Middleworld by J & P Voelkel

The Jaguar Stones: Book One [of three]

Plot: a typical American teenager somehow ends up running for his life in a tropical rain forest with a modern Maya girl, Lola. They are trying to find both his parents lost on an archaeological dig, and the five powerful Jaguar Stones. Can Max and Lola unravel the clues and find what they're searching for before it's too late?

Comments: I didn't like this book very much, unfortunately. It sounded really interesting, with a story about both the ancient and modern Maya civilizations and a life-or-death race to the finish. The plot was detailed and well thought-out, and the contrast between living in a busy American city and surviving in a rain forest definitely shook things up a little. I liked the feeling of continuous action and the dialogue, too. I could imagine the chapters happening before my eyes, since the details fit together well. But the one thing I didn't like at all was Max's character.

Max was an only child used to living in a big city with job-crazy parents that were never around. His mom and dad would give him expensive presents to make up for canceled vacations or even birthday parties, and he saw the mysterious housekeeper, Zia, more often than his own family. At first, I understood his character, or so I thought. He was a bit spoiled (though that's not necessarily his fault) and was never very loving towards his parents, but then, they were constantly letting him down to the point where even a promise would not be enough. And further on, when he went to stay with his uncle, he was angry because of his parents not contacting him, not allowing him to go with them, and in general sulking and feeling sorry for himself. Still later, I started to get annoyed, especially when he met up with Lola. He soon proved to be a selfish, greedy little pig that only thought of himself, and I was highly disappointed. He was always complaining, never seemed to be able to help himself, and was constantly insulting the Maya villagers that thought so much of him. At one point, when I was about halfway through the book, I couldn't force myself to read a page more. Max had just insulted his hosts by wasting a precious meal and then almost eating one man's entire day's worth of food, and I couldn't take it any longer.

I'm sure that Max gets better as the book goes on, and that's what I had been counting on as I continued to read, page after page. But he could never become a good enough person to make up for reading all this horrible stuff he does. It's too bad, because if it weren't for Max's bad attitude, this would have been a wonderful book.

Rating: I rate this book (or the half I read) a five out of ten. Not worth reading unless you think you can handle half a book's worth of priggishness.