This is a funny, action-packed middle grade that is perfect for anyone looking for adventure. A fast read that will keep you wanting to turn the page.

A Brandon Sanderson middle grade book featuring a boy whose power is breaking things taking on a group of evil librarians—I couldn’t resist! I love the quirky cast of characters that accompany Alcatraz on his quest and the lighthearted tone of the story. I also found the “author’s” interjections into the story humorous. I can think of quite a few middle graders that I know who are going to love getting to know Alcatraz and the gang!

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Alcatraz Smedry, who breaks everything he touches, receives an inheritance from the parents he never knew he had - when it's stolen, he and a knight of the Crystallia must stop the evil librarians and get that important bag of sand back.

The characters are fun, and even the antagonists turn out to be complex people. Alcatraz in particular is an interesting character who struggles with his accident-prone nature, until he learns it's a 'Talent' (his grandfather's Talent is arriving late to things...it's so funny, but it works!). He's convinced he's a bad kid, but it gets harder for us to believe it as the story progresses, and even he seems to change his mind a little near the end.
Full review on YouTube

"Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians" by Brandon Sanderson is a hilarious and action-packed middle-grade novel that takes readers on an extraordinary adventure filled with humor, magic, and the battle against a unique kind of villain. Sanderson's storytelling expertise shines as he crafts a tale of wittiness, imagination, and the power of books. The book's relatable characters and fast-paced plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with middle-grade readers. Sanderson skillfully blends elements of fantasy and humor, leading readers through a journey that defies expectations and embraces the unexpected. "Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians" is a delightful reminder that even in the most unusual circumstances, courage and resourcefulness can lead to surprising victories, leaving readers with a sense of wonder and the excitement of joining Alcatraz on his quest to save the world from the clutches of the sinister librarians.

This book delivers exactly what you'd expect from Brandon Sanderson: a compelling narrative, a swift-paced plot, a captivating and skillfully arranged cosmological backdrop, and of course a fascinating magic system! But, what I loved the most was probably the meta aspect of the book when the narrator intrudes and talks about what he's doing in the writing of the book.

This book was amazing! I normally don't give middle grade books 5 stars unless they are special reread, but this one definitely deserves all 5 stars.
The characters are well written and the narrator breaking the forth wall is hilarious.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

On his thirteenth birthday Alcatraz Smedry, a foster kid all his life, receives an inheritance from his biological parents: a bag of sand. He thinks it’s some kind of a joke until his social worker steals the bag and his biological Grandpa shows up, explaining the importance of the sand, some stuff about the world and about Alcatraz’s talent. Oh, I forgot to mention, Alcatraz has a talent for breaking things but he always thought it was a curse.
I swear, it’s as if Sanderson is just incapable of writing a book with bad magic system and bad world building. The world is really cool here. There are the Hushlands, which are basically most of the world, and they are controlled by the Evil Librarians. And there are also the Free Kingdoms, where Alcatraz is from and where his family is kind of a big deal. Obviously the two are at war. The magic system is great. Weird quarks are actually cool and useful talents when you figure out how to use them. Like, Grandpa Smedry’s talent is always being late. So it is very hard to kill him for example, as he would just arrive late for his own death. The narration style is great. Alcatraz is basically narrating the book as if he is writing an actual book but he often breaks the forth wall and talks to readers directly. There is a lot of humour, the pacing is fast, the plot is engaging, and I enjoyed this book very much.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes this book is clever, but most of the time this book just thinks that it's clever. Everything is the opposite of what is logical but one would hope that there is some internal logic to that, but I couldn't find it. The 2nd person narration is well done but there's too much of it. Each character is distinct in voicing but Alcatraz isn't very likeable.

There is nothing I can add to the wealth of reviews already out there.

Sanderson has knocked it out of the park once again with his middle school book Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians.

As with his adult fantasy novels, Sanderson has a very tightly plotted narrative that ensure there is no wasted time. Each scene leads perfectly into the next and this momentum makes the book incredibly engaging for younger readers.

I loved this book and would recommend.

In this book we join Alcatraz on his 13th birthday. Bizarrely he has just received his inheritance - a bag of sand... which then is the target of some evil librarians whose aim is to hide the truth. His quirky Grandad turns to help to help Alcatraz get the sand back before the evil librarians succeed in conquering the world.

This was such an unusual read which made it quite a good reading experience. It would be a fab film!

Although I liked the characters, I don't feel we got to know them well enough but I appreciate it's just the beginning of a series.

Action-packed and fast-paced. A fun read!

On his 13th birthday, Alcatraz, a foster child, gets a bag of sand in the mail which purports to be his “inheritance” sent from his father and mother. The Librarians, of course, immediately steal the bag of sand from him. This sparks a chain of events which leads Alcatraz to realize that his family is part of a group of freedom fighters who resist the Evil Librarians—the secret cult who actually rule the world.

There are times when you come across middle grade series that you think to yourself… I hope there are going to be more books in the series because this is fantastic and in Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians Sanderson does exactly that.

Filled with suspense and excitement the plot keeps on delivering page after page and the characters that Sanderson has created are fantastic. Coupled with the amazing illustrations this was a great read and I can’t wait to check out the other books in the series.

I love Brandon Sanderson high fantasy and seeing him take into more YA fantasy is something different. The story flows and i was intrigue but the MC is kinda annoying always repeating the same thing over and over. we get it on the 2nd time okay,.. besides that i think its an enjoyable read overall

Thank you Netgalley, Brandon Sanderson, and publisher for providing me with this copy for my review! I definitely prefer this cover to its earlier release. I happened to come upon it on Goodreads, but I originally thought this was a new release. I give this book 3 stars, because it is fun and creative for the age range of its designated audience, but less so for an adult reader. I found the author's editorial comments to be less funny than intended, so I wish that wasn't part of the storyline. Oh well. It's an "ok" read for me, but again probably more than this for a younger audience.

I love how Sanderson takes his life experiences. Life hometown or beliefs. And spins it into a fantasy. This book had me laughing soooo much.

The evil librarians are like Corrupted people in the real world. Hidden knowledge and the truth so people remain ignorant. Alcatraz is determined to not only find answers to his family members. But to expose the evil librarians

Sanderson can do no wrong. I know this is a title for younger students, but I will still buy it for our high school library. I'll get the whole series so I can read it myself!

What a fun ride! Absolutely loved this fantastical tale. It was a roller coaster from start to finish with magical happenings and of course the Evil Librarians!!

Can Brandon Sanderson write anything poorly? I dont think so.

I am picking up this entire series for our shop. This is the perfect historical middle grade series.

Brandon Sanderson is an iconic writer and we were so excited to read this as a family. We have been long time fans as adults of his work and sharing his work with our kids has been so much fun. This was an epic start for our teenage son to be at first in this author's world building experience.

Alcatraz versus the evil librarian was so much fun. We can't wait to read more. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.