"The Dangerous Days of Daniel X"

Admittedly I have a special spot in my heart for James Patterson after the review for "Maximum Ride" did all sorts of wonders for me, so I was really interested in how this book would turn out. For the most part I was not disappointed.

Daniel X is an Alien Hunter, age 15. He witnessed his parents (also Alien Hunters) murders at the age of 3 (shades of Harry Potter) and was then on his own to hunt and fight the baddies. (Right here I want to say that being a Mom, I worried and wondered how this kid, even this super-genius kid, could have survived from the age of 3 to 15 all on his own. Being a bit of a writer, I know that you don't always want to get bogged down in the details.) He has the superpower of being able to create just about anything by willing it into existence. This comes in mighty handy whilst trying to eliminate the evil aliens on our planet. (He has a list of the top alien outlaws).

Eventually he gets captured by the number 6 alien (unfortunately I saw this one coming) and taken to his own home planet, one that he had no memory of. Yep, Daniel is an alien too. It's been pretty much thrashed to bits by number 6 but Daniel manages to find, completely by accident, his actual family that had stayed behind. This same type of thing happened in "Maximum Ride" and yeah I saw it coming too. The climax of the book is a nifty little cerebral fight scene and of course good prevails.

Now then, here's the really important part. Would I recommend this book to the target audience of boys ages 9-16? Yeah I would. James Patterson has a great way of capturing your attention from the first paragraph, something that is vital in getting boys to read. He includes several very funny asides that boys will appreciate. He's up to speed with current trends so the book sounds right. The book (like "Maximum Ride") is written in the first person and I think that helps to grab the reader. Boys benefit from that. I also like that the book moves along at a swift pace. No real down time, no time to possibly get bored with it. You want to keep reading this book.

I personally have 3 boys who will be reading this book, starting with my 10 year old and moving along to my 14 and then 16 year old. All three will enjoy it I am sure!

Now then, as I like to say, Go forth and READ!