Tyler & Tess in the Magic Maze

The Magic Maze Trilogy #1

by Samuel Warren Joseph, Phil Proctor

TYLER AND TESS IN THE MAGIC MAZE, part one of the Magic Maze Trilogy, is about eleven-year old fraternal twins, Tyler and Tess Porter, who accidentally get sucked up into the bizarre world of the Magic Maze. Geared to appeal to children from seven to thirteen and older fantasy fans as well, the story propels the twins into an "Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz" world. In order to return home, they must get through twelve separate parts of the maze. Each is its own world with strange rules, riddles and puzzles that the twins must solve using their wits, knowledge and athletic prowess. Tyler and Tess learn how much they mean to each other as they evade the evil QUEEN ZEBRA and her ZENTAURIAN GUARD of two-faced POLINERDS, and a duplicitous wizard, SIMON PERCIVAL. They form alliances with the rebel TRIDGETS (tiny trolls with Mohawk hairdos) led by the feisty BELKIN, and an assortment of other bizarre and funny characters. At the end, they must track down and put back together three parts of a MAGIC AMULET before they can be finally transported home, safe and sound.

102 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2020

Reviews

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Tyler & Tess in the Magic Maze is the first enchanting book in the Magic Maze Trilogy, written by the talented duo Samuel Warren Joseph and Phil Proctor. This imaginative tale is filled with quirky, creative characters in a fantasy game-like world. The story consists of puzzles, contests, and riddles that the twin siblings must navigate together, relying on their trust in each other to find their way home.

The twins couldn't be more different: Tyler loves to joke, while Tess is more serious. As they face challenges and occasionally clash, they learn the importance of teamwork and discover how much they truly mean to one another.

This book is not just an adventure; it is also educational, providing challenges, humour, and fun at every turn.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Tyler & Tess in the Magic Maze,  by Samuel Warren Joseph and Phil Proctor, 11-year-old twins Tyler and Tess Porter take a shortcut home from soccer and find themselves in strange, Oz-like new world. There's an Alice in Wonderland vibe too, as they're immediately in for confusing questions -- if the twins weren't TRYING to get to Queen Zebra, then why were they sheltering in the standing stones in Percival Woods at the convergence of  Mercury, Saturn and Venus, in an electrical storm? It's just logical! And are they followers of Queen Zebra or King Fable? Answer fast, twins!

Tess and Tyler s are opposites in just about every way, but they'll need both of their strengths to figure out what's going on in this new world and make their way home. Each section of the maze is its own little world, complete with odd rules and odder characters, but if the twins work together, they can work it all out. 

To return home, the twins must make it through twelve separate sections, each with its own confusing (but internally consistent!) set of rules and riddles.  The Magic Maze has the unpredictable energy of classic children's fiction such as Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, or even some of the Narnia exploration on the Dawn Treader. Each section fof the maze introduces different creatures with different customs, and these creatures range from weirdly cute to just plain weird. Young readers will enjoy the zany antics and strange settings.

The story is fast-paced, twisty and inventive, making a great story for middle-grade readers who like their fantasy mixed with puzzles and teamwork. I enjoyed the riddles I especially enjoyed how Tyler and Tess grow throughout the story, both as more developed characters, and as siblings who grow to understand and appreciate each other more. There's a lovely acceptance of their different personalities an strengths over the course of the book, and I expect more of this over the rest of the Magic Maze trilogy. 

There's also an overall message about trust -- in a Wonderland-style world where nothing is as it seems, and characters who seem friendly and kind may have darker motives,  the twins have to trust themselves and each other.  This is a lovely message for middle grade readers to hear, especially couched in a wild adventure story, and not a heavy-handed morality play.

This is a fun and imaginative start to the Magic Maze Trilogy, full of quirky characters and sibling teamwork. A fun adventure for middle-grade readers who enjoy fantasy worlds.

[Roxsanne Lesieur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler and Tess Porter are fraternal twins who are 11 years old and complete opposites both in looks and personality and they are always arguing because Tess is organised, smart and likes to be on time and Tyler is laid back, smart and a lot more easygoing with a joke always on hand, but together, they are a whole.

It is here that they meet the Maze Master and learn that they have to solve the puzzles within the Maze to go home, there are 12 in total, but nobody has ever solved them all before and so they jump through a portal to their first challenge in a forest where they meet Belkin and his band of Tridgets, mohawk porting, tiny trolls and learn of their rebellion against Queen Zebra, who they shortly meet themselves.

Can the twins use their knowledge to make it through the first maze and escape the clutches of the evil queen, or will they be stunned by her army's stun sticks and become her slaves forever? This is a romp through a magical maze where there are no rules and only one way out, by using their brains to solve the riddles and puzzles throughout.

[Kerry Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy is a fun and exciting adventure aimed, in my opinion, at children aged approximately 8 upwards. It follows twins Tyler and Tess as they are transported into an exciting world where they have to navigate a maze, solve puzzles and, above all else, avoid danger. This book would be a great introduction into the fantasy genre for a younger audience.
The dynamic between the twins is fascinating to watch, and exactly how I imagine a relationship like this to be. The author really captures the essence of the age range they are aiming for and this would definitely appeal to a wide audience. It was fun to watch the characters traverse the land they found themselves in and try to make their way back home. All of these books were fun to read and I enjoyed them right the way to the end.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent start! The story immediately sucked me in, I was so engrossed in this fantastical world the authors have created. The imagination in this book is fantastic. Siblings Tess and Tyler have to solve a puzzle in each portal, totaling twelve, to get out of the maze and go home. They have to use their brains and their physical strength to play and solve these puzzles, working together. We don’t know who is friend or foe, and by the end I still can’t decide if Myron is on their side or not. All I know is Queen Zebra is bad and King Fable is good. The ending of Book 1 has left me speechless as I had thought they had solved it all!

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series which any middle schooler would enjoy reading. This is a story that is full of creative, fun characters where the author did a great job of using details to make the story come to life. Tess and Tyler are twins and they accidentally get stuck in a magic maze. In order for them to go home they must find three parts of a magic amulet. They will take you on an engaging, fun adventure as they look for these parts. This is a great story and I highly recommend it.

[Alysson Bourque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series! Full of adventure!

This is a great series for middle grade readers! Can’t wait to read all of the books in the trilogy.