Review of Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant

"Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant"
Mark Jeffrey


 

3

Pub. Date: April 26th, 2011
Pages: 304
Publisher: HarperCollins

Synopsis: Max Quick is a pickpocket, a vagabond, an orphan, and a thief. Even so, nothing about him seems particularly special . . . until one day when time mysteriously stops. Suddenly, nearly everyone in the world is frozen in time—except for Max. 

Now Max must journey across America to find the source of the Time-stop. Along the way, he meets others who aren't suspended in time, like Casey, a girl who's never been on her own until now. Together, as they search for the cause of this disaster, Max and his companions encounter ancient mysteries, magic books, and clues to the riddle of stopped time. But relentless and mysterious villains are hot on Max's heels and will do everything in their power to prevent Max from ending the Time-stop. And the closer Max gets to the answers, the more it seems that his own true identity is not what he once believed. 

Racing against a clock that no longer ticks, Max must embrace his past to save his future—and the world—from being altered forever.

"Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant" was a  fast paced read with lots of action.  I was hooked on this book after the first chapter and I had to find out what was going on.  Why was time stopped and why weren't Max and Casey affected?!  As I got more and more into the book, I just HAD to know why Max was missing his memory and who he really was.  If these mysteries aren't enough, there are many more that pop up throughout the book to keep your interest peaked. I would go into more details, but I HATE spoilers in reviews!

Even though the book was fast paced, I wish there had been more character development.  I wish Max's quest to find himself had been more of a driving force in this book.  There are moments where Max's identity is a top priority, but they are fleeting.  It almost feels like there are just too many mysteries happening in one book.  This is good for keeping the reader interested, but I like to be a little more connected with my characters.  This book almost felt like a complete series, or at least 2/3 of one, because of all the different mysteries that were solved and the number of villains- it kind of reminds me of Spider-Man 3.  

"Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant" is a combination of sci-fi and adventure that will have readers hooked from start to finish.  Fans of Percy Jackson will enjoy Max's quest to learn the mysteries of the Time Pocket as well as his own identity.  This book is probably best suited for reluctant readers or readers who enjoy non-stop action, but I think most readers will enjoy "Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant".

*I did receive a free ARC of this book for review.

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"Max Quick" Blog Tour Stop: Mark's Favorite Movies

I was so excited when Mark Jeffrey contacting me about being a part of his blog tour for his new book.  "Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant" is a middle grade adventure book released May 1st.  

Synopsis: When time stops all over the world, creating 'the Pocket' of time wherein basic physics are strangely altered, only Max Quick and a few other kids seem to unaffected.  While the rest of the world remains frozen around them, Max -- and Casey, Ian and Sasha -- find that it is up to them to discover how this has happened and reverse it. Along the way, they encounter 'magic' Books, ancient artifacts and other clues to the riddle of stopped time.  And Max finds that his own true identity may not be what he once believed.  Now he must embrace his past to save the future and prevent the very world from being altered forever...

Mark took sometime to share his top movies.  I couldn't wait to see what movies he came up with; I find it interesting to see which movies make it on the top of a person's list.

Marks Favorite Movies:

1. Star Wars.   This for me was the first, the best, and always will be.  I saw it in the theater when I was a kid, it blew me away.  In terms of emotional impact, there probably won't be another film that does the same thing to me again.

2. Amadeus.  Absolutely hilarious movie with stellar performances all around.  And the soundtrack is by Mozart.  How can you go wrong with that combination?

3. Somewhere In Time.  This is a truly underrated picture.  Christopher Reeve -- in the modern day -- falls in love with a picture of Jane Seymour -- an actress from 1912.  He then hypnotizes himself to go back in time and meet her.  I can see why it didn't do well in the theaters: the marketing campaign and the movie poster don't tell you at all what the plot is.  Also, it came out the same week as The Empire Strikes Back, so bad timing there.  But if you have a chance, definitely watch this one.

4. The Matrix.  Oddly, I think I liked the second one better than the first.  That scene where Keanu finds out what's really going on was amazing; didn't see that coming at all.

5.  Time and Time Again.  Another underrated classic.  Jack The Ripper steals H.G. Wells' time machine in Victorian England and comes to modern-day America; Wells has to chase him.  The Ripper feels right at home in the violence of modern times versus his placid Victorian era; Wells feels out of place. 

Dark City:  Another Matrix-y type movie with a twist.  Don't want to blow it if you haven't seen it, but if you like that sort of thing, this is for you.

  I am to see Star Wars and the Matrix on his list; those are definitely some of my favorites as well!  I haven't seen them all, but I may have to borrow some movies from my library.

I only got to read the first chapter of "Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant" and wish I had the book to read.  The book just hooked me on the first page.  I highly recommend you read the first chapter and learn more about Mark's book by checking out the Max Quick website.