MVP* [Hardcover]

Douglas Evans (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Every kid's dream is to be named Most Valuable Player. But how many ever dream that the game is a race around the world (no flying allowed) in just 40 days? That's the challenge Adam Story faces in the Great Global Game. As the player for the *Magellan Voyage Project, he competes against 23 other players for a four-million-dollar prize! Of course the trackers in red sweat suits and hoodies with their blowguns and sleeping darts don't make things easy. Nor does the nefarious Baron von Sheepsbottom, who will stop at nothing to stop Adam. But it's time to go -- the game's afoot!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 - Adam Story, a palindrome-loving 12-year-old intellectual who yearns to travel, believes he has nothing more in store for him during the summer than 40 days of camp. When Prince Oh, the producer of the Magellan Voyage Project, shows up out of the blue and proposes to sponsor him in a challenge to journey around the world in just 40 days using surface transportation, Adam agrees. After all, there is a $4-million prize waiting for him if he succeeds. Little does he know that the MVP is competing with 23 other teams to win the Great Global Game. Adam finds himself having to avoid tranquilizer darts, trackers, and the dreaded Baron von Sheepsbottom. He meets various characters who help or hinder him, including the blue-haired Meredith of the Gagarin Voyage Project. The girl seems trustworthy, but of course she's also trying to win the game. While the dialogue is corny and Adam is much too savvy for his age, the story is a refreshing alternative to gritty contemporary stories or high-fantasy adventures. Children who enjoy wordplay will easily spot the palindromes sprinkled throughout. Humorous black-and-white cartoon illustrations in different sizes, many of them full page, enhance the text. - Farida S. Dowler, Mercer Island Library, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Adam Story longs to see the world, but he never imagines he will get the chance. Then, on his twelfth birthday, a mysterious stranger, Prince Oh, from the kingdom Babababab, visits and challenges Adam to circle the globe in 40 days--no flying allowed. Outfitted with an excuse for his mother (summer camp), special technogadgets, and plenty of money, Adam embarks on the trip of a lifetime. Soon, however, he finds out that things are more complicated than he imagined; he is part of a global game, racing against time and against 23 other kids, and dodging darts and some unsavory adults (dastardly Baron von Sheepsbottom) for a prize of $4 million. Evans' writing matches the lively pace of Adam's journey, and Adam's descriptive narrative makes for a fast-paced, engaging read. Children looking for adventure, humor, and a bit of escapism will enjoy the intrigue, imaginative details, fantastical and familiar locales, and the quirky characters. Occasional black-and-white, cartoonlike pictures illustrate the text. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 231 pages
• Publisher: Hand Print; 1 edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932425136
• ISBN-13: 978-1932425130
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Douglas Evans the author of children's books, plays, poems, comics, and music. His books include MVP*:Magellan Voyage Project, The Elevator Family, Apple Island, and the collections of classroom tales: Classroom at the End of the Hall, Math Rashes, and Mouth Moths. He holds a master's degree in education and has taught for twenty years in settings ranging from a small logging town in Oregon to international schools in Helsinki and London. He currently lives in Berkeley, California. Find out more about his books, plays, and music on his Web Site at: http://www.wtmelon.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MVP, February 22, 2008

By 

K. Mantych "is the teacher for this NMS student" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MVP* (Hardcover)

I think MVP by Douglas Evans was a very suspenseful book that captivated my attention and interest until the very end. Readers who enjoy exotic books will like this adventerous fiction tale of MVP. This time seeking book is about Adam Story and other twelve-year-olds racing around the world, with no adults, in forty days or less. If you reach home base traveling by land and water only, you recieve $4 million. Adam gets challenged by Prince Olioli Oh to travel for his Magellan Voyage Project in the Great Global Game. On a scale from 0-5, I would give this outrageous story a 5 star rating. I would give MVP a 5 star rating because it made me feel like I was a player in the competition, trying to race around the world in 40 summer days! If you like traveling, learning new things, and are up for a competition, pick up a copy of MVP, the worldwide journey of twelve-year-olds.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cyber space and reality TV come to life!, April 2, 2005

By 

Mirka M. Breen (California, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MVP* (Hardcover)

In this can't-put-it-down caper, twelve year olds from around the globe compete to circle the earth in forty days or less. What kid hasn't dreamt this dream? Part thriller, as more previously hidden details become known, part strategic game a la copmuter games, and a whole lot of exotic travel- made this book irresistable. My eleven year old boy and his eight year old sister loved it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent, April 1, 2005

By 

kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MVP* (Hardcover)

This is an amusing bit of unlikely fluff for kids in maybe 4th or 5th grade. Adam is a lonely computer geek who immediately finds out he has been chosen by a mysterious sultan of some sort to travel around the world in forty days (planes aren't allowed.) Off he goes, but it soon turns out that he is in competition with other kids his age who are doing the same thing in a high stakes game, not to mention obstructionist spies and dart-shooting fiends. Independent-minded Adam is soon at odds with both his protectors and his persuers, and it's hard to know who to trust as he buses, trains, and boats it around the world. This fast-paced narrative, filled with many plot devices and countries to keep track of, is necessarily cursory as far as the places the kid goes, the people he meets, and how he feels. But it's an engaging idea for an ephemeral (soon-to-be-dated) fantasy all the same, and will probably fill a few afternoons for some young fans who will be rewarded for their trouble with high adventure and occasional witticisms.