Have recommended book to patrons. Excellent story and audio production. Great for middle school readers.

This is a fantastic fantasy book that I would recommend to fans of Rick Riordan Presents and Indiana Jones. Kagawa mixes fantasy and mythology and ancient treasure for a great story with a found family theme.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC audiobook.

Description from NetGalley:
Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. An ordinary homeschooled smart-alecky kid being raised by his globe-trotting aunt Yui. But when a magical guardian decides to use him as a conduit to awaken its power, Shinji’s life takes a turn for the anything-but-ordinary. Captured by the menacing Hightower Corporation, which is bent on using the guardian’s magic for its own nefarious purposes, Shinji must team up with a brilliant young tech whiz named Lucy and her robot mouse, Tinker, in order to escape.

Together the two turn to the venerable Society of Explorers and Adventurers and its ragtag cast of spelunkers, hackers, mapmakers, pilots, and mythology experts (among other things) to return the guardian to its rightful home and release Shinji from its magic—which seems to be draining his life force. Time is ticking, the Hightower Corporation is in hot pursuit, and success or failure might depend on one small thing—Shinji finally coming around to the belief that he is anything but ordinary.

Based on the Society of Explorers and Adventurers lore that exist across the Walt Disney Parks, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is the first book in an all-new action-adventure series that brings S.E.A. into the twenty-first century through a blend of science and magic, and a focus on two young characters on an epic journey through time and place.

If you are a fan of Percy Jackson, then I think you will like this. I was surprised at first to not see it labeled as a Rick Riordan Presents book. Julie Kagawa has constructed a very real feeling world, and the narrator, Stephen Fu, does a great job of bringing that world to life. Shinji feels very much like a real boy that suddenly finds himself in a world that he must quickly find his feet in if he is to survive.

Overall: 4/5

Thank you to the Disney Audiobooks and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this delightful book. I really enjoyed this promising beginning of the fantastic new series. This fast-paced magical action/mythology/fantasy adventure with great characters would appeal to any Rick Riordan and Rick Riordan Presents fan. I enjoyed Julie Kagawa’s YA books and this middle grade debut is just as great. So glad that she is now a part of the Rick Riordan Presents family. Highly recommended! Can’t wait to share this amazing story with my students!

While I wasn't convinced by the product placement, Julie Kagawa has crafted an intriguing world I'm keep to know more about. Loved the magic system, and loved the characters.

Truly enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was great. Highly recommend it! It is always helpful to listen to a book with names and places that are difficult to pronounce. The story of a boy finding an ancient magical statue that, unbeknownst to him, has a familial connection was an exciting journey. Eluding dangerous, greedy people and deciding who was trustworthy all while trying to right an ancient wrong and avoid a curse was a very fulfilling ride. I love books that tie up all loose ends and leave you wanting to read the next book in the series. I will definitely be adding this book to the school library (audiobook too if I can afford it)! Looking forward to the next book in this series!

Shinjii Takahashi is an excellent addition to books about mythology. Students who are looking for other books to read after Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series will enjoy this book. After Shinjii Takahashi's parents die in a fire, he has been traveling the world with his Aunt Yui collecting items to be sold in her shop. On a trip to Abenge village in Africa, Shinjii comes across a mysterious idol. Others are also after the idol too and capture Shinjii and his aunt. Shinjii meets some new friends on his adventure but who can he trust to help him and who just wants the power of the idol for themselves? The Coatl is a mythical beast that is not familiar to a lot of people. This book introduces the Coatl and the author does an excellent job creating the mystery behind the beast. The narrator for the audiobook does a marvelous job of drawing the reader into the world of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers.

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect for fans of the Rick Riordan Presents series and Indiana Jones.

Shinji Takahashi does not have a normal childhood, instead traveling the world with his Aunt. One day he stumbles upon a statue that seems to call to him in a market. After buying it, he is pulled into a whirlwind adventure, needing to return the statue to its rightful place before the curse on the statue kills him.

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of Coatl is a fast paced globe trekking and multicultural tale filled with fun characters. What surprised me about this novel was the conversation on exploration and the practice of taking relics from their original locations, which is a topic that has been coming up more and more in recent years. This books gives the thrill of an Indiana Jones adventure while instead returning ancient possessions to their rightful locations. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator was great. It would be a fantastic addition to any classroom.

I really enjoyed the narrator in this audiobook. He had great expression and made the moment sin the book come to life. The book was also good and I really enjoyed the mythological elements. Even though I saw the plot twists coming, they worked well within the story.

Shinji reminds me of a mix of Percy Jackson and Indiana Jones in all the best ways. This high stakes adventure around the globe had me cheering from my arm chair. Ideal for an armchair explorer or any Percy Jackson fans (or fans of any Rick Riordan presents), Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider.

Shinji is off on another market day with his aunt when she hands him some money and tells him to go find some treasure. He certainly didn't expect to find a long lost temple idol and be swept into an Indiana Jones level quest to put the idol back, break a curse and save magic from the hands of evil (whose hands are the evil one will have middle schoolers guessing until the end!). Shiji winds up in the enemy liar and escapes with a little tinkering (pun intended) and an unexpected ally. He seeks help from SEA (Society of Explorers and Adventurers which leads him to an eccentric group of pirates, bear tamers, professors and hackers. The race is on to break the Coatl's curse and save magic.

Highly recommended for middle school level students!

Excellent start to a middle grade series! Shinji Takahashi travels the world with his aunts after his parents died in a house fire as a child. At market one day, he walks into a shop and purchases a strange idol. Then he's attacked by a shady organization and finds out he's cursed, Shinji has to figure out how to remove the curse before it sucks his life force dry.

Great first book. I'm excited to see more of this world and these characters.

I've read some of Julie Kagawa's other books and was anxiously awaiting her newest series. It did not disappoint! From the beautiful cover to the fast paced action, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl was a high flying adventure. Fantastic character development helped to hook you right away. I can definitely see my students clamoring to read this story. I can't wait to see what adventure Shinji and Lucy get into next.