Arnie Carver and the Plague of Demeverde

by Kenneth R. Besser, Darren W. Cranford (Illustrator)

Arnie Carver was once Thayne Davidson Miller, III, who hated his very existence as a billionaire couple s speed-reading child prodigy. His parents security guards kept him safe from harm, but only at the high price of keeping him far from everything else a kid wanted to do. Constantly flying around the world on their private jet tending to fifty family-owned companies in their international conglomerate could have been fun, but he only got to be locked up in the executive offices or plants with no one but adults. He hated his life as the billionaires kid, until, of course, on his thirteenth birthday, when he became a billionaire orphan. Terrorists supposedly claimed to have killed Thayne's folks because they were successful American imperialists who exploited the masses around the world, but Thayne is suspicious as no definitive murderers can be found. He sets out on a quest to somehow learn what really happened. Doing so as himself, however, would be impossible. Fearing for his own life and wanting to become a part of the world instead of apart from it, he replaces himself with a lifelike robot made by one of his inherited companies and then adopts an alter-ego to prepare for his new life and mission by attending a tropical island based international high school, the Global Optimum Development Academy, as Arnie Carver.

331 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2007

About the author

Kenneth R. Besser grew up in Natchez, Mississippi where his English teacher, Miss Gloria Gene Mitchell, provided his earliest inspiration for his later writing career. He wrote a short story for English class involving Dean Martin singing suavely as a short-order cook! His first endeavor in the writing world was self-publishing several legal thrillers from 1994 to 2004. When he wrote the Arnie Carver Adventures for his children, it was their eagerness about the books that convinced him to publish them, too.

Reviews

[Tiffany Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arnie Carver and the Plague of Demerverde is a wonderful story that readers of all ages can enjoy. It is engaging, imaginative, and filled with characters who are easy to root for. What I appreciated most about the story, however, was the way it celebrated individuality.

As someone who may be viewed as neurodivergent, I especially appreciated how authentically the characters were allowed to be themselves. Their differences were not treated as something that needed to be fixed or hidden. Instead, the group welcomed each person for who they were and recognized the unique gifts they brought to the team. Their awkwardness, intelligence, curiosity, and individual personalities were embraced rather than judged. That message made the story particularly meaningful to me.

The characters demonstrate that being different can be a strength, especially when people are given the opportunity to belong and contribute in their own way. The story reminds readers that everyone has something valuable to offer, even when their gifts may not look or sound like everyone else's.

My only disappointment is that the story ends without a sequel. I genuinely wish the author had continued Arnie's adventures because there is so much potential for these characters and their world to grow. I would have gladly followed them into another adventure.

Overall, Arnie Carver and the Plague of Demerverde is a fun, heartfelt, and inclusive story with a wonderful message about friendship, belonging, and embracing what makes each person unique. It is the kind of book that reminds us that being different isn't a weakness—it may be exactly what makes you special.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

From an outsider's perspective, Thayne Davidson Miller, III has an amazing life. He travels the world with his family, he doesn't have to go to school (his parents homeschool him), he's a genius (he received his doctorate at age 11), and he is incredibly rich. From the inside, it's not so great. When his parents go to foreign countries, Thayne spends most of the time in an empty office or hotel room, he's never known anyone his own age, his closest friend is Jacques the butler (or "gentleman's gentleman"), and lots of money leads to death threats, which makes for unbelievably overprotective parents. All Thayne wants is to be a "normal" kid.

On the way to Thayne's thirteenth birthday party, his first ever actual party with a carnival and other kids, organized by Jacques, Thayne's parents have a horrible accident. Thayne's party is brought to an abrupt halt with the news that his parents are dead. Thayne is now the richest orphan in the world. A world he knows very little about. With Jacques' help, Thayne masterminds a plan. He's going to go to school. A real school with regular kids - well, almost.

The school that is chosen is GODA (Global Optimum Development Academy) on the island of Demeverde. GODA is a school for specially gifted children, and Demeverde is where his parents were able to finally conceive and give birth to Thayne. Still conscious of the unexplained and unsolved death of his parents, Thayne registers under an alias. Only Jacques, Unius (founder of GODA and its affiliates), Chose (a teacher at GODA and a trusted ally of Unius), and Thayne himself know the true identity of Arnie Carver.

Now, for the first time ever Thayne (Arnie) is on his own and out in the world. And what an adventure it will be! In a school like no other, with new friends, technology beyond imagination, and a mysterious illness threatening his new home, Arnie Carver has certainly got his work cut out for him!

This is a great story! I was prepared to find Thayne/Arnie to be an irritating rich boy, but he's one of the sweetest, most genuine characters I've ever been introduced to. Shy at times, almost hesitant about his innate amount of knowledge, a born leader and a nice kid, I like him a lot! And I would love to hang around GODA for awhile. They have amazing things like SlipDiscs (to travel on), and cheds (chair beds), and Gladaasses (possibly the coolest version of a laptop ever). And classes in mental strength, physical strength, and sensory strength, as well as the regular high school classes, all taught from an international perspective! And a game with coconuts that you could actually play, though I think you might have to let me watch.

Where is this school? And can I please go?

I don't, by any means, offer this book as a replacement for Harry Potter, but if you need something else to move on to, I don't think you'll be remotely sorry that you entered the world of Arnie Carver. I can't wait to see where he takes us next.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is definitely going for Harry Potter Lite and perhaps elementary school children who are suffering from acute Harry Potter withdrawal will find this series just the ticket - didn't do much for me though - even with the cool "Spy-Kids" -esc gadgets.