Alcatraz Smedry, raised in foster family after foster family, has a surprise visit by a man claiming to be his grandfather. He says that the country Alcatraz lives in is ruled by Librarians that control information and how the world is perceived, primarily meaning no magic and lesser technology than the area where Grandpa Smedry lives. Since an unusual gift of his (a bag of sand) has been stolen, Alcatraz leaves with Grandpa to try to recover it and finds he has cousins also, who like them have bizarre powers. For ex., Alcatraz has the ability to make things break. They have a young knight with them on their mission as well.

This young fantasy novel is written in a similar style as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Maybe not quite as dark seeming, but very sarcastic and opposite meaning. It is funny and flows well. I would highly recommend it for young readers, especially boys.

related-humorous stories, librarians and libraries, grandfathers, high interest
RL=3rd-YA