The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress

Information

Goodreads: The Door in the Alley
Series: Explorers #1
Source: Library
Published: April 2017

Summary

Sebastian always follows the rules and he always makes his decisions based on logic.  But then one day he finds a pig in a teeny hat and suddenly he’s inside the Explorers Society.  And then suddenly he’s helping a girl named Evie track down her long-lost grandfather and find a mysterious key.  But…is any of this adventure stuff quite appropriate?

Review

The Door in the Alley is what I think of as quintessential middle grade.  Full of quirky fun, fast-paced adventure, and steadfast friendships, it takes readers on a journey that begins with the wonderfully weird rooms of the Explorers Society and ends in unexpected places.  From the first page to the last, it delights in surprising readers not only with the plot twists but also with the narrator’s odd sense of humor.

Quirky narrative voices are a bit of a staple of middle grade books but Adrienne Kress’s really delivers.  From the recurring appearance of the pig in the teeny hat to the plentiful use of funny footnotes, the book is chock full of silliness.  True, the footnotes peter out a bit as the plot progresses and the danger rises.  But the absurdities continue within the story itself.  All around the book is simply a good time.

Sometimes it can feel like quite the feat to find an engrossing read.  The Door in the Alley, however, is one of those books that, once you start, you don’t want to put down.  I’m excited to see where the sequel takes us next.