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Crisis: The Card People 3
In this thrilling conclusion to THE CARD PEOPLE trilogy, Paul undergoes another astonishing transformation. Then he and Sam face their toughest challenge yet as they uncover and fight a nefarious scheme to take over our nation's government. This novel is for ages nine and up. This book won the LitPick Top Choice Book Review Award in April, 2019.
215 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2019
1 person want to read
About the author
James Sulzer
9 books4 followersJames Sulzer lives in Nantucket, Massachusetts. A graduate of Yale University, where he was a Yale National Scholar, he is the author of the new mystery All That Smolders. Other published works include a novel about Emily Dickinson, The Voice at the Door and a novel about John Keats, Writ in Water, as well as the novel Nantucket Daybreak and a trilogy of middle grade novels for children, The Card People. He taught elementary and middle school students for 30 years and has produced countless “Sonic id’s” for Public Radio. In his early years on the island, he labored as a commercial scalloper and sang professionally in a barbershop quartet.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 6, 2019
Crisis is the third book in the suspenseful Card People trilogy by James Sulzer. It doesn’t seem possible, but I think it has more surprises and plot twists than the first two books combined! First, Paul’s nanodust transfer from a card person back to himself as a human goes awfully wrong. While he, his brother Sam, and their friends try to figure out what happened with that, the news starts reporting that a bomb has been set in Chicago and the President of the United States is sick.
Since the Vice President is out of the country for the unforeseeable future, power has been handed over to a top advisor named Vincent Slaughter. He quickly announces the importance of purifying America so that everyone in the country is the same, and he has the power to define what that is. Sadly, immigrants start being arrested, and hate groups are spreading their messages by marching through the streets. As if all of this mayhem is not enough, villain David Westfield, from the earlier books in the series, appears out of nowhere in Paul and Sam’s backyard to taunt and try to attack everyone there.
The visit attracts a variety of fire and police vehicles including Squinty Eyes, who is the CIA agent that the boys and their friends don’t trust. When they open the front door, he starts threatening and questioning everyone inside. He wants information about any possible new nanodust, where the card people are, and what any of them might know about the boys’ missing father, nanotechnology expert, Samir Kapadia. They handle the scary situation with the help of the card people and their good-natured nanimated friends, but they also immediately begin to wonder if the President is missing instead of sick. Now the boys and their friends are desperate to find the President and help get America back to normal. In the end, no one would ever guess just how much mystery they unexpectedly uncover along the way!
Crisis is a fast-paced, action-packed story! There are enough details repeated from the earlier two books in the series that this one makes sense on its own. It’s also an amazing conclusion for anyone who already read Parts 1 and 2. I can’t think of a single loose end Mr. Sulzer left! The way he uniquely weaves controversial historical, political, and social issues into the magical world of nanimated objects makes this story seem serious and funny at the same time. The book is written for ages 8-12 and would probably appeal to both boys and girls since it has such a wide variety of characters and subplots. However, it contains references to Adolf Hitler, an Ultimate Leader, a Nazi-type salute, and guns, which parents might want to discuss with younger readers. Overall, the book has a positive message!
All of the characters have dramatic flair, but I like Paul, Sam, and their friends because of how well they work together. They’re able to imaginatively solve problems at a moment’s notice. I especially like how they quickly step outside of their own problems and concerns in order to do what they can to stop the government from being overthrown. I think the best part of the story is that while the kids are doing the right thing and helping others, they are pleasantly surprised to find the truth they were seeking all along. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down!
Since the Vice President is out of the country for the unforeseeable future, power has been handed over to a top advisor named Vincent Slaughter. He quickly announces the importance of purifying America so that everyone in the country is the same, and he has the power to define what that is. Sadly, immigrants start being arrested, and hate groups are spreading their messages by marching through the streets. As if all of this mayhem is not enough, villain David Westfield, from the earlier books in the series, appears out of nowhere in Paul and Sam’s backyard to taunt and try to attack everyone there.
The visit attracts a variety of fire and police vehicles including Squinty Eyes, who is the CIA agent that the boys and their friends don’t trust. When they open the front door, he starts threatening and questioning everyone inside. He wants information about any possible new nanodust, where the card people are, and what any of them might know about the boys’ missing father, nanotechnology expert, Samir Kapadia. They handle the scary situation with the help of the card people and their good-natured nanimated friends, but they also immediately begin to wonder if the President is missing instead of sick. Now the boys and their friends are desperate to find the President and help get America back to normal. In the end, no one would ever guess just how much mystery they unexpectedly uncover along the way!
Crisis is a fast-paced, action-packed story! There are enough details repeated from the earlier two books in the series that this one makes sense on its own. It’s also an amazing conclusion for anyone who already read Parts 1 and 2. I can’t think of a single loose end Mr. Sulzer left! The way he uniquely weaves controversial historical, political, and social issues into the magical world of nanimated objects makes this story seem serious and funny at the same time. The book is written for ages 8-12 and would probably appeal to both boys and girls since it has such a wide variety of characters and subplots. However, it contains references to Adolf Hitler, an Ultimate Leader, a Nazi-type salute, and guns, which parents might want to discuss with younger readers. Overall, the book has a positive message!
All of the characters have dramatic flair, but I like Paul, Sam, and their friends because of how well they work together. They’re able to imaginatively solve problems at a moment’s notice. I especially like how they quickly step outside of their own problems and concerns in order to do what they can to stop the government from being overthrown. I think the best part of the story is that while the kids are doing the right thing and helping others, they are pleasantly surprised to find the truth they were seeking all along. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down!
April 7, 2019
In this thrilling conclusion to The Card People trilogy, the stakes are higher than ever. Previously, Paul and Jack of Diamonds miraculously swapped bodies using nanodust to rescue Sam, Paul’s brother. As the crew prepared to swap Paul and Jack of Diamonds back into each other’s bodies, however, something went horribly wrong! This book picks up with Paul in a state of confusion while the government falls to pieces around him and his friends. Paul and his friends may be the only people who can prevent the REAL PATRIOTS from taking over. But there’s a slight problem…Paul is not in the right body! Together, he and Sam, along with their friends, face their toughest challenge yet as they attempt to uncover and stop a devious scheme to take over America’s government.
Crisis…there couldn’t be a better title for this book. Immediately, the book opens with crisis after crisis. Paul is stuck in a very wrong body, the government is failing, and a nefarious scheme to take over the government is in the works! With all this going on, it just seems rather impossible that Paul and his friends will be able to save the day. As with all proper stories, however, the ending is a happy and satisfying one.
My favorite part of the whole book is the opening sequence. It plays just like a dramatic movie in my head, drawing out my excitement and urging me to turn to the next page.
Another thing I really enjoy is the thoughtful study guide and discussion questions at the end of the book. Not a lot of books nowadays have such things, and this one seems to be extremely beneficial. I really appreciate this and encourage potential readers to take the time to read through it.
The characters are awesome and make the story worth the read. Each character is unique and relatable and easy to personify into a real person. The storyline is likewise unique, just not as realistic.
This story is definitely age appropriate! I recommend it for all the ages, in fact. The study guide and questions at the end of the book would make for a fun read-aloud for families with younger kids. This final tale in The Card People trilogy is a strong conclusion and absolutely worth reading!
Crisis…there couldn’t be a better title for this book. Immediately, the book opens with crisis after crisis. Paul is stuck in a very wrong body, the government is failing, and a nefarious scheme to take over the government is in the works! With all this going on, it just seems rather impossible that Paul and his friends will be able to save the day. As with all proper stories, however, the ending is a happy and satisfying one.
My favorite part of the whole book is the opening sequence. It plays just like a dramatic movie in my head, drawing out my excitement and urging me to turn to the next page.
Another thing I really enjoy is the thoughtful study guide and discussion questions at the end of the book. Not a lot of books nowadays have such things, and this one seems to be extremely beneficial. I really appreciate this and encourage potential readers to take the time to read through it.
The characters are awesome and make the story worth the read. Each character is unique and relatable and easy to personify into a real person. The storyline is likewise unique, just not as realistic.
This story is definitely age appropriate! I recommend it for all the ages, in fact. The study guide and questions at the end of the book would make for a fun read-aloud for families with younger kids. This final tale in The Card People trilogy is a strong conclusion and absolutely worth reading!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews