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Case File 13 #2
Case File 13 #2: Making the Team
With thrills, chills, and laughs on every page, plus a boy-girl rivalry that will leave you in stitches, this is one frighteningly funny book you don't want to miss. In this second book in a middle grade series that's "sure to please young readers looking for a thrill" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), three monster-obsessed friends must take on a mad scientist who is literally stitching together a Frankenstein-esque football team.
Nick, Carter, and Angelo are back to monster business as usual. They're even filming a monster movie for a school project on Building a Brighter Tomorrow. (There's a connection there somewhere, they swear.) But when a new private school arrives in town boasting a football team that's inhumanly good, the boys start to suspect they may have a real monster mystery on their hands. And what's worse, they may need help from their girl rivals, Angie, Tiffany, and Dana, to get to the bottom of it.
Nick, Carter, and Angelo are back to monster business as usual. They're even filming a monster movie for a school project on Building a Brighter Tomorrow. (There's a connection there somewhere, they swear.) But when a new private school arrives in town boasting a football team that's inhumanly good, the boys start to suspect they may have a real monster mystery on their hands. And what's worse, they may need help from their girl rivals, Angie, Tiffany, and Dana, to get to the bottom of it.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2013
15 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
J. Scott Savage
20 books533 followersJ Scott Savage is the author of 19 novels including the Mysteries of Cove series, the Farworld series, and the Case File 13 series, and the Lost Wonderland Diaries.
He has been writing books for over twenty years. His books have received various recognitions including Junior Library Selection, Starred reviews from PW and Kirkus, Amazon Book of the Month,
Barnes and Noble Select book, and several state award nominations.
He has visited over 2500 schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and seven grandchildren. He lives with his wife Jennifer in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.
He loves hearing from his readers at info@jscottsavage.com
He has been writing books for over twenty years. His books have received various recognitions including Junior Library Selection, Starred reviews from PW and Kirkus, Amazon Book of the Month,
Barnes and Noble Select book, and several state award nominations.
He has visited over 2500 schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and seven grandchildren. He lives with his wife Jennifer in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.
He loves hearing from his readers at info@jscottsavage.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 14, 2015
Something about J. Scott Savage's Case File 13 series takes me back to my Jr. High School Days.
And that's not necessarily a good thing.
But, it's not bad either. What I mean is, Savage understands his audience. I won't go so far as to say that his mind thinks like a middle grader, but I have conversed with the author several times and...well, let's just leave it at that.
Making The Team is the second book in the Case File 13 series. In the first book (my review of that book can be found: HERE), we are introduced to a trio of gore-loving, mystery-solving, horror-investigating friends as they battle bullies, avoid girls and learn more than they ever wanted to know about zombies.
This time, the stakes are higher, so much so, they team up with a trio of...(gasp) girls in order to solve the mystery. Savage's characters are pretty fearless, if you think about kids breaking into schools and confronting the undead. The story follows a predictable pattern but, like the first, it's fun and safe for middle grade readers as well as their parents. I think this would be a fun book to read to your kids.
There's a third book in the series and hopefully I'll be getting to that soon. Earlier I kidded about J. Scott Savage's state of mind. If you've meet him, you'll understand. He has a kind of energy, especially when he talks about his books. Writing in this genre fits him like a glove.
And that's not necessarily a good thing.
But, it's not bad either. What I mean is, Savage understands his audience. I won't go so far as to say that his mind thinks like a middle grader, but I have conversed with the author several times and...well, let's just leave it at that.
Making The Team is the second book in the Case File 13 series. In the first book (my review of that book can be found: HERE), we are introduced to a trio of gore-loving, mystery-solving, horror-investigating friends as they battle bullies, avoid girls and learn more than they ever wanted to know about zombies.
This time, the stakes are higher, so much so, they team up with a trio of...(gasp) girls in order to solve the mystery. Savage's characters are pretty fearless, if you think about kids breaking into schools and confronting the undead. The story follows a predictable pattern but, like the first, it's fun and safe for middle grade readers as well as their parents. I think this would be a fun book to read to your kids.
There's a third book in the series and hopefully I'll be getting to that soon. Earlier I kidded about J. Scott Savage's state of mind. If you've meet him, you'll understand. He has a kind of energy, especially when he talks about his books. Writing in this genre fits him like a glove.
June 11, 2020
Started of pretty slow but oh man there was bomb at the end. I like it when middle grade authors don't think much about spooky and gorey elements. That's the way grown ups like me can enjoy these books without much guilt. 😁😁
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January 25, 2016Making The Team revisits our fearless heroes– Nick, Angelo, and Carter, a.k.a the Monsterteers– as they discover a suspicious football team full of suspicious high school boys that are way too big and maybe probably not entirely human. But this mystery proves to be too big for the Monsterteers to handle on their own, and they are forced to join up with their Monsterteer rivals: Angie, Dana, and Tiffany.
The addition of the three girls to the permanent lineup was refreshing and entertaining. They all played off each other very well, and I loved these interactions most of all. So funny. So awkward. I hope to see more of the girls in the future books! A fun summer read, tbh.
The addition of the three girls to the permanent lineup was refreshing and entertaining. They all played off each other very well, and I loved these interactions most of all. So funny. So awkward. I hope to see more of the girls in the future books! A fun summer read, tbh.
July 23, 2024
Book 2 of Case File 13. This was an interesting change as the two previous rivals combined. This Frankenstein inspired novel even had a bit of the personality of the original in Jake. Although the kids are hot on the trail of adventure and danger there is always time for an undertone of romance. Excited to see how this develops going forward. Still reminiscent of the other mid grade horror books and it totally holds its own.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
September 17, 2017
very interesting
October 18, 2017
Asher (11yo) read. "I really liked the eletrco-fishing rods and electro-bats. Those hands were creepy, but I like how they got rid of them."
June 30, 2018
This was fun read! I enjoyed it very much!!!
May 21, 2019
It was full of mystery and action, but like most books, it has to build suspense.
August 15, 2019
Delightful spooky mystery
December 2, 2019
We jumped ahead to number four and have been gifted number two and three, so playing catch up now. I liked this one almost as much as Zombie Kid (the first instalment) and I know Merekara did too ;)
January 20, 2021
Read with Franklin
February 20, 2024
Another fun spooky adventure.
September 21, 2024
This book was very enjoyable and fun to read. I found the beginning a touch but slower and there weren't as many laugh out loud moments... But quite close to as good as number 1
December 4, 2014
There’s a new private school in town, and their football team is unexpectedly good. A grisly discovery on the football field leads Nick, Carter, and Angelo to wonder what exactly is going on at Sumina Prep? In a startling twist of events, they team up with the rival girls from the previous book, Angie, Tiffany, and Dana, to investigate what turns out to be a monster mystery of Frankenstein-esque proportions.
Nick and his friends are once again hilarious. Their humor keeps things from getting too dark, and I appreciated their comic relief. As the stakes are higher in this novel than the last, this humor is important.
Making the Team also tackles some strong themes of compassion and acceptance with the introduction of a Sumina Prep character and the addition of the girls. The characters are often faced with dilemmas where doing the right thing means choosing the path of MOST resistance, so their characters are tested. In spite of their silly, aloof natures and gross humor, they have character where it counts, and are good role models for a middle-grade reader (and human beings in general).
Savage has a firm grip on his audience, and he is brilliant at middle-grade writing. While I’m sure he takes his writing very seriously, he creates a story that doesn’t take itself so seriously, and it’s pure entertainment. One thing that impressed me was the presence of strong, intact families. No one has dead parents, drug-addict parents, imprisoned parents, kidnapped parents, etc. The typical middle-grade novel disposes of the parents in some way to make room for the tween hero to move freely. In this book, and the whole series to date (3 books), the parents are present—cooking dinner, setting curfews, the works. The boys, however, conceal their activities from their parents, which tends to add to the conflict. How do they get to a midnight ritual if they have to be home by dark?
Audiobook Review: Andy Paris does an admirable job narrating this. His pace is as little slow for my personal preference, but likely a perfect pace for a younger listener. I wish he'd have differentiated the boys' voices more, but overall, it was a good listen.
• No language, sexual issues, or drug/alcohol use
• Violence is mild
• Some gross imagery, tempered with humor
Nick and his friends are once again hilarious. Their humor keeps things from getting too dark, and I appreciated their comic relief. As the stakes are higher in this novel than the last, this humor is important.
Making the Team also tackles some strong themes of compassion and acceptance with the introduction of a Sumina Prep character and the addition of the girls. The characters are often faced with dilemmas where doing the right thing means choosing the path of MOST resistance, so their characters are tested. In spite of their silly, aloof natures and gross humor, they have character where it counts, and are good role models for a middle-grade reader (and human beings in general).
Savage has a firm grip on his audience, and he is brilliant at middle-grade writing. While I’m sure he takes his writing very seriously, he creates a story that doesn’t take itself so seriously, and it’s pure entertainment. One thing that impressed me was the presence of strong, intact families. No one has dead parents, drug-addict parents, imprisoned parents, kidnapped parents, etc. The typical middle-grade novel disposes of the parents in some way to make room for the tween hero to move freely. In this book, and the whole series to date (3 books), the parents are present—cooking dinner, setting curfews, the works. The boys, however, conceal their activities from their parents, which tends to add to the conflict. How do they get to a midnight ritual if they have to be home by dark?
Audiobook Review: Andy Paris does an admirable job narrating this. His pace is as little slow for my personal preference, but likely a perfect pace for a younger listener. I wish he'd have differentiated the boys' voices more, but overall, it was a good listen.
• No language, sexual issues, or drug/alcohol use
• Violence is mild
• Some gross imagery, tempered with humor
October 21, 2013
A clever, fun, monster-filled book! Boys and girls will both love this thrilling mystery that includes gross and terrifying twists and turns on every page. The witty banter between the two teams of monster hunters as they try to work together to rescue the school bully from a mad scientist is sure to delight all ages. Perfect, quick read in time for Halloween!
November 1, 2013
I let my 12 year old son read and review this book for me. He was hooked within the first few pages. He likes the mystery books, and loved that this one got his attention quickly. He really enjoyed the booking and even wants more to read from this author. Another item added to the Christmas list!
November 26, 2013
Old fashioned-scary in a safe environment.
October 28, 2013
This Case File 13 involves a mad scientist and his football-playing minions. No wonder the boys had to team up with their former enemies -- girls.
December 14, 2013
I read this book to a 7 and 9-year-old. They rated it as "4 stars", but didn't say why. But they didn't want to read any less than 2 chapters per night.
July 25, 2014
I liked it because it was strange like the first book. I recommend the first book, and if you like the first book then read this one
September 19, 2014
this is another cute story in this series. If you have a young reader I am sure this will keep them enthralled. this one has a Frankenstein character in it
November 18, 2016
What happens when the boys and girls team up?
January 23, 2016
Fun book. My boys loved it. Can't wait to start the next one.
September 16, 2015
Loved it. And so would my grandsons! Review coming...
April 14, 2016
I loved it I cant wait to read book three!!
November 18, 2013
It's a pretty good story I would like this book much more if I were a pre teen but I liked it
November 16, 2014
My 11- year-old son loves this series!
November 18, 2016
What happens when the boys and girls team up?
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October 4, 2017Lexile Level: 720
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January 24, 2018AMAZING
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews