Last Message (Seven Series)

by Shane Peacock

Overview

Adam has a good life in Buffalo: great parents, a cute girlfriend, adequate grades. He's not the best at anything, but he's not the worst either. He secretly lusts after Vanessa, the hottest girl in school, and when his dead grandfather's will stipulates that he go on a mission to France, Adam figures he might just have a chance to impress Vanessa and change his life from good to great. When he gets to France, he discovers he has not one but three near-impossible tasks before him. He also discovers a dark and shameful episode from his grandfather's past, something Adam is supposed to make amends for. But how can he do that when he barely speaks the language and his tasks become more and more dangerous? Despite the odds, Adam finds a way to fulfill his grandfather's wishes and, in the process, become worthy of bearing his name.

Adam's adventures start in Separated, part of The Seven Prequels and continue in Double You, part of The Seven Sequels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554699377
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	10/12/2012
Series:	Seven Series , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	889 KB
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

About the Author

Shane Peacock is an author, playwright, journalist and screenwriter, published in twenty languages in eighteen countries. He is a seven-time winner of the Junior Library Guild of America Selection, twice winner of the Arthur Ellis Award, and has been short-listed for the Kirkus Book of the Year, the Governor-General’s Award, three times for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book prize. His young adult novels include the acclaimed Boy Sherlock Holmes series, the Dylan Maples Adventures, and The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim trilogy. He lives in Cobourg, ON with his wife, journalist Sophie Kneisel.

Editorial Reviews

"Part mystery and part adventure, Last Message is a fantastic and thrilling page-turner that is a perfect antidote to the glut of paranormal romance and Hunger Games-esque science fiction that have been flooding the shelves...This series is going to be very popular with older elementary and younger high-school audiences, particularly boys. Last Message is a great crossover series from junior to teen collections, and it would be well-suited to either category. Readers that are fond of action and adventure series like Alex Rider or Young James Bond will find something to like in this series. The "Seven" series is a must-purchase for public and school libraries that are looking to add more action and adventure stories to their collections for older children and teens. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

"The way that Peacock moved the story along was wonderfully unexpected. He didn't reveal too much or too little in any one place...Together with the other books, these make a great series."

YALSA YA Galley Teen Review

"This novel certainly succeeds in motivating readers to continue the series, and discover the assignments given to the other cousins...The adventure elements and the French history hit the target."

Resource Links

"Perfect for reluctant readers, especially male readers who are ready for some mystery and adventure along with an easy to take dose of classic literature and art."

TriState YA Book Review Committee

"[The] adventures are exciting and readers will be anxious to pick up the next book in the series. Great for middle grade boys who want realistic fiction with action and suspense."

NJ Youth Services

This entry in the series called Seven, like the others, deals with a grandson and a journey. Adam, 16, has been given an unusual mission by his deceased grandfather, a larger-than-life patriarch who seemed disdainful of the boy's only average qualities. His assignment is to go to France and attempt to find the family that once sheltered his grandfather from the Nazis after he was shot down during World War II. Hidden in their barn was a painting of immense value that David intended to steal. If Adam succeeds at this odd mission, two more, each more difficult than the last, will follow. Adam is intrigued and imagines that achieving these strange goals will make him more attractive to class goddess Vanessa, a guilt-tinged desire as he already has a perfectly nice, very loyal girlfriend. Adam's earnest self-focus, effectively depicted in his first-person narration, may have been created to remind readers of his need for growth, but it quickly becomes tedious. The missions he's assigned are amusing and suspenseful, but sadly, he only begins to acquire insight into the real force behind his grandfather's plan near the conclusion, far too little and too late to imply that he's learned much from the experience. An unusual tale that's undermined by a shallow main character with a too-healthy dose of self-appreciation. (map and family tree, not seen) (Adventure. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews