Story Thieves by James Riley

Title: Story Thieves (Story Thieves series #1)
Author: James Riley
Publisher: Aladdin (December 15, 2015)
ISBN13:  978-1481409209
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Action/Adventure
Topics/Themes: Personal Identity, The Power of Stories, Imagination
Recommended Age Level: 9-13
Awards / Recognitions: 

• MSTA Reading Circle List
  
  

Personal Rating: 5 / 5
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Summary:  Owen Connors’ life is incredibly boring. Between school, homework, and chores, he wishes with his whole heart that real life could be more like his favorite books, and that he could have the life of his favorite character, Kiel Gnomenfoot (a boy wizard-in-training who fights a mad scientist trying to wipe out the world of magic in the name of science). All that changes when he accidentally witnesses a girl in his class, Bethany Sanderson, climbing OUT of a book while they are in the library his mother runs. As impossible as it seems, Owen discovers that Bethany is half-fictional herself and that she has been searching through books in order to find her missing father. In exchange for keeping Bethany’s secret, Owen makes a deal that she has to take him into any one book of his choice. His obvious choice is the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, since it’s been his lifelong dream to visit, and Bethany tentatively agrees. But as he soon finds out, his ENTIRE dream may yet come true as he gets stuck in the story and is forced to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final adventure, regardless of how it ends.
 
Professional Reviews:
“A droll and clever opener likely to leave readers breathless both with laughter and anticipation.” – Kirkus Reviews 2014
 
“Aimed at avid readers (the Kiel stories are a spoof of the Harry Potter books), this series starter is packed with humor, adventure, and twists, and it bodes quite well for the second volume. Giddy, book -based fun.” – Sarah Bean Thompson, Booklist 2014
 
Personal Insights: This book (and the entire five book series) absolutely blew me away. This book was recommended indirectly when someone in one of my classes offhandedly mentioned their love of the author, James Riley, and I figured I would give it a chance. I am SO glad I did because I now own the entire series, am forcing my wife to read them as well, and I will be definitely recommending this series to any middle school kids that are looking for something fun and exciting.
This story can be appreciated on so many levels: for kids who are already avid readers, they will love the nods and homages to famous books and other nerdy bookish things. For those who are more reluctant readers, the nonstop action and dry wit humor will capture the love of kids who don’t like reading the slower paced and realistic fiction that is often required reading in school. The characters are well developed and appealing, the storyline is brilliant and witty (and also incredibly meta!), and my attention was captured for every last page, which is a considerable claim given that each book in the series is at least 350 pages.
Added audiobook review: I finished this book as a hybrid of audiobook and reading the physical book (which is the first time I’ve tried that) and the narrator, Kirby Heyborne, performed fantastically and played each character better than I could have imagined them in my own head. Very much worth your time to listen to this book in audiobook format if that is your preference!
 
Notable Quotes:
“The second rule they taught us in librarian school is that you can have as many favorite books as there are books.”
 
"Don't worry. Maybe you just haven't found your favorite book yet. I honestly don't think anyone has. Just when you think you might have a favorite, something better comes along."
 
“Why imagine a world in your head when you could just go visit another one in a book?”
 
“Embrace the impossible! Find the magic within! BE MORE FICTIONAL.”
 
"You don't ever speak to me again, do you understand? And if you ever tell anyone about me, I'll find the deepest, darkest math book I can find, and drop you into the most boring part!"
 
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Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads)
 
If you liked this book, you HAVE to read the rest of the series. Seriously, start there. It only gets better, and there are 4 more books to read!!
 
The Revenge of Magic (The Revenge of Magic series #1) by James Riley (2019) - Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic.
Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books.
But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
 
The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories series #1) by Chris Colfer and Brandon Dorman (2012) - Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.
The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.
But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.
 
Book Scavenger (Book Scavenger series #1) by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman and Sarah Watts (2015) - A hidden book. A found cipher. A game begins . . . .
Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold's attackers make them their next target.

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​The official book trailer!