Fantasy gets a clever refresh in the final book of this witty, action-packed, and hilarious middle grade adventure trilogy.
At Saint Lupin's Completely Ordinary School Where Nothing Bizarre Ever Happens Most Especially Not Illegal Quests That Destroy Famous Landmarks, students are not taught about pirates. They're not taught how to identify them, how to befriend them, or even how to fight them...which leaves the school completely open to pirate invasion. And on the first day of classes, that's precisely what happens.
When a pirate captain and her crew steal an ancient Prophecy Medallion, Anne, Penelope, and Hiro are caught up in yet another adventure. After accidentally activating a quest, Anne and her friends have no choice but to complete the task and deliver the medallion to the supreme pirate ruler, Octo-Horse-Pirate. But the quest and the medallion are not what they seem, and Octo-Horse-Pirate is no run-of-the-mill villain. To complete the quest, Anne will have to uncover the truth about her mysterious past-and, just maybe, save the whole world in the process.
Filled to the brim with heart-pounding action, miniature dragons, attacking chickens, and (sometimes friendly) pirates, The Adventurer's Guide to Treasure (and How to Steal It) is a laugh-out-loud, fast-paced adventure that will leave you breathless.
Wade hails from Nova Scotia, land of wild blueberries and Duck Tolling Retrievers. He teaches part time, dabbles in animation, and spends the rest of his time as a stay-at-home dad. It is also possible he has set a new record as the slowest 10K runner. Ever. He owns one pretend cat and one real one, and they get along fabulously.
My name is Anne, and I fear Saint Lupin's has been destroyed by pirates. The Wizard Council has forbidden us from going on any quests, but now Penelope, Hiro, and I have accidentally reactivated an old quest (I didn't think that was possible). A pirate captain in a wheelchair has stolen the quest medallion, and we had to join her crew to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, Octo-Horse Pirate stole the medallion from her, and his motives are terrifying. He wants to open a barrier that will kill millions of people. Now, we're fighting doppelgangers and iron knights, and trying to elude the Wizard Council's officers. Time is running out, as Octo-Horse Pirate nears his destination. One way or another, tomorrow the world will change forever.
Well, I think this book officially had the longest title I've ever read. It was a curious blend of adventure, humor, and technology. The quest provided the action and drama, as Anne and her friends tried to save the world. Anne's gauntlet created her "superpower". The previous two books involved copper and silver medallions that activated quests in the gauntlet, and this book's color was gold. This book ended the series, since all three medallions were required to resolve the conflict. The humor came from the characters. A GPS sparrow popped out of Anne's gauntlet to provide guidance during the quest, Hiro and Penelope had bickering issues at times, and the Wizard Council officers were gullible goofs. Octo-Horse Pirate's name conjured a strange mental image. Computers and holograms provided the technology, although I won't profess to fully understand how it integrated with everything. It wasn't confusing, just a lot going on. The plot presented many creative twists (secret identities!) but answered most of the series' questions. Overall, the series won't appeal to everyone, but I found it entertaining and worth my time. Give it a shot.
What's great about this book: I like the setting. By this point, you should know that it takes place in a fantasy world that is actually a computer program. The conflict of the story is a clever disguise for the conflict between the program's makers and I enjoyed the blend of fantasy-and-tech (mostly fantasy). It was refreshing that the Matrix-y existential crisis never materialized; the characters are thoroughly invested in their world and want it to keep on spinning. Also fantastic was the humor. There were some fun (obvious?) easter eggs, over-the-top encounters, and not a few litotes.
What's not-so-great about this book: I'm not sure I understood everything that happened at the end of the book. The resolution was satisfying but I don't think I followed all the twists of the revealed backstory.
Last comment: There's a pirate captain that uses a wheelchair in this book and there are almost no accommodations made for it. In fact, it hardly ever comes into the story. That really stretched out my suspenders of disbelief. I loved the idea; it's great to have characters of all abilities kicking butt in a story. But I thought there could have been a little more depth to her experience. However, that might have slowed down the breakneck pacing, which is one of the book's great strengths, so what do I know?
This is the third and apparently final volume in the Adventurer's Guide trilogy (I suppose), and I highly recommend reading the books in order. I called the previous volumes "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as Middle Grade fantasy", and I stand by this designation after finishing the third installment. It continues the wild ride of the first two books with new characters (both good and bad) and plot twists and surprises, but above all, with the adventurer trio Anne (thief/blacksmith), Penelope (swordfighter) and Hiro (wizard) and my favourite character of all, Jeffery. I don't want to put any spoilers here, but let's just say, even if (and especially if) you have read the super secret epilogues to books 1 and 2, you will be surprised.
St. Lupins Quest Academy for Consistently Dangerous and absolutely terrifying adventures is on its third book in the series. Anne Advil, Hiro Darkflame and Penelope Shatterblade have returned to school and immediately gets attacked by pirates. Their captain is Marri Blackwood who is pretending to be a new student in class.
Marri has the element of surprise by bombing the buildings and capturing the teachers in magical dice. Now Marri is forcing Anne, Hiro, and Penelope to go on a quest to get treasure from medallions.
Fast paced and crazy fun. Cant wait to read the other books on the series.
434 pages. What an amazing adventure! This time Anne and her friends and foes meet for many battles. There are so many challenges, magic, and more surprises than ever! I loved that Anne has to deal with everything from pirates to her own personal mysterious origins. This book will take readers on a wild ride and does NOT disappoint. The danger was balanced with humor creating a wonderful array of emotions. I love how the characters grow and manage to use their strengths to fortify their group against the enemy side. This book is quite long, so I would recommend it to upper elementary into middle school ages. Highly recommended for 5th grade and up. LOVED IT!
I have to admit that this book is pretty good. The only part I don’t like is that some parts are a bit fast forward for example they agree to become pirates for the rest of their lives and only thought about it for... like a few seconds. It is also a bit messed up with the medallions and gauntlets and stuff when they ‘explain’ at the end of the book. Other than that, all the rest is brilliant. A fun and amusing stories from kids 9-12 years old.
Grabbed this from the library when I wasn't wearing my glasses, so I didn't realize it was a series book until I was into it. (Hate doing that!) Anyways... it was a funny read, reminding me of How to Train Your Dragon. Great math reference 3/4 of the way through. I think I would have been a little less lost if I had read the first book in the series.
A fun conclusion to the series. Similar in style to the rest, but this time most of the loose ends get tied up. The ending does have a lot of major reveals all clumped together, but it kind of fits how the earlier books had gone.
I had read book #2 a while ago, and there was enough to catch me up without being too heavy on re-summarizing.
This is a more of a 3.75 rating. I didn't know that there are two previous books in the series, but I still enjoyed it. I buy books for our library and this title jumped up at me, so I had to buy it. Great and diverse characters.
LOVED this series so hard! Haven't seen so much combined so successfully before. Would fully love to read more set in this world. The ending bumped me down, and I didn't want to let go. I had questions still and I would like more.
I forgot to mark this and write a review for it. I remember loving it, and then going straight to sleep afterwards I could get the rest I needed. It's too bad I can't remember enough to give some kind of review.
The last book of a trilogy? Terrifying. So much is at stake. So many questions have been raised. Expectations are high. Will this book disappoint? The answer is a resounding No! I enjoyed every minute of this book, if not more than I enjoyed the previous two. I had so many questions after book 1 and 2 and I’m pleased to say that my questions have been answered. For example: The world building: Two worlds, if you really want to get technical. I loved the worlds that the author created in these books, a perfect blend of science and magick. There are satisfying answers as to why these worlds exist. The characters: You are invested in the welfare of the characters we known and loved, and you care about the host of new characters that join them on this quest. The author has a great talent for creating real, distinct and diverse characters that jump off the page and give every reader something with which to identify. To say I’m a fan of these books is an understatement. These books have everything: dragons, medallions, quests, robots, a world in peril, prophecy and much more, all presented with humour and heart. The hallmark of a truly great ending is the desire you have to go back and experience it all again. That’s exactly the feeling I had finishing this trilogy. The author is able to connect to that feeling we have as kids, where the world is open to possibilities, where even though something may seem impossible, relying on your friends will help you get through it, and where even though things may seem dark there’s always hope that things can get better.