Alcatraz #3: Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia [Hardcover]

Brandon Sanderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Alcatraz (Book 3) | Lexile Measure: 670L (What's this?)

Nancy Pearl loves this series and we do too!

When Alcatraz and Grandpa Smedry make a pilgrimage to the Free Kingdom city of Crystallia, the Smedry home base, Alcatraz is shocked to see that he is, in fact, a legend. When he was a baby he was stolen by the Evil Librarians, and his mother, a Librarian herself, was behind the whole scheme. Now, with his estranged father, who is acting indeed strange, Bastille, who has been stripped of her armor, and Grandpa Smedry, who is, as always, late to everything (that's his Talent), Alcatraz tries to save a city under siege. From who? Why, the Librarians of course!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—Fresh from his victorious campaign in Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (Scholastic, 2008), Alcatraz anticipates a triumphal return to his ancestral home. However, all is not well there. A deputation of Librarians, led by the fearsome She Who Cannot Be Named, is demanding that the realm of Mokia be handed over as a concession for ending their longstanding war, and Alcatraz suspects that the delegation is part of a more sinister Librarian scheme. Meanwhile, his friend and ally, Bastille, is facing disgrace as a result of their previous adventures and has lost her title of full Knight of Crystallia. Something is seriously amiss in Crystallia as well. With the help of a "recovering" Librarian and a hero-worshipping Prince, Alcatraz and Bastille must try to uncover the plot before the Librarian brute squad gets them all. As in his earlier adventures, Alcatraz frequently "breaks page" to address readers with side comments, instructions, and, occasionally, complaints and insults. Character relationships depend heavily on the previous books, although good and evil roles are less rigidly defined this time around. Alcatraz's changing perception of his parents is particularly interesting. He begins to sense love from the Librarian mother he has feared and hated, even as he grows concerned that his father may pose an unexpected threat to the Kingdoms. The rather complicated plot can be challenging to follow, and plenty of threads are left dangling for yet another sequel. Beneath the wild humor, there are surprisingly subtle messages about responsibility and courage.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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About the Author

Brandon Sanderson is the author of the Mistborn Trilogy and Elantris, which Orson Scott Card called "the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years." Alcatraz Smedry Versus the Evil Librarians is Brandon's first book for kids. He writes and plays with swords in Provo, Utah.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 043992555X
• ISBN-13: 978-0439925556
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm Brandon Sanderson, and I write epic fantasy novels for Tor Books. The sixth novel I wrote, ELANTRIS, was my first published, and I followed this up with the Mistborn trilogy and WARBREAKER. I was also chosen to complete Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series based on his notes, resulting in THE GATHERING STORM, TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT, and A MEMORY OF LIGHT. I'm now launching my own grand epic that I've wanted to tell for many years, starting with THE WAY OF KINGS.

Read an excerpt here: tor.com/wok

More sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com/library -- and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#48 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#7 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#8 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#10 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#20 in Books > Teens

#48 in Books

#7 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#8 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#10 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#20 in Books > Teens

#48 in Books

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best series I've ever read. October 8, 2009

By Adrian

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

SPOILERS AHEAD>

SPOILERS AHEAD>

SPOILERS AHEAD>

Ok, you've read past the warnings, so prepared to be shown some of the brilliance that comes from the mind of Brandon Sanderson.

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"I glanced to the side, then jumped as I saw an enormous reptile crawling along the sides of the buildings towards us. Like a spider crawling across the front of a fence.

"Dragon!" I yelled, pointing.

"Brilliant observation, Smedley," Bastille noted besides me.

I was too alarmed to make an amazing comeback. Fortunately, I'm the author of this book, so I can rewrite history as I feel necessary. Let's try that again.

Ahem.

I glanced to the side, whereupon I noticed a dangerous scaly lizard slithering its way along the sides of the buildings, obviously bent on devouring us all.

"Behold!" I bellowed. " 'Tis a foul beast of the netherhells. Stand behind me and I shall slay it!"

"Oh, Alcatraz," Bastille breathed. "Thou art awesomeish and manlyish"

"Lo, let it be such," I said."

******************************************************************************************************************************

This is the typical wit and banter on page after page of this wonderfully light hearted and imaginative Alcatraz series of books. It's full of ideas you wouldn't have dreamed of, such as having talents like tripping, being late, being obnoxious and breaking things! I was hooked from the very first book, and to me, it seems like Mr Sanderson gets better and better with each book! He even makes fun of himself a few times, calling his own fantasy books "boring" and that Brandon Sanderson is actually a pseudonym for Alcatraz Smedley, the hero of the book. How cool is that?

This time, Alcatraz finally makes it back to the homeland he's never set foot on before- the Free Kingdom of Nalhalla. But even here the evil schemes of the wicked Librarians are afoot. But never fear, for Alcatraz and his friends and family are on the scene!

This is a fab and fun book for all ages. If you havent read the first book- Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians, read it now!

If you've read the first two books already, what are you waiting for? Grab this one ASAP!

Did I like this book?

I loved it!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Alcatraz Series Review April 9, 2011

By Mathachew

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Below is an excerpt of my full review of the first four books in the Alcatraz series:

This review goes in line with that of the Alcatraz series, more specifically the attitude of a Smedry. You see, they are trouble makers, and are prone to getting themselves into life threatening situations. They have an uncharacteristic attitude when dealing with any situation. The more danger, the more excited they are. Through thick and thin, Smedry's are rarely to be found with a sour mood. They are bubbly, charismatic, bold, audacious, and have a knack for getting themselves into trouble. Wait, I said that did I not? Gack! You see, I imitating a number of characters found in this book. Granpa Smedry, Alcatraz, talking dinosaurs. Yes, you read correctly, talking dinosaurs with a British accent, and as we know, those Brits are refined, calm, and well-mannered; dinosaurs are no exception! They really know how to cause trouble for Librarians, like eating the entire C section of the Science Fiction shelf and moving six books out of their proper places. Okay, so maybe they are useless as Bastille said... The only thing worse than talking dinosaurs are talking rocks, but I tell you, the dinosaurs are a treat! To round off this paragraph, I leave you this quote from Grandpa Smedry if you think I am making any of this up:

I am a Smedry, and we do ridiculous, unexpected, eccentric things like this all the time.

The Alcatraz series is a tremendously fun read. My friend that recommended Mistorn and Elantris did not bother giving these books a shot because of their young adult emphasis, despite being a lover of Sanderson's work. Aspiring Asimovs, what a horrible reason! Lots of fun, many laugh out loud moments, tons of humor and wit, with a great story to boot! The books are written from the first person perspective of Alcatraz Smedry, written as a biography of how he became the hero of the Free Kingdom and to dispel the many myths about how it happened. The books are much shorter than all of Sanderson's other works, easily read in two or three days, and are extremely enjoyable. I cannot recommend these books enough!

Unfortunately Scholastic decided to not sign Sanderson for the fifth and final book. According to his assistant via Twitter, Sanderson will finish the series, but it's still a few years out, which is a shame. When I found out about this, I shook my fist at Scholastic and demanded they be burned alive with the Firebringer's Lens. You'll have to read the books to know what that's about ;)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How will Alcatraz save his city? May 19, 2012

By Elizabeth Slater VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

After two books, Alcatraz is finally on his way home. Home - a place he's never been. Home for Alcatraz is the Free Kingdom city of Nalhalla - where his father and grandfather grew up, and near where is best friend Bastille, one of the Knights of Crystallia, also was raised. Of course, right now Bastille has been stripped of her armor because she lost her sword - actually, Alcatraz broke it -although no one believes THAT because their swords are unbreakable. But the Smedry talents are indisputable, and historical. Either way, Bastille must prove herself to win back her armor and her position. But Alcatraz is in for more than one surprise, and that's before his flying crystal bird, Hawkwind, explodes mid-air.

His first inkling that things were different was when he saw that all the buildings were castles. A little unusual, but ok. When he found out that one of the three largest: A - the king's castle, B - the Knights of Crystallia, C - ?? what do you mean, Smedry's????????

OK. So, his family was a little more important than he figured. And everyone knew who he - Alacatraz - was. They knew his mother - The Evil Librarian - married his father to get his Smedry talent, and then stole Alcatraz after he was born. Having strangers waving to him on the street has him disconcerted, but he's adaptable. When the dragon appears to taxi them, Alcatraz decides adaptable is a good thing. But being transported to another building in under a second - WOW. That's just cool. Finding out your father - estranged father, despite finding him and traveling with him - discovered how to do this - really cool. Discovering your father won't give you the time of day? Absolutely uncool.

Grandpa Smedry takes Alcatraz to the King's Counsel meeting late, of course, and disrupts it with their return. Everyone wants to greet all the newly returned. Alcatraz gets to meet a lot of new family and faces, as is becoming the norm.

But in the new town, he's discovering new clues to strange happenings, and is unsure how to follow them out or see what is supposed to happen against what would normally happen. And he's not getting any help from his father, who has undertaken a new research project. Bastille is busy with her Knights and her judgment. How will Alcatraz save his city this time?

Despite traveling home to settle things, Alcatraz Smedry has not lost his touch on living an exciting life. There is always something new to learn and it can't not help. The friendships developed are true and loyal, despite the tests they are given. And the characters are not always seen in black and white, despite what the storyline might depict. I truly enjoy these books, despite my despised Librarian status...and I do recommend them for active readers to enjoy.