The Once and Future Geek by Mari Mancusi Series: The Camelot Code #1
on November 20, 2018
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Pages: 346
Source: Blog Tour, The Publisher
My content rating: MG (Some MG-level violence, One kiss)
My rating:
Young King Arthur accidentally time travels to the 21st century and googles himself, discovering the not-so-happily ever after in store for him once he pulls the sword from the stone. He decides he'd much rather stay here--and join the football team instead.
Now modern day gamer geeks Sophie and Stu, with the help of Merlin, find themselves in a race against time to pull a Camelot-size caper--get that sword pulled from the stone and the stubborn once and future king back to the past where he belongs. While Arthur takes on the role of wide-receiver in an attempt to save the football team from a losing season, Sophie and Stu sword-fight, joust, and horseback ride their way through Camelot as they fight to save the timeline. If they fail, the world as they know it (not to mention the existence of pepperoni pizza!) will cease to exist forever.
This series is a fun middle grade romp through Camelot!
What Fed My Addiction:
- King Arthur! I love all things Camelot, so the concept of this book had me hooked right from the start. Kids can get a little lesson on these epic characters in a fun format! (This makes me want to reread A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.) The story gives us a lot of the original Arthurian legends and then puts them in a spin cycle.
- Video games. Sophie and Stu love RPG-style video games, and I could see how this one would be lots of fun. They also sounded like realistic kids—I’ve had some of these same arguments with my teenagers over the value of video games vs. “real life” and their arguments mirror Sophie and Stu’s pretty nicely. (I was glad that there was a balance between the idea that video games can be a worthwhile hobby, but it might be nice to get out and do other things sometimes too.)
- Multiple POVs. Sometimes too many POVs can be overwhelming, but I thought it really worked in this book. We got to see both the past and the present through multiple characters’ eyes this way. We had POVs from Sophie, Stu, Arthur and Guenivere.
- High Stakes. Because of the time travel aspect of the book, the fate of the whole world is at stake. Sophie and Stu worry that any changes made to the past might wipe out the whole future!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
- Some unrealistic points. And, no, I’m not talking about the time travel. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those crazy people who reads a fantasy and says it’s not realistic. But there were other little “real world” plot points that had me scratching my head a little. (For instance, a football scene that didn’t make a lot of logical sense.) These were little things, though, and I’m guessing middle graders might not even notice them.
This book has a little bit of something for every middle grade reader: video game geekiness, sports enthusiasm, historical villains, magic, mayhem and a hint of romance. It’s a surefire hit!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher and Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About The Author
Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small–so she chose to write about them instead. Today she works as an award-winning young adult author and freelance television producer, for which she has won two Emmys.
When not writing about fanciful creatures of myth and legend, Mari enjoys traveling, cosplay, snowboarding, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure—playing videogames. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon, and their two dogs.
Mari is pronounced like the name Mary. Mancusi is pronounced man-COO-see.
For updates on all Mari’s books, subscribe to her newsletter.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/12/2018- BookHounds YA– Excerpt
11/13/2018- Texan Holly Reads– Review
11/14/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert– Review
11/15/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
11/16/2018- Christen Krumm, Writer– Review
Week Two:
11/19/2018- Feed Your Fiction Addiction– Review
11/20/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews– Review
11/21/2018- Jump Into Books– Review
11/22/2018- Such A Novel Idea– Review
11/23/2018- Two points of interest– Review
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6 responses to “The Camelot Code: The Once and Future Geek by Mari Mancusi – Review & Giveaway”
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This looks so cute! I would have absolutely loved this as a kid!
Me too!
This book sounds really good, I just love time travel.
I’m a big fan of time travel in books, too. I loved the unique way it was handled in this book.
What an unique twist on King Arthur’s Camelot story. Love the idea the author used multiple POV to flesh out the story. Thanks Nicole! ❤️❤️
It was definitely a fun twist on a very old tale!