THE JAGUAR STONES Middleworld, Book 1

Scott Brick's excellent narration makes this a good entry point for a series that throws a 14-year-old Boston boy into the wilds of a fictional Central American country as he searches for his missing archaeologist parents. With a native girl and two howler monkeys as companions, the sometimes-bratty Max Murphy comes to embrace the world of the ancient Mayans and his inner Indiana Jones. He rafts down underground rivers, gets lost inside pyramids, and grapples with the underworld. Not gangsters. Fallen gods. Despite a promising opening and Brick's uncanny ability to create the world of San Xavier, complete with Xaverian accents, the story is a bit heavy with mythology and doesn't throttle up until Max hits the jungle. M.M.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2010]