Book Review: The Mystery of the Moon Tower by Francisco Sedita

The Mystery of the Moon Tower
by Francisco Sedita (jPB Series Sedita)

The Mystery of the Moon Tower is a good choice for students third through fifth grade who enjoy adventure, travel, and mystery and prefer a graphic novel. New kid Kyle is enrolled in a Pathfinders summer camp by his mother as a way to get to know friends before school starts. He is quickly thrown into a group with four other kids his age, each one with a strong personality trait. Kyle is good at drawing. Beth is good at history. Harry loves magic. Victoria may be a cheerleader but she is a math whiz. And Nate likes to invent stuff. The group is sent out on a Pathfinder scavenger hunt of sorts, following a map and looking for special tiles to find a camp “treasure.” But the kids go above and beyond what is expected and end up searching for the real treasure left behind by the camp’s Pathfinder founder, to possibly help his great niece come up with the money to save the castle, the land, and the camp. At first I was not really impressed by the graphic novel. There is little to no character development, so you aren’t very attached to any of the characters. They are also pretty one-dimensional, each fitting a role in their team. However, I did find that the mystery of the Pathfinders, the Moon Tower, and what happened to the treasure to be pretty intriguing by the time I got to the end of the book. And the mystery is not solved in the end, leading the way for additional books in a series.

 

Although I wouldn’t say this is a must-read, it is a good option to encourage reading in elementary-aged readers who enjoy graphic novels.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Investigators by John Patrick Green or Oh My Gods! by Stephanie Cooke.)

 

( publisher’s official The Mystery of the Moon Tower web site ) | ( official Francisco Sedita web site )

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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