Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex: A Grady Whill Adventure
by Carole P. Roman (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Grady and his best friend, Aarush, are desperate to get accepted into the most elite school in the world, Templeton Academy. But the academy will only take students with unique abilities or strengths. Grady’s guardian is adamant that Grady should not attend the school, hinting at a family secret from the past. While dealing with a bully, Grady and Aarush begin to have the first inklings that a deeper strength of mind might be required if they want to get accepted to Templeton Academy.

I liked this book pretty well. The concept is definitely interesting and the plot is full of mystery. The pacing is a little awkward, especially in the beginning. The first 100 pages could have been condensed to 50 pages. There’s just too much set-up before the action really begins.

I really loved the idea of a school that teaches children to unlock hidden super powers! But some aspects of the plot felt too far-fetched or unbelievable within the parameters of the story. I mean, it’s a story about superhero powers being developed at an elite school, so I totally believe that some kid can go invisible or another kid can turn his skin to rock. But I just don’t see how the pterodactyls fit into it. Some elements of the story seem disjointed.

I can’t tell if this is a stand-alone or the first part of a series. There are some loose ends left hanging at the end of the book that could point to another book later on, or it could just be one of those, “Off they go into the sunset to have more adventures someday” type of endings.

The writing style is good, but there are some grammatical errors that annoyed me. The characters are interesting and complex, but the writing “tells” you about their personalities more than it “shows” you. The result is that I was never completely immersed in the story.

I liked the introspective aspects of the story. The children have to meditate on deep ideas to unlock their own hidden potential. It’s a mind-over-matter lesson that they examine and explore in their own ways. It was so cool seeing how these different characters tackle the problem from different angles.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.