjoyed reading Lexi Magill and The Teleportation Tournament. Easy read and one that was easy to follow.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book is absolutely perfect for fans of The Amazing Race!! Of course, you don't have to be familiar with the show to enjoy the book, but if you are, you'll get that extra layer of enjoyment. I actually hadn't read the blurb before reading the book, so I hadn't expected the comparison---but I immediately found myself thinking, "This is a middle grade Amazing Race with a teleportation twist!" Everything I used to love about that show is in here: the interesting puzzles (which readers can try to solve right along with the characters), the travel to new sites, the race to the finish line, and even the backstabbing competitors. :-) (I actually didn't realize that the show is still on the air, but now I totally want to watch it again!).

Not only does this book put a spotlight on some wonderfully educational material, but many kids will also relate to Lexi's internal struggles: her changing friendships after a move to a new school and her pride (and tinge of superiority) that threaten to derail her team. Those elements are what make the book more than just a fun jaunt around the world. Oh, and then there's teleportation. How I wish we could really teleport anywhere we wanted to go!! I highly recommend this middle grade read!

(NOTE: I call this book sci-fi because of the teleportation element, but it reads a lot like a contemporary with a light sci-fi twist.)

***Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Set in the not-s0-distant future, the unique premise has middle school kids teleporting around the world a la the Amazing Race. The action starts early, and in the beginning, I wrote off the characters as cardboard stereotypes - Lexi, the scientific nerd, Ron, the athlete, and Mal, the creative artist, but they grew during the story and had a bit more depth than I thought they would. The race aspect and the puzzles were fun; the middle school friendship issues were handled with a light touch, predictable but not didactic. I would love to meet up with Lexi and friends again.

I received an electronic ARC from Perseus Books, Running Press through NetGalley.
Lexi's family has recently downsized due to her father's job loss. She had to leave her exclusive science academy and now attends a different school. After working with them on a class project, she invites two classmates - Ron and Mal to join her at the Teleportation Tournament. At first glance, this is a team of misfits that Lexi will have to drag with her along the way.
As the story unfolds, readers see how all three characters are so much more than student stereotypes. They bring a variety of gifts that balance each other. They have to figure out how to work as a team in order to stay in the tournament. No surprise, they win the tournament based on listening to each other and working together. Ironically, it is Lexi's baseball knowledge that solves the final puzzle.
Middle grade readers will relate to the three stereotyped students - science nerd, athlete, artist - and be delighted to explore how much depth each has individually and when they work together. Powerful message on looking beyond the surface.

I read this with the thought of getting for my nephew who is 8 and I think it will be perfect for him. I found the book to be enjoyable and I was engaged right from the start. It was nice to see that each student used their own clue solving abilities and worked as a team when making decisions and shows that their perseverance pays off.

I highly recommend this for children from age 8+

I requested and received an advanced reader copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Engaging and exciting story featuring a main character readers will root for. The STEM themes and problem solving make this book a perfect choice for upper elementary/middle school and possible extension activities are numerous. Highly recommend this title for readers who like adventure stories featuring smart, curious main characters.

Lexi Magill and her teammates are the perfect group of kids to capture the attention and hearts of MG readers.
They are relatable, flawed, and totally believable.

The story hits the ground running and doesn't stop. The pace and tension will keep readers turning the pages, from beginning to middle to end.

Kim Long has cleverly threaded STEM aspects into this wild ride that will engage and challenge MG readers. They can choose to stop and try and solve the clues with the characters, or just keep reading to follow along Team RAM's adventure. As an educator, I found myself thinking about all the different ways this book can be used in the classroom!

Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament is a must read for upper elementary and middle school teachers. I highly recommend it for both young readers and readers young at heart, teachers, and librarians.

Lexi loves science and is heartbroken that her parents' budget problems has forced her to leave a science-oriented private school and enroll in public school. She jumps at the chance to enter a STEAM-oriented Teleportation Tournament in the hopes of reconnecting with her former best friend Haley and winning the prize money to be able to return to her private school. Things don't seem to be working out at first, as the teammates she has cobbled together are not that interested in science, and Haley seems to have moved on from their friendship. But over the course of the race, Lexi sees who her real friends are, learns a lot about herself, and finds out what it takes to be a leader.

Kids will enjoy playing along with Lexi's team as they solve the various clues and puzzles, and will also enjoy seeing Lexi's team transform from underdogs into a formidable force. The characters are fun and believable, and sports fans will like the Brewers and Packers references sprinkled throughout.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament was an exciting story packed with clever puzzles and full of heart. I loved traveling the world with Lexi, Ron, and Mal, and I think middle grade readers will as well. Having finished Lexi’s story, I’m eager to find more STEM adventure stories to devour.

*Huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

This book stole my heart, took it on an adventure, and brought it back to me swollen with happiness. In other words, I absolutely adored this middle grade STEM adventure.

Lexi Magill loves science. Unfortunately, when her dad lost his job, Lexi lost her spot in the Academy, a science school with all the best nerd clubs and her bff. Luckily, you don't have to be an Academy student to enter the Teleportation Tournament. Winners get enough money that Lexi could re-enroll in her dream school and maybe score a mentorship with the teleportation masters/creators/gods.

To get that prize, Lexi gets two students from her new school to form a team with her. Each member of Team RAM has their own agenda, and only one of them is science. Lexi's battle is uphill but she's not a quitter, and I fell in love with her spirit.

The characters in this book were exceptionally crafted. They were relatable, flawed, and totally lovable. Watching them grow while on their adventure was one of my favorite features of this book. They left me with a warm tingly feeling when I finished.

The story hits the ground running and never lets up. The pace is perfect and absolutely reminiscent of the Amazing Race with tension high throughout the pages, from beginning to middle to end.

The STEM aspects are also well done as Lexi and her team explore real places around the globe and look to real scientists and inventors from our past to aid in solving the clues. The math was fun, the puzzles were tricky and the reader could choose their own level of involvement. You can sit down and try to solve the clues with the characters, or just keep reading to follow along Team RAM's journey.

This story was a winner for me and I'd highly recommend it for both young readers and readers young at heart. Fabulously done. I can't wait to read more adventures from Lexi and her team.

Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament is a wonderful story of a 12-year old girl who has recently moved to a new school due to a change in her parents financial situation. She is lonely at her new school, which doesn't even have a science club and Lexi really wants to be back at her old school (a science academy) with her old friends. To help get the money she needs to rejoin the science academy, she sets out to enter in the annual Teleportation Tournament with 2 classmates she enlisted from her new school in hopes that she wins. Once the tournament begins the 3 classmates are provided STEM-related clues to their first destination, which then gives them clues to the next destination and so forth. This is Amazing Race meets STEM students and teleportation devices!

I found the book to be a very enjoyable read. I was engaged right from the start and appreciated how the author let each student shine with their own clue solving abilities as well as their personalities. Along the way the team makes choices and decisions that are not always correct, but in the end their perseverance pays off by teaching them the importance of teamwork and the value of friendship and most importantly just how cool science can be!

My best compliment to the author is that my 11-year old nephew said with a smile on his face that the book and the teleportation tournament sounded like "a really cool idea!" He has also given me permission to buy the book for him once it comes out, which I will because it was such a fun read and a good story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.