It's a tall order for a book to meet expectations when a book is hyped to the level that this one was. I think it's a fun book and a easy read, which is sometimes all you want/need. I can't really say anything beyond that about this book/story.

Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot by Isaac Rudansky is such a fun and unique read it’s like fantasy meets a crash course in data science, but in the coolest way possible. Georgie, the main character, is smart, relatable, and totally someone you’d want to root for as she navigates this hidden world where scribes use data to literally shape reality. The mix of adventure, mystery, and even a little humor kept me hooked, and the way Rudansky weaves in real-world concepts without making it feel like a textbook is seriously impressive. If you’re into creative, STEM-inspired stories with heart, this one’s a winner. Definitely adding it to my favorites list!

DNF I found an over-egged, 'trying-too-hard' feel to this, that meant it seemed only for young readers and not for the whole family, as a classic MG read should be. With that in mind, I moved on, and will not be taking my interest or thoughts in this title further.

This is a fun adventure story that not just entertains, it brings young readers along on the adventure with a crack-the-code mystery to solve. I look forward to reading it to my children.

I first saw it advertised on Fable and the cover was instriguing. But I hate to say that I didn't really enjoy this book. I feel like the characters are too distant and I fail to connect with them. I don't know if I'm too old to read midgrade book or this is just not as I expected (I read many giod midgrade books before this one), or it could be the proses that feel flat and emotionless(?). This may work for others, but sadly this book is not for me.

Georgie Summers is an ordinary 12-year-old boy who lives a rather lonely life with his sickly father he has to look after that eventually makes him more mature than his peers. One day, his father gets kidnapped by a strange, awful-looking man, which then leaves him alone and bewildered as his father’s last saying is that they are not safe and *drumroll* they are not from this world. Turns out, his father is a scribe from Scatterplot, responsible to record people’s memories or else people will go nuts (literally). As Georgie is trying to find his dad, assisted by his sidekick, Roscoe, and his crush, Apurva, they get to unravel the mystery of the past events that affect Georgie’s parents and more.

To be honest, the first thing that attracts me to this book is the title. Most middle grade fantasy books that I read mixes real life and mythology from some countries or famous fairy tales, therefore Scatterplot is a new concept here (also, it must be related to some kind of writing, which I am also interested in). Georgie is a main character easy to like, but somehow I find a lack of connection between him and his two sidekicks. I find it hard to symphatize with their own causes; I prefer to focus on Georgie’s problem. I almost thought that I’m going to end this book with the usual predictable plot, but noo... the author then decides to pull the card he’s been hiding under his sleeve and bam! Such a cliffhanger that it will be a sin not to write the sequel.

I gladly recommend this book to readers looking for a middle grade adventure with the classic trio of two boys and a girl.

Special thanks to Greenleaf Book Group for providing digital copy of this book for me via NetGalley to review. All opinions are honestly my own! :)

Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series by Isaac Rudansky. Released 4th February 2025 by indie publisher Greenleaf, it's 392 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very high-stakes thrilling adventure tale full of scary hiss-worthy bad guys, ineffectual adults, and heroic kids. Georgie is a 6th grade everyman (everykid?) character, slogging through school with an antagonistic teacher, a dependable best friend (who also doesn't have the best homelife) and a new friend who's likeable (even though she's a *girl*) and who's in the mold of Hermione Grainger. His dad drops a bombshell about he and Georgie not even being from earth, and about that time creepy villains start showing up, there's a glowing artifact, and his dad gets kidnapped!

It's packed with adventure, and some of the scenes are on the edge of actually scary. There are touches of humor throughout and the author has a wry touch with character names (like Fumbluff, Eldritch, etc... Very Dickensian).

There are codes and mysteries to solve in addition to the rollicking adventure (which ends on a HUGE cliffhanger, fair warning).

Four and a half stars. It would make a good choice for public or secondary school library, with the understanding that some scenes in the book are quite squishy and disgusting. Recommended for fans of Rick Riordan, Kelley Armstrong, and Brandon Mull.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

"We are not safe here anymore."

When I get ready to write a review for a book, I look over the notes I have taken during my reading time. I couldn't believe I only wrote four sentences for Isaac Rudansky's Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot. That is simply because I got so caught up in the story that notetaking ceased to be important to me. My imagination was taken to the land of Scribes with Georgie.
I received an advanced reader's e-copy of this book from Greenleaf Book Group through NetGalley. This is my own unsolicited opinion of the book. I really like it! As a grandmother who enjoys books written for middle grade readers, I found Georgie and his friends to be excellent characters. Roscoe Harris is loud, at times comical and very mouthy. Apurva Aluwhalie is smart and very disturbed about how her mother is forgetting things. They are sixth graders with everyday lives. Georgie's Dad is the only family he has left, and he is not well at all. Georgie has worries. Things aren't right in his home in New York.
While reading this book I appreciated the world of Scatterplot and its characters. The beetles are a little off putting. I felt I could visualize what the place and things looked like. I think my ten- year- old twin great niece and nephew could be interested in this book along with my granddaughter who is nine. A few characters made me think of Harry Potter. They were endearing, brave or protective.
Being a reader since early days I could easily see the importance of scribes recording memories. It's a neat concept. This could be an intriguing series.
(I would punish Roscoe for some of his words.)

Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot by Isaac Rudansky is an absolute gem of a book! From the very first page, I was instantly drawn into the world Rudansky created, and I couldn’t put it down. The narrative is thrilling, full of adventure, and wonderfully crafted. The plot is engaging, the characters are relatable, and there’s a perfect mix of suspense and heartwarming moments that kept me on the edge of my seat.

As a homeschooling mom, I am always on the lookout for fresh and captivating books to add to our reading list, and this one was a delightful find. The story not only kept my attention, but it also captured my children’s imaginations. In fact, I loved it so much, I read it a second time as a read-aloud for my kids. My oldest was so engrossed that he immediately asked to read it himself so he could get ahead—what a win for a book to make him want to dive deeper into it!

Rudansky's ability to blend adventure with important life lessons is truly impressive. Whether it’s the fascinating world-building, clever dialogue, or the thoughtful character development, every aspect of this book feels well thought out and meaningful.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, exciting, and family-friendly read that offers both entertainment and opportunities for discussion. It definitely earns a solid 4.5 stars! The only reason I didn’t give it a perfect 5 is because I truly didn’t want the story to end—here’s hoping there’s more to come from this wonderful series!

This middle-grade fantasy novel was very nearly good. The premise is compelling, the approach imaginative, and the first 30% or so was pretty stinkin' good.

And then it just sort of...fell apart. Like, once we were pulled through the portal to a different world, the author decided he didn't need to expend any more energy on fully-realized worldbuilding or character development. Except that he for sure did.

I was very excited to read Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot, to find a great middle-grade fantasy series that I could share with my grandkids and enjoy on its own merits. Unfortunately, the novel's sloppy execution—including a time frame that was far too compressed to support or justify the storyline and waaaaaay too many scenes that were for-effect-only—dashed all of those hopes.

I guess I could generously call this novel "high concept," but even that feels too kind. This novel is a mess.

This is an incredibly fun middle grades fantasy novel. Georgie Summers is "that" kid - the one who's interested in doing his own thing, who doesn't have many friends, and who gets picked on by the "cool" kids. To make things worse for Georgie, his mother is long gone, and his father has some type of long-term, lingering illness, so he can't do a whole lot with Georgie. One day, however, a hole opens in the wall of their garage, a person comes through, and everything changes; every truth that Georgie knows about his life turns out to be false. His parents are from another world, and when they left for Earth, they took something with them - something that has finally been tracked down, which the tracker desperately wants.

Georgie is a wonderful character, a boy who finds himself when he finds an activity that he truly enjoys and is honestly good at, and he does it with the help of his two best friends, who help him through the most amazing, unusual, and occasionally terrifying event of his life. Middle school students will love Georgie, especially those who don't quite fit in, and this book will appeal to fantasy readers from middle school through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think this is a case of "it's not you it's me" but something fell a bit flat for me with this book. I wanted a bit more world building and a bit more character development. I wanted more showing and less telling. I just wanted something...more. It was fast-paced and adventurous with a bit of mystery, so I can see many middle grade readers enjoying this.

Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot by Isaac Rudansky is an exhilarating middle-grade adventure that blends magic, mystery, and the power of friendship. Twelve-year-old Georgie Summers lives an ordinary life until a terrifying man kidnaps his father, leading Georgie on a journey to uncover secrets about his dad’s past. Along with two unlikely allies—Apurva, an aspiring astronomer, and Roscoe, a YouTuber—they discover Scatterplot, a hidden realm where Scribes record everyone’s memories.

As Georgie races to stop the villainous Flint Eldritch from erasing the world’s memories, the story becomes a heart-pounding quest filled with danger, courage, and unexpected twists. Rudansky’s writing is fast-paced and engaging, with a great balance of humor and suspense. The characters are relatable and well-developed, and the theme of friendship and belief is woven beautifully throughout.

A unique feature of the book is its interactive “CRACK THE CODE” challenge, where readers can decipher hidden clues for a chance to win prizes, adding an extra layer of fun to the adventure.

Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot is a magical, heartwarming ride perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. With its thrilling plot, memorable characters, and imaginative world, this debut novel is a must-read for young fantasy fans.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
2.5 stars rounded up

This book overall was good-ish. I think my main issue was that the writing didn't grab me. It felt voiceless, and none of the characters really stood out. Well, Rollie D sorta did, but that was it. Most of the other characters were just either generic or a single trait exaggerated, at least in my opinion.

The story itself and the idea of the worldbuilding was interesting, and I liked that there were consequences in the end that seem to be carrying over in the next book. However, the moment I asked myself "so who keeps the Scribes memories?", the entire thing unraveled for me.

It would probably be a more fun time for the target audience of this book, and, again, there's nothing super bad about it. But in the end, the longer I read, the more I started to draw out of the book, so it definitely wasn't fully for me.

I had such a great time with this portal adventure. The cover is amazing, and we worked together to solve the code. It's also a great middlegrade that can be enjoyed by different ages, making independent reading valuable and family reading into core memories. All characters are compeling the villain is too, and the plot is rich in scenery and descriptions. We can feel how much effort the author has put in creating this series.

This exciting adventure story is about Georgie, an average sixth grader who's really good with a slingshot and worries about his dad, who is sick. Until a woman shows up in their garage trying to give Georgie's dad an Aetherquill, which his dad refuses. Then a creepy guy comes and takes Georgie's dad through some kind of a portal. Georgie decides to go after his dad but only after enlisting the help of his best friend, Roscoe and the smartest girl in school, Apurva. They end up in a different realm, where it turns out, Georgie has magical powers. It also turns out that the magical community that the kids have come to is divided and hostile to each other. Georgie has to try to reunite the magical communities, save his dad, and the rest of humanity. This is a fun and compelling book. The writing is vivid and descriptive, with some wildly inventive characters and monsters. There are big themes of family, love, friendship, forgiveness as well as memories and story telling. Don't miss this one.

I think I wasn't in the mood to read a kids book. It was so fast paced, but it took me so long to finish 😔

The writing has an enjoyable flow so it's a good option for someone younger who's trying to read. The magic system is also very simple, so kids can easily understand. I didn't really enjoy the simplicity tho, it had some plot holes that I hope are explained in the second book.

Like, what do the beetles have to do with their shadows and the separation between someone's light and shadow and why are the shadows like that if, technically, they ate still some kind of human (they must have some motive, right?) Maybe I'm just dumb.

Aside from that, it was still good and the ending made me excited for the sequence 🙏🙏🙏

When Georgie Summers’ dad is kidnapped by a sinister and scary villain from a magical realm, he is determined to get him back. In the process, Georgie and his classmates embark on an adventure that will change their lives and overturn everything he thought he knew about himself, his family and how the world works.

This was a tough review to write. NOT because I don’t have enough to say, but rather I have so much I want to talk about this book.

The short version: It’s brilliant! 5 stars! End of story. Go get it!

And now for the raving: (be warned! It’s long and likely over-emotional)

The writing! It goes beyond cinematic into this sort of VR deep immersion thing where every scent, taste and scent Georgie notices, the reader is experiencing it alongside him! Total sensory extravaganza! Continuing the cinema/movie metaphor, the camerawork or the use of perspective is just brilliant. The author sticks to third person throughout, but keeps switching the perspective, moving expertly from close-up of intimate conversations to epic eye-in-sky perspectives for battle/action scenes.

The themes! The story examines the idea of human memory and how it affects our idea of self. It also looks at loss, trauma and the scars they leave behind. These tough topics are handled so deftly, so sensitively, they lead so some of the most beautiful lines in the book. Honestly, I have so many quotes highlighted in my e-book, I can’t wait to get a physical copy and annotate the heck out of it.

The Characters! I fell in love with Georgie. But there were so many Brilliant characters in here – Rollie D, Apurva, Roscoe grabbed my heart from the start, but Eddie and Ore, Fumbluff, Fenton, the Altercockers – all these secondary characters are so beautifully and carefully fleshed out, they made you care about them and mourn their loss and pain. And John Summers, he has very little actual screentime, but his presence runs through the entire plot. My favourite quotes from the book are from him.

Last but certainly not the least, The worldbuilding! The very idea of Scribes of Memory, Scatterplot and the Corrigendum, the pocket horsemen and Flint Eldritch’s (what a fantastic name for a villain!) horrible beetles and spider monsters. It was just so immersive!

Books like these are why I love Middle Grade fiction. Because sometimes to talk about the greatest, most enduring themes of human existence you have to approach it with the mind and heart of a child.

Thanks to the publisher and author for letting me review this book. This was a fantastic read and drew me in. It has action and adventure and draws you in. I’m hoping there’s a sequel.

Exciting adventure to recapture memories & bring dad home👨‍👦

The plot was fast-paced, full of imagination and fantastical places and creatures, with an ordinary young boy and his two friends on a quest to save Georgie's father that becomes a fight for a much bigger purpose: to save everyone's memories from an evil magicker who, in his quest for a special pen and power revels in his path of destruction. I was totally caught up in Georgie, Apurva and Roscoe's journey to another dimension. But I found the ending abrupt, confusing and sad. I expected an HEA and got what seemed just the opposite!

Thanks to Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on Waterstones, Goodreads, Bookbub and with Barnes & Noble on 1/25/25.