Tuesday, March 05, 2019

Debbie--have you seen THE LEAGUE OF SEVEN by Alan Gratz and Brett Helquist?

A reader wrote to ask if I've read The League of Seven by Alan Gratz and Brett Helquist. It came out in 2014 from Starscape (Macmillan), which publishes sci fi and fantasy for middle grade, ages 10 and up.

Here's the description, from Gratz's website:
Thirty days hath September. Seven heroes we remember. 
Young Archie Dent knows there really are monsters in the world. His parents are members of the Septemberist Society, whose job it is to protect humanity from hideous giant monsters called the Mangleborn. Trapped in underground prisons for a thousand years, the Mangleborn have been all but forgotten–until now. 
Evil genius Thomas Alva Edison and his experiments in the forbidden science of electricity have awakened a Mangleborn in the swamps of Florida. When Archie’s parents and the rest of the Septemberists are brainwashed by the monster, it’s up to Archie and his loyal Tik Tok manservant Mr. Rivets to assemble a new team of seven young heroes to save the world: the League of Seven.

No mention of Native content in that description, but the person who wrote to me noted that one of the main characters is Seminole. You can see here here, on the cover:


Her name, I learned by reading reviews, is Hachi. I also learned it is an alternative history, set in America in 1875. I'm intrigued. I'll try to get a copy and do a review. 

Have you read it? What are your thoughts?


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am getting ready to read this book because it is a Battle of the Books book for North Carolina this year, and I would be grateful for any additional thoughts you have. The book is set in an alternate version of the Americas in 1875, and you will see a description of the author's approach at people living there, as well as a map of this alternative America, at http://alternatehistoryweeklyupdate.blogspot.com/2014/08/maps-of-united-nations-of-america.html

It seems to me that the potential pitfalls here are extensive, although I haven't read the book yet and don't want to make any assumptions. I wonder how much research was done by the librarians who chose the book for NC students to read?