Danny is a freelance IT specialist–that is, a hacker. He and his pal Omar are both skilled at parkour, or freerunning, a discipline designed to ena...
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reviews
Jan 01, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
My biggest complaint about this book was that there was no explanation of the parkour moves (the author does link to a website at the end of the book, but a little more information would have been nice), and there's nothing really about the Dogon tribe or what a Nommo is. While I usually get annoyed with too much time spent on explanations or exposition, in the case of books that are set in real, but unusual settings, it's needed!
Having griped a little, let me now say that the book More...
Having griped a little, let me now say that the book More...
Mar 31, 2011
Raenice
rated it: 
Author: Stephen Davies
Genre: YA, Adventure, Mystery
Release Date: November, 2010
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5/5
Description: Long ago in the ancient city of Timbuktu a student pulled off the most daring heist in African history, the theft of 100 million pounds worth of gold. The stolen treasure has remained hidden until now, when teenage hacker Danny Temple discovers a cryptic Arabic manuscript. It's a good job that Danny is a keen traceur (free runner) because he has More...
Genre: YA, Adventure, Mystery
Release Date: November, 2010
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5/5
Description: Long ago in the ancient city of Timbuktu a student pulled off the most daring heist in African history, the theft of 100 million pounds worth of gold. The stolen treasure has remained hidden until now, when teenage hacker Danny Temple discovers a cryptic Arabic manuscript. It's a good job that Danny is a keen traceur (free runner) because he has More...
Mar 03, 2011
Lesley
rated it: 
There may not be a huge number of fans of parkour, computer hacking, and West Africa, but that's OK. This is still a fun, fast thriller with lots of action and humor and appealing characters. Also a nice depiction of male friendship. I was worried when I saw "hacking" in the title because computer hacking is not actually a very exciting thing to read about (or watch in movies) but that part is relatively minimal. There's tons of parkour, which is way more fun to watch than to read abou
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Feb 01, 2011
Barky
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 28, 2011
Stacey
rated it:
Fun, fast, read about computer geeks with a non-geeky recreational outlet, and a little cultural/current history thrown into the mix.
Why I liked it: learning about parkour, something not easily done, or seen, in my small, rural hometown, added a totally new element to this book. The way the action of characters is described made me feel like I was doing the moves myself. Danny, the computer savvy main character, who gets caught in a web of treasure hunting maniacs, and Omar, hi More...
Why I liked it: learning about parkour, something not easily done, or seen, in my small, rural hometown, added a totally new element to this book. The way the action of characters is described made me feel like I was doing the moves myself. Danny, the computer savvy main character, who gets caught in a web of treasure hunting maniacs, and Omar, hi More...
Nov 30, 2010
Anila
rated it: 
I was really enjoying this book for the first few chapters- actually, maybe the first third of it. It had a fast pace, a cool mystery, some exotic locales...
and then it went downhill fast.
This book can be summarized as follows:
DANNY TEMPLE IS COOL, YO. AND STEPHEN DAVIES WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IT.
Let's see. At the ripe old age of 16, Danny is...
...living in his own apartment; his parents are in Australia.
...working as a More...
and then it went downhill fast.
This book can be summarized as follows:
DANNY TEMPLE IS COOL, YO. AND STEPHEN DAVIES WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IT.
Let's see. At the ripe old age of 16, Danny is...
...living in his own apartment; his parents are in Australia.
...working as a More...
Nov 19, 2010
ananka
rated it:
Hacking Timbuktu by Stephen Davies starts out in modern day England. Danny is a hacker and a traceur, although his IT skills outstrips his parkour. One day after a long day at a hacker conference, Danny finds himself drug into a 700+ year old treasure hunt for 2 million bars of gold when a stranger breaks into his flat and tries to force him to hack a computer in Timbuktu to get the treasure map. He gets away, then finds the map himself. Greed, loyalty and cunning all play roles in his dash
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Oct 27, 2011
Raina
rated it:
Some of the reviews of this book said that the parkour terms used throughout bogged down the text. And though I do agree that a (preferably illustrated) glossary would have been helpful, I felt that the unfamiliar terms contributed a poetic rhythm to the text. As someone who learned most of her vocabulary through intuiting definition by context, this didn't bother me at all, once I shifted into a certain mindset.
It is impressive to include so many unfamiliar elements in one book. More...
It is impressive to include so many unfamiliar elements in one book. More...
May 11, 2011
Charlotte
rated it:
Danny and his friend Omar hack into a computer to find a clue to lead them to a long lost treasure in Mali, Africa. They have a lot of treasure hunters after them, trying to stop them and get their hands on the treasure first. It's a good read, but it talks a lot about parkour which I'm not really into. Learning about Dogon country was great. The magic square was my favorite part- how they found the clue to the treasure embedded in it. The end of Chapter 27 reminds me a little of Sherlock Holme
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May 04, 2011
Stacey
rated it:
Meh. Fact is, I will recommend it wildly to anyone interested in parkour, but otherwise it was just ok. I am still giggling over a hacker that does parkour. I mean, it is a fabulous combination of skills, but I doubt I will ever meet someone with that specific skill set. A good action book if you are able to overlook many of the unlikely situations.
Jan 09, 2011
Amy
rated it:
A book with lots of action for those teen boys who like more chase scenes than plot. The English twist and references to parkour may lead some to explore the sport while it may just not click with others.
Jan 23, 2012
Phoebe
rated it:
A lot of techno computer info, but overall a quick, easy, and fun adventure story.
Apr 11, 2011
Cheriee
rated it:
This was a great book. It had me sucked in from the first page. It is fast paced, full of excitement and totally gripping. I know a few boys I will definitely give this one to.
Oct 07, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Ha! Excellent wordplay, smart protagonists, and much free-running wonderfulness. This is a great, easy read for those who are into hacking or parkour.
Dec 27, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
Although this was not the best written book I've ever read, I could definitely see its appeal to a teen audience, especially anyone who likes spy stories, computer hacking, intrigue, or adventure. I told one of my students that it involved parkour and he snatched it right up! Entertaining as long as you don't mind a fairly contrived storyline.
Jan 03, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
Very exciting and I learned a lot about parkour, Timbuktu, and the Dogon.
Aug 24, 2010
Heather
rated it:
I wasn't pleased when Danny crossed the line into black-hat. (so I didn't give it 5 stars.) I really liked all the bits about parkour. I'd never actually heard of that before, but I looked a lot of it up. Fascinating stuff.
Apr 05, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
Outstanding adventure novel, lots of great action and really believable charters with abilities that help them get though things without luck.
Jan 21, 2012
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