Bad Luck is the second book in the Bad trilogy. You don't need to have read the first book in this series to read this one, but the first is the story of the main characters brother, so does have some impact on this story. This book is set on Price Island, a Volcanic Island that is shrouded in vog (volcanic smog). On the island is Earth Ranch, a camp for kids who have some kind of magical ability. Clay is there, although he's not sure why, he doesn't have any magic. The second setting is a cruise ship, owned by Brett Perry Sr. There is something odd happening on board the ship and when Brett Jr. starts asking questions and sees things he shouldn't, his step-mother, Amber, throws him overboard. He washes up on Price Island and Clay finds him. The next thing you know, there are armed men on the island and the boys are in the middle of an adventure, that finds them in floating teepees, flying over the island and onto the anchored cruise ship.

First, I want to say that the cover is definitely what initially drew my eye. It is amazing and depicts the island well. Clay is a great character. He doesn't have a lot of self-confidence, but gradually finds it as he figures out what his magical powers on. What is Amber and Brett Sr. after on the island? This is a fun story where kids work together to save the people on Price Island and more. The story had danger, adventure, misbehaviour, mystery, friendship and family. A fun read that I think middlegraders will enjoy. I suggest starting with the first book and reading the trilogy, although I have only read this one, it was a lot of fun.

Delightful middle grade novel. Plenty of slapstick chuckles, and magic to boot. And I really liked the dragon.

My grandson and I enjoyed this book immensely. And there is a dragon! The story was well written and we loved it.
Many thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've seen Bosch's books for awhile; this is the first I've read. Enjoyable series fiction for Middle Grade readers. Recommended for kids who like Series of Unfortunate Events or Harry Potter.

A great second installment of Pseudonymous Bosch's Bad series.

My students love this author. The books fly off the shelf.

What a fantastic read! I love the Pseudonymous Bosch books and the sone was just as fantastic as the first one.

I acquired Bad Luck as a READ NOW from NetGalley. Back when I was devouring books one after the other and didn’t need to worry about my score because I was going through them so fast. Then my work situation changed and suddenly I wasn’t going through books so fast. Suddenly I had less time to read, and a pile of books from NetGalley that weren’t really catching my interest.

Shame on me. When I took on the #BeatTheBacklist challenge my goal was to clear out my NetGalley list. Looking at all the little thumbnail covers none of them jumped out at me. I knew I wanted something clean, so I held my breath and dove into this middle grade book.

And then I was kicking myself for not starting sooner. Upon closer inspection of the cover (darn you little thumbnail images that hide details!) there’s a DRAGON! That right there gives a book an automatic star. Probably. Okay, not really, but it certainly is a sign that I will probably enjoy the books contents.

So what’s this book about? Clay is a boy who attends Earth Ranch, a summer camp for misfits who happen to be magicians. Like, the kind of magicians with real magical powers. Earth Ranch also happens to be located on an island in the middle of nowhere. When Clay comes across a boy washed ashore, things get weird. Soon the island is swarming with men in search of the missing boy, but Clay and his friends are sure something else is going on.

This is a solid middle grade read that was enjoyable for this girl who has not been in middle school for… well, a very long time. There were bits of middle grade potty humor, but nothing too over the top, just enough to remind me “oh yeah, this is a middle grade book targeted at boys”. I loved the footnotes the author included, filled with humor. I loved the dragon. I loved the excerpts from the book about taming a dragon scattered through the novel. Though it was nothing too complex, I loved the plot.

This is a book I’ll be giving my 10-year-old daughter to read and, just maybe, purchasing the rest of the books.

Don’t overlook this series. I can’t speak for the first book, as I haven’t read it, but now that I’ve read this one I plan to!

My son loved this book and the characters and the way the story was told. Thanks for the opportunity to review.

Once Again, Less Is More

This is the middle book in the three volume "Bad" series. It follows "Bad Magic"; the series will conclude in a few months with "Bad News". I have very much enjoyed following our hero Clay's adventures, and have enjoyed this new, improved Bosch style. By that I mean that the previous Bosch series, (the five book "Secret Series"), always struck me as a bit too hyper, cute and over-the-top. I know it was, and is, extremely popular, and that that worked well for younger readers. But, just as Bosch's readers have grown up, so has the quality and depth of the author's books.

In the "Bad" series we meet Clay, an unmagical kid on an island dedicated to training up the magic in exceptional kids. In this volume two we will learn what makes Clay special and why he's on the island. The book opens with a different kid, Brett, who has a whole different set of problems, and then slyly brings Brett, Clay and the island together so that the story can take off. and once we hit that critical mass, the book really does take off.

Apart from action, adventure, and the like, the special appeal here is that in addition to some in your face silliness, and touches of the Bosch silly footnote signature move, there is a lot more, and a lot more clever, subtle and throwaway humor. That's what I mean by "less is more". The funniest, most engaging, and sometimes even most touching, bits are sly and witty. Brett and Clay are both sympathetic characters, in their own ways. The surprise new central figure is a bit edgy and tart, which is a neat addition to the mix. There are other surprises, but they are more likely to arrive in the form of character development than as whoopie cushion jokes.

The upshot is that this series keeps getting better, and more mature, and accordingly more intriguing and rewarding than standard MG magic adventure. That's a real treat and a great development. This is a happy find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

My schedule has been so hectic that I never got around to reading this book. I've read other books by the author and loved it, and I was so bummed that I never got around to actually reading this book.