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The Genius Files #3
You Only Die Twice
Just when they think they are safe, the McDonald twins are chased by an evil Elvis impersonator, trapped in a pool of flesh-eating soda pop, nearly pulverized in a giant shredder, and crushed in a turbo-charged carnival ride. Worst of all, no one believes them! Will they make it out alive? Will they ever find out who's really after them? All bets are off in this explosive third book in the Genius Files series.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2013
180 people are currently reading
1152 people want to read
About the author
Dan Gutman
363 books1,035 followersThe author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."
Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.
Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
October 22, 2014
You’ll want to read it twice!
You Only Die Twice is the third book in The Genius Files series. I loved this book so much that The Genius Files series has now become one of my most favorite book series ever! I especially enjoyed how the author uses his imagination to keep surprising the reader throughout the book. The main characters are thirteen-year-old twins, Coke and Pepsi McDonald.
Coke and Pepsi are brother and sister geniuses. Because of their genius minds, they belong to a secret program, and many crazy people are trying to kill them. Each book introduces a new villain for Coke and Pepsi to outsmart. The Genius Files stories always end up being a perfect combination of fantasy and non-fiction. The strange, but true places they visit on their cross-country family vacation are the reality part of the story. There were real photographs of the places, so I could see what they looked like and imagine what it would be like to go there someday.
Many adventures take place, as Coke and Pepsi travel with their parents and bad things start to happen. Coke and Pepsi use their genius minds to solve puzzles and ciphers, and to outwit all of the crazy bad guys they encounter. I couldn’t stop reading this book, because I always wanted to see what would happen to Coke and Pepsi next. Every chapter ends at a suspenseful place. Little boxes on the on the side of the pages gave directions, so I could follow along to real places in each state on Google maps.
The McDonald family stopped at the National Jousting Museum and even the site of the World’s Largest Frying Pan! I could hardly believe that there were such places! My favorite stops were the Birthplace of Pepsi (the soft drink) and The World of Coke (the soft drink). Lots of exciting things happen at those two stops. The final plot twist is the best ever! I never could have imagined how twisted things actually get. I give this book a 5 star rating. You definitely won’t want to miss it! You’ll even want to read it twice! I highly recommend this book for children ages 7-12. Parents will enjoy it, too!
Review by Brooke Z., age 7, Delaware Valley Mensa
You Only Die Twice is the third book in The Genius Files series. I loved this book so much that The Genius Files series has now become one of my most favorite book series ever! I especially enjoyed how the author uses his imagination to keep surprising the reader throughout the book. The main characters are thirteen-year-old twins, Coke and Pepsi McDonald.
Coke and Pepsi are brother and sister geniuses. Because of their genius minds, they belong to a secret program, and many crazy people are trying to kill them. Each book introduces a new villain for Coke and Pepsi to outsmart. The Genius Files stories always end up being a perfect combination of fantasy and non-fiction. The strange, but true places they visit on their cross-country family vacation are the reality part of the story. There were real photographs of the places, so I could see what they looked like and imagine what it would be like to go there someday.
Many adventures take place, as Coke and Pepsi travel with their parents and bad things start to happen. Coke and Pepsi use their genius minds to solve puzzles and ciphers, and to outwit all of the crazy bad guys they encounter. I couldn’t stop reading this book, because I always wanted to see what would happen to Coke and Pepsi next. Every chapter ends at a suspenseful place. Little boxes on the on the side of the pages gave directions, so I could follow along to real places in each state on Google maps.
The McDonald family stopped at the National Jousting Museum and even the site of the World’s Largest Frying Pan! I could hardly believe that there were such places! My favorite stops were the Birthplace of Pepsi (the soft drink) and The World of Coke (the soft drink). Lots of exciting things happen at those two stops. The final plot twist is the best ever! I never could have imagined how twisted things actually get. I give this book a 5 star rating. You definitely won’t want to miss it! You’ll even want to read it twice! I highly recommend this book for children ages 7-12. Parents will enjoy it, too!
Review by Brooke Z., age 7, Delaware Valley Mensa
May 1, 2023
Well, neither Jack nor I saw that twist at the end!!! Way to go Dan Gutman!!
February 5, 2018
This was as much fun as the others though it can feel a bit repetitive as it's about traveling the country and looking at some weird and strange things, then eventually the two kids almost get killed and get out of it but it's been a fun road trip. I have enjoyed learning about all the strange museums and place there are in the US. I didn't know they had some of the museums they have out there...lol. The ending totally surprised me and I couldn't believe who Evil Elvis was and can't wait to check out the next one.
Both boys and girls will enjoy this fun road trip series.
Both boys and girls will enjoy this fun road trip series.
June 21, 2019
My kids love these books, but they’re starting to get rather repetitive to me. Plus I edit out a lot of the sassy back talk to the parents when reading it aloud. And I skip over the driving directions parts too.
August 31, 2019
I thought it was good, but a little easy. It was a nice read over winter break. But overall it was good.
January 1, 2024
My son loves these
March 12, 2024
Really entertaining series! Lots of action and keeps your attention. We look up a lot of the places they mention too!
August 30, 2018
Title: The Genus Files: You Only Die Twice
Author: Dan Gutman Read by: Michael Goldstrom
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Length: Approximately 6 hours
Source: Kewaunee Public Library. Thank-you!
It wouldn’t be a summer family vacation if we didn’t have The Genus Files to listen to on our road trip. On a recent trip to visit my family in Michigan, we listened to this third book in The Genus Files series and it kept my entire family interested with its great mix of adventure and humor.
Coke and Pepsi McDonald have traveled in an RV with their parents across the country to attend their Aunt’s wedding only to find out she is marrying their arch nemesis. As they start their journey back home, they find themselves almost dying more than once at the hands of a mysterious Elvis impersonator. Who is this impersonator, and why do they want the McDonald twins dead?
Author Dan Gutman writes with a winning formula that keeps our entire family entertained from 12-year son Kile, to 10-year old son Daniel, and our 7-year old daughter Penelope. My husband and I enjoy the adventures as well. It’s a nice blend of adventure and family humor. That is exactly the kind of book that Daniel enjoys. The book also explores all sorts of out of the way unique places in America. Daniel was really inspired by the first book and really wants to visit the House on the Rock. Luckily, we live in Wisconsin so it’s not too far away. We just moved this summer and currently own two homes, so it’s on our list to finally visit the House on the Rock after we sell one of the homes.
Michael Goldstrom is a great narrator and does great voices and sound effects. The only negative to this audiobook is that my family does not like when Goldstrom read the entire web addresses for google maps or each individual letter for the cipher. It’s okay to summarize on an audiobook!
Overall, if you are looking for a fun family audiobook for your family road trip, I highly recommend The Genus Files series by Dan Gutman.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2018...
Author: Dan Gutman Read by: Michael Goldstrom
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Length: Approximately 6 hours
Source: Kewaunee Public Library. Thank-you!
It wouldn’t be a summer family vacation if we didn’t have The Genus Files to listen to on our road trip. On a recent trip to visit my family in Michigan, we listened to this third book in The Genus Files series and it kept my entire family interested with its great mix of adventure and humor.
Coke and Pepsi McDonald have traveled in an RV with their parents across the country to attend their Aunt’s wedding only to find out she is marrying their arch nemesis. As they start their journey back home, they find themselves almost dying more than once at the hands of a mysterious Elvis impersonator. Who is this impersonator, and why do they want the McDonald twins dead?
Author Dan Gutman writes with a winning formula that keeps our entire family entertained from 12-year son Kile, to 10-year old son Daniel, and our 7-year old daughter Penelope. My husband and I enjoy the adventures as well. It’s a nice blend of adventure and family humor. That is exactly the kind of book that Daniel enjoys. The book also explores all sorts of out of the way unique places in America. Daniel was really inspired by the first book and really wants to visit the House on the Rock. Luckily, we live in Wisconsin so it’s not too far away. We just moved this summer and currently own two homes, so it’s on our list to finally visit the House on the Rock after we sell one of the homes.
Michael Goldstrom is a great narrator and does great voices and sound effects. The only negative to this audiobook is that my family does not like when Goldstrom read the entire web addresses for google maps or each individual letter for the cipher. It’s okay to summarize on an audiobook!
Overall, if you are looking for a fun family audiobook for your family road trip, I highly recommend The Genus Files series by Dan Gutman.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2018...
June 18, 2024
⭐⭐
I love action-packed books. So when I saw the cover, that's exactly what I thought it would be. I'm honestly disappointed. The other two books in the series were not that bad. This book was bad.
In the entire book, the narrator spends way more time talking about what will happen, and not enough time with what actually is happening. It is very irritating.
The other thing that I hate is the title. I know my entire review goes against the famous saying, never judge a book by its cover, but it's true. The title makes you go, huh?
So, let's talk about the positive things. The thing I liked most about the book was the pressure. The beginning just pressurized the book. You just want to know what will happen, even though the book doesn't keep you engaged.
I love action-packed books. So when I saw the cover, that's exactly what I thought it would be. I'm honestly disappointed. The other two books in the series were not that bad. This book was bad.
In the entire book, the narrator spends way more time talking about what will happen, and not enough time with what actually is happening. It is very irritating.
The other thing that I hate is the title. I know my entire review goes against the famous saying, never judge a book by its cover, but it's true. The title makes you go, huh?
So, let's talk about the positive things. The thing I liked most about the book was the pressure. The beginning just pressurized the book. You just want to know what will happen, even though the book doesn't keep you engaged.
May 7, 2018
The book title is you only die twice the author of the book is dan gutman the location of the book was all crossed the us it about twins that are be attack well going crossed the county and they try to say alive and there aunt just marred the man try to kill them and they just marred in ashton thats why they were heading crossed country to go wedding but know he was there they going crossed coney in a rv there have rented there are coke and pepsis,coke is the brother and pepsis is sister they were like best friends and pepsis is good at code she can solve almost any code giver her and coke and pepsis is in a secret government program that they use kids to help the world ever join they been attack trapped almost kill but myia and .. had be helping them along the way.
May 22, 2017
I really liked this book and I can't wait to read the next one, the author is so funny and interesting when comes to writing, when I read this book I like to change the characters a bit to make them more familiar to me, I also like to change the location and their personalities, when I read books that are easy, I feel like I don't need to think so much about the writing but as harder book I need to think more of what will happen next, also the theme is easy books are very easy to spot and are not that deep, but for harder books they are harder to find and understand and the theme is usually more deep and meaningful
July 11, 2019
Well, my family is starting to grow tired of this series. I need to insert here that we are listening to the audiobook. The verbal description of the searches on Google Maps is getting tedious. In a physical book, I would be able to skim the search image and pull the pertinent information, but that isn't possible with an audiobook.
With that feature already grating on our nerves, other oddities are standing out and rubbing us the wrong way. We're getting tired of the recaps of previous books, and being instructed to go read something, research something, or do something.
I think we're still going to finish the book, but my children's groans will accompany all of the above situations.
With that feature already grating on our nerves, other oddities are standing out and rubbing us the wrong way. We're getting tired of the recaps of previous books, and being instructed to go read something, research something, or do something.
I think we're still going to finish the book, but my children's groans will accompany all of the above situations.
December 4, 2024
This book is remarkable, brimming with excitement and thrilling action from beginning to end. Throughout the story, I encountered various fascinating topics that I had never learned about before, including the intriguing tale of the biggest ball of twine, which amazed me with its scale and the community stories surrounding it. The author weaves together elements of adventure and education seamlessly, making every page a delightful journey. I sincerely hope this encourages you to pick up the book and explore its wonders for yourself—I'm confident you'll find it as captivating and enlightening as I did.
July 31, 2017
It was a great book but it was to repetitive. This is basically what happens is every book. Author tells you that Coke does something life threatening. He tells you to read the previous book then explains it to you. Then they receive ciphers while trying to get killed. They always save themselves by using items Bones and Mya give them or souvenirs or Cokes shirt. Then they meat the big baddie and kill or almost kill him.
August 30, 2023
I still think these are pretty fun books and my seven year old loves them especially this one. I just found it kinda boring now for most of the book and I was getting annoyed that someone else was trying to kill them. Like how many times will someone try to kill them before their oblivious parents notice. The surprise ending was kind of a surprise, but not super surprising.
September 14, 2018
This is a great book. It is full of mystery, and ciphers and action. There's lots of fun and hilarious twists. Not giving any spoilers here. If you want to know what happens, you MUST READ. It will have you running to the bookstore to pick up the next book in the series!
March 23, 2020
I liked the series but its not for everybody. It is filled with action. The kid's lives are almost always in danger but somehow the book is not scary because the action is so far fetched that its interesting but funny at the same time.
May 10, 2020
RealRate- 4.5/5
There were so many great surprises in this book, and I enjoyed it a lot. It wasn't what I would call a perfect story, but it was definitely funny and a great book to read when you're bored at home. This is one of my favorite action-packed books in the series.
There were so many great surprises in this book, and I enjoyed it a lot. It wasn't what I would call a perfect story, but it was definitely funny and a great book to read when you're bored at home. This is one of my favorite action-packed books in the series.
June 30, 2021
This is not a bad book by any stretch but there are potentiallyscenes that depict the confederacy in a positive light and that’s a hard yeet from me. Also this was written before we realized the Roanoke colony just left to live with the natives.
June 10, 2017
Great audiobook, although annoying to hear web addresses recited. Like the books before it, this was funny, action-packed, and even educational.
July 22, 2017
Continues to be awesome and educational!
August 16, 2017
Yay so cool
November 5, 2017
If you read Genius Files #2, then started this book strait after, it is so good and has so many cliff-hangers. So I recommend this book to everyone!
February 2, 2018
Favorite series of all.
March 21, 2018
I have read the other books (1&2)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2018
These are getting a bit dark. I feel like they are kind of casually killing people and not telling anyone.
February 19, 2019
If you enjoyed the previous books, you'll absolutely adore this one. The series is continuing to grow and expand in such a beautiful way.
September 6, 2019
good Book
November 27, 2019
The kids loved it. I did not.
January 29, 2020
Loved it! Another great book in this series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews