Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

VERY HIGH FANTASY! I had a hard time getting through the world building, but a fun fastastical story about perseverance none the less.

Bruce Coville writes middle grade fiction that is consistently optimistic about the human condition. Sometimes this story is a little simplistic, but sometimes a book that tries to inspire you to be the best version of yourself is exactly what a kid needs.

The Thief of Worlds is by veteran children's author Bruce Coville. This is a middle grade hero's journey with an eclectic cast of characters that is gathered together in a chase winding through different worlds. Perhaps it is a case of overly high expectations for an experienced author, but this story felt oddly flat--despite have elements that should have been exciting. The narrative style was more "tell" than "show", and the first-person narrator felt oddly impersonal. Perhaps a younger reader will not be put off by the bland voicing. The narrative did pick up and become more interesting at about the three-quarters mark as the nature of the enemy was revealed. Overall, an okay read, but one that didn't inspire a lot of enthusiasm or passion in this reader.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy

Eleven-year-old Hurricane has always felt an affinity for the wind. So, maybe he feels it even more keenly than others when the wind stops. Everyone is feeling it, though, because if the wind stops, air doesn't move. Pollution hangs around. Clouds form over bodies of water and never move over land. Things start dying.

And for Hurricane, that's when things get weird. He learns that there is a man who seeds the wind using a giant horn. That horn has been stolen, and Hurricane has to go get it back. This sets him on an epic journey across multiple worlds, teaming up with people who are like no one he's ever met before, and confronting something more powerful than he's ever imagined.

This is an entertaining portal fantasy with an environmental twist. Hurricane is a smart, kind kid, easy to relate to as he encounters wildly different worlds on his quest. While the messaging about friendship and understanding despite differences can get a little heavy, the adventure just keeps moving right along. A satisfying stand-alone for young fantasy fans.

(Source Note: I received an e-ARC vi

Bruce Coville has a new book?! This is big news! Why haven't I seen this on CNN or Bloomberg TV (I'm pretty sure I know why it wasn't on Fox)?
Hurricane is a twelve-year-old boy who got his name because he was born during a hurricane. Perhaps it was that birth, but beyond the name, Hurricane has always felt a special connection with the wind.

A global catastrophe strikes and it affects Hurricane deep in his core. The wind has stopped and as a result, temperatures have risen and it is harder to breathe which has people flooding into hospitals. Hurricane's mother is among them. But what can a twelve-year-old boy do when all the adults have struggled to find an answer? When your name is Hurricane, quite a lot. He will visit new worlds, make unusual and unique friends, while on a quest to recover a magic horn that might solve the problems.

It's hard to describe how excited I am to read a new Bruce Coville book. I don't think anyone writes for middle-schoolers (and younger) better than Coville.

One of the aspects that really makes Coville unique is his ability to connect the reader with the characters. Although Hurricane is unique in his name and his connection to the wind, he is also just like every other 12 year old - full of questions and energy. He is, at the same time, both eager to be needed for a special quest, and afraid of it (afraid of failing or not being up to the challenge). Walk into any middle school in the country and you'll meet hundreds of 'Hurricanes.' And because he is so easily recognizable, it makes it so much more fun to read about him.

And just as he is accomplished at characters, Coville's story-telling is well above par. Our story is set up nicely and there isn't a lot of preamble trying to create the worlds. We get what we need to know to move forward with the story.

The story moves along swiftly, though we never feel rushed, and young readers especially will enjoy the pace of the book.

Though it's been many years now, I once heard Bruce Coville speak at a Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference where he talked about the idea that books for this age reader should have a high CTPP quotient. That's "Cool Things Per Page." Of course Coville's books always stand up well to this and we start right on the first page with a cool name and back story about being born during a hurricane and we wind up meeting aliens on different worlds. How cool is that?

Perhaps what I liked most about The Thief of Worlds is the sense that Coville has created a new mythology. This wasn't just an exciting story of magic and fantasy, but a story of gods and legends completely new to us.

This was such a fun, exciting book, it almost made me wish I was twelve again, myself. But fortunately you don't have to be a middle schooler to enjoy a good story.

Looking for a good book? The Thief of Worlds by Bruce Coville is a high adventure fantasy for young readers that infuses some modern mythology and is sure to keep readers turning pages all the way to the end.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.