Brandon Sanderson is an iconic writer and we were so excited to read this as a family. We have been long time fans as adults of his work and sharing his work with our kids has been so much fun. This was an epic start for our teenage son to be at first in this author's world building experience.

Alcatraz versus the evil librarian was so much fun. We can't wait to read more. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

Brando Sando strikes again! I laughed, I cried, I am seriously going to go and tell my brother to read this series because...it is literally something he will absolutely LOVE. Having read part of the Stormlight Archives series, this was definitely a step-down, writing-wise - not in the sense that it was bad, but seeing as it is a Middle-Grade, the writing is definitely more straightforward and also has a bit more humour than his more serious books like the Stormlight Archives. I think it is very like the Percy Jackson series - it's fun to see the librarians as evil (gives us librarians more depth haha) and I really like Alcatraz's sorta inside his head humour which reminded me a lot of the breaking the fourth wall vibes we often get from books like Percy Jackson!

As a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson and a librarian, I loved this book! It's a middle grade book. It's got adventure, plotting, great story telling and it has a lot of twists and turns. It definitely needs to be in every school library and every public library. I think it should go on some fun summer reading lists.

If nothing else could be said about this book, it's very clear that Brandon Sanderson had a blast while writing. And because that is so tangible, I had rather a blast while reading it. As middle grade fiction, it definitely reads young and so from time to time I lost interest. But as an established fan of the author, it was really fun to see him do something different and so very tongue-in-cheek. I also read this with my eight-year-old, who now says that Sanderson is his favorite author. He wants to keep reading the series ASAP. If a grown adult enjoys this pretty well and a kid in the target audience LOVES it, then I think this book has done exactly what it set out to do.

I haves loved this book since it was first published. I am super excited to see it rereleased for today’s middle grade students. Witty and suspenseful- excellent choice for advanced readers who still need clean content!

I did not really enjoy this book TBH. I do not know why some things were overemphasised, but I think Sanderson should stick to writing adult fiction.

Ah, Branderson. How I hate this man. All the more annoying that he is once again successful at writing for children as well as sitting upon his piles of money. Incredibly snarky humor. Great breaking of the fourth wall. Incredible use of mayhem as a weapon. Four stars and I’m so mad about it.

Brandon Sanderson does it again! It's my first time reading middle-grade fiction from him and it was utterly enjoyable. Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians was such a fast-paced and fun reading experience that will leave you laughing out loud and emotional at once. The characters were all well fleshed out and you'd find yourself flipping page after page! I'm so excited to read more of this series soon!

There is a very specific subgenre of middle grade fiction that this book fits into: books where reality is not what we think. Where a very normal kid finds themself in the midst of a wild adventure with villains and sword fights, with mythological beasts and plots to take over the world. And peculiarities about yourself turn out to be signs that you are meant for something bigger. Sand, weird glasses, and a tendency to break things don't sound like elements that would make for an exciting story so it is a testament to Sanderson's skill and creativity that this book makes any kind of sense. It follows an internal logic even if it defies the logic of the natural world. This is a book that will be too much for many readers but is worth a look if you like the off-beat.

This was a unique read with a lot of whimsy and imagination. I think the targeted audience will love it, and it offers a refreshing title for middle school readers unlike anything else. The narration was humorous, casual but when explaining the fanciful elements of this story was chaotic and hard to follow. However, the humor and tone got me through it. While the characters were very clear to me, I could not tell you much about what they were fighting for, how or why.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Starscape & Netgalley for a copy of this book for review.

cute, fun read!

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an early review.

3 stars

this was fun and cute but didn't grab me as much as I was hoping for. the narrator is a middle school aged boy by I felt like he was a grown man which kept throwing me off. the illustrations were a nice touch as I enjoy having them in middle grade novels. I haven't decide if I will continue with this series but obviously a big fan of Sanderson's adult works.

I got this because it's a Brandon Sanderson book, but I had to stop 32% in. The story was funny, and the plot very intriguing,,,,but two things stood out to me.

Alcatraz's voice just didn't fit. He's thirteen and talks like he's 50. I couldn't see past it, it was a little too unbelievable to me. The second thing was there was no way to connect with Alcatraz or empathize with him. He breaks things and like he keeps saying stuff like he's bad and doesn't care. I find it hard to connect with characters like that. I assumed that maybe he's a bit of an unreliable narrator, and that if I finished the book I can determine what's true for myself, but I couldn't finish the book .

I lied, there's one main reason why I didn't finish the book. The other two points I can live with, but what really killed me was the pacing. The chapters and pacing just really dragged out sooooo long. I got bored waiting to hook onto something.

A super fun YA adventure. This moved quickly and the characters were so imaginative. I loved the story and it’s quirky campy vibe. Highly recommend for MY.

In this book the main character finds out he is living a lie and has to help others to defeat The Librarians! The world building is confusing until it is explained later in the book. I can’t wait to read the text others in the series.

A fast paced and humorous adventure from the pen of Brandon Sanderson. Whimsically told by Alcatraz himself who will charm you with his matter of fact snark, sarcasm and unique logic. Engaging from the start this is a great book to read as a middle grader reader as well as a s an adult. I loved seeing the lighter side of Sanderson, as the fantastic interaction between Alcatraz and the rag tag band of heroes with unique talents.

Highly recommend to fans of adventure and humor, you won't be able to resist this fantastical, rollicking read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This young adult novel breaks the fourth wall. The character of Alcatraz talks to the reader throughout the book. And I had so much fun with these characters. Alcatraz is a foster kid who always breaks things, but not on purpose. On his 13th birthday he receives a box from his father, it contains a bag of sand. You might not be surprised to hear that he’s a bit disappointed. He accidentally sets his foster parent’s kitchen on fire and that evening his social worker, Ms. Fletcher, comes to tell him he’s being moved again. In the morning, his grandfather shows up, late, expecting to be there on his birthday. That’s when the discover the sands missing. Only one person could have taken the bag. So, Alcatraz and his Grandpa Smedry leave to gather warriors to help, Quinn, Sing, and Bastille, they snuck into the main branch of the LA Library to find the sands. Alcatraz has a hard time believing everything that’s going on, but eventually he comes around. This is book one of a series and I’m looking forward to reading the rest. This is a fun, quick read with a snarky narrator who figures out some major revelations of himself in a single day. I think it would be fun to be an Occulator.

If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be <i> chaotic </i>. Not just in what goes on in the story, but the way it is narrated as well. It's funny, all over the place, and over the top plus everything, from the world-building to the magic system, is explained <i>in</i> the moment. Though I'm not a huge fan of this kind of narration, I will admit it had me entertained throughout.
In retrospect, the story itself is fairly generic but I did like the unusual questions it brought up, especially from the perspective between the Free Kingdoms and Librarians. Will I be continuing this series in the future? Yes, definitely.

Sanderson has a masterful, witty humor on display with the narrator of this story. A deeply imaginative tale that imagines the sinister Librarians twisting information to keep the world's population in the dark about additional lands in the world, and the power of Oculators who use lenses to generate special effects based on the sands and forging process. If you enjoy a fast-paced romp of a read, then Alcatraz is ready to give you an exciting ride.

Middle school age will most likely enjoy this adventure packed series where one has “talents” that can stop evil librarians. A fast paced story with humor, nice illustrations, and unusual family members. I did find the narrator somewhat annoying as he interjected in places.