Misguided

by David Meyer

A picture-perfect Christmas wonderland … built on a web of shocking secrets and cryptic anomalies. For teenage tour guide Daniel Ford, Braxton is the ideal home, one of twinkling lights, swirling snow, and yuletide cheer. He’d never guess it’s got a dark side … until he stumbles right into it. Suddenly, he’s under fire and searching for answers. But his investigation only turns up more What’s buried beneath the streets of Braxton? Who else is after it? And just how far will they go to get their hands on it? The master tour guide is now being led on a tour of his own … and it’s going to take every skill he’s got to survive. Fast-paced and filled with humor, David Meyer's Misguided will have readers on the edge of their seats, with unexpected twists and turns that will keep them guessing until the very end. If you enjoyed Masterminds by Gordon Korman, you’ll love this thrilling novel. Buy now before the price changes!

233 pages, Hardcover

Published August 2, 2023

About the author

David Meyer is an author, marble-maze builder, sock puppet aficionado, wannabe cartoonist, a creator of some things and breaker of others, a yogi and martial artist, and the owner of the reddest hair you’ve ever seen.

He’s a man of few apps, but many books. Creatively, he prefers to work in circles, following “the pull” rather than pushing. He’s tried—and abandoned—nearly every productivity tool known to man. He likes new ideas, old stories, and the big picture. He dislikes small talk, busyness, and infinite scrolling.

He’s married to the wife of his youth, who knows his worst, yet loves him best. He’s also father to who just happen to be his two favorite children of all time.

Reviews

[Susan M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I’m a fan of the author and because I have a couple tweens who love mystery-adventures like Indiana Jones and National Treasure. I wanted to read it first to make sure it was appropriate for my (admittedly) sheltered kiddos. Not to scary, not too grown-up. I really enjoyed it and after a certain point about halfway through, I was shushing those tweens and sending them away so I could keep reading. Couldn’t put it down! The trio of friends are fun to get to know. I am most like Daniel I think - I love the idea of a town like Braxton where it is always good old (secular) Christmas. I like how the author rotates the chapters between the trio of teens and a few others. It helps highlight the little differences in the teens in amusing ways. For example, nature-loving Keeley is tired of all-Christmas all-the-time and describes a mural of a family trying to set up a Christmas tree that’s too tall for their room with annoyance. In the next chapter, the trio walks by the same mural and Danny describes it as a warm and loving scene. It’s also super interesting to see the story develop, and read about how each character would use the artifact - what their individual hearts’ deepest desires are. The third of the trio is Cindy who is the religious one (and the reason this book tops the Christian themes lists?). Personally, I am not religious and braced for a sermon every time she took the reins, but I was really pleased with how the author handles her faith. Religion and faith are not forced on the reader and the character artfully explains some things in ways that I never would have considered - the concept of the soul and hell for example.
I am confident my tweens will devour this story and I happily hand it over to them with a big thumbs up. I hope this author shares more middle age stories.