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The Library #1
Surrender the Key
Previously published as Curse of the Boggin. A fast-paced, thrilling series opener from bestselling author D. J. MacHale. Check out a book--and unlock an adventure!
There's a place beyond this world where spirits tell their tales. It's a place for unexplainable things: puzzles without solutions. Ghosts. Boogeymen. They all have a story.
Enter the Library.
Marcus and his friends have found the key to open it--the Paradox Key. And they need to use it, because, clearly, something is up. A strange guy in a bathrobe haunts them; fires rage and flare out in an instant; a peculiar old lady keeps telling them, "Surrender the key. . . ." At first Marcus thinks he's going nuts, until the mystery gets personal. The Library may hold some answers, but the clock is running out. Because on these library shelves, the stories you don't finish might just finish you. . . .
Kids love Surrender the Key (The Library, Book 1):
"A mysterious, hard-to-put-down book with a twisting plot, funny characters, and haunting souls. I can't wait to hear what adventures they have next." --A.J. H., age 11
"I read enough in just one day to fill my school reading log for a week." --Michael C., age 10
"A unique, intriguing book filled with page-turning adventures." --Madeline H., age 12
"Couldn't put it down. I stayed up reading until 11:00 p.m. with only one thought in my mind: one more chapter!" --Ben H., age 11
There's a place beyond this world where spirits tell their tales. It's a place for unexplainable things: puzzles without solutions. Ghosts. Boogeymen. They all have a story.
Enter the Library.
Marcus and his friends have found the key to open it--the Paradox Key. And they need to use it, because, clearly, something is up. A strange guy in a bathrobe haunts them; fires rage and flare out in an instant; a peculiar old lady keeps telling them, "Surrender the key. . . ." At first Marcus thinks he's going nuts, until the mystery gets personal. The Library may hold some answers, but the clock is running out. Because on these library shelves, the stories you don't finish might just finish you. . . .
Kids love Surrender the Key (The Library, Book 1):
"A mysterious, hard-to-put-down book with a twisting plot, funny characters, and haunting souls. I can't wait to hear what adventures they have next." --A.J. H., age 11
"I read enough in just one day to fill my school reading log for a week." --Michael C., age 10
"A unique, intriguing book filled with page-turning adventures." --Madeline H., age 12
"Couldn't put it down. I stayed up reading until 11:00 p.m. with only one thought in my mind: one more chapter!" --Ben H., age 11
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2016
56 people are currently reading
807 people want to read
About the author
D.J. MacHale
96 books2,344 followersD.J. MacHale is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series and movies.
He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.
His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.
D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.
D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.
D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.
Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.
In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.
D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.
He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.
His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.
D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.
D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.
D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.
Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.
In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.
D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
October 5, 2020
3.5 Silver Stars
with Golden Sparks
why there's no half of a star yet!?? 3 is too unfair, it deserves better, but 4 is also too much, considering.
Surrender the Key....
"Surrender the Key" previously published as "Curse of the Boggin" was one of my most anticipated books, because it would be my first MacHale's book out of Pendragon saga.
I'm glad I ended up liking it, maybe more than some middle grades I've read Recently.
as you know (probably, if you read my other reviews or been following me long enough), I don't like Horror (well, now you know!) but in this book, it's not merely Horror, it spiced up with something fantasy & mythical, something people told stories about, like "the Monster under the bed". also ghosts (& demons) are interesting by themselves. plus the premise of the story is magical & supernatural, middle grade-ish style.
so yeah, you could say I like horror as long as there is something fantasy & cool going on, not mere unknown terror.
vibes: Supernatural & the Librarians (tv shows) as middle grade
Welcome to the Library... an otherworldly place when ghosts tell their tales...
this story had an intriguing emotional start, such a fascinating first sentences that actually made me dive into the book instantly while I actually grab it to see if it is interesting enough so I stop bouncing on other books, because that's what happens when I don't know what to read. & I'm telling you, it WAS what I needed, a Great fun & light & cute Middle Grade) continued by Marcus getting in trouble & unknowingly, unwantedly fell into a thrilling supernatural mystery.
Quick easy read
Fast Pace
mysterious Plot
Funny
Cute
Spooky
Emotional
Believable
Good Realistic characters, I liked Michael, Marcus, Jim, Lu & Everett.
(the only problem that held me back from giving it 4 & affected my general satisfaction toward the book, was: the thrilling excitements weren't enough for me, or maybe just the plan in the end was kind of disappointing? maybe I'm too strict!?)
I'm still thinking...
I decided to go lenient on a story I liked so much that it turned to be my all-time favourite (even something happened there was stupid) & I feel connected to the characters.
Maybe if I was in my teenage year, I would enjoy it more (& giving it a solid 4 Stars), but I really liked it now too. I'm glad I'm not too old for Adventurous stories & Middle Grades. & I definitely recommend it to my future kid & also to you, if you have an Active Inner Child & you like a Spooky fast-paced Middle Grade with a Library of ghost stories & funny characters.
-
Plot: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★★/5
World Building: ★★★★/5
general idea: ★★★/5
with Golden Sparks
why there's no half of a star yet!?? 3 is too unfair, it deserves better, but 4 is also too much, considering.
Surrender the Key....
"Surrender the Key" previously published as "Curse of the Boggin" was one of my most anticipated books, because it would be my first MacHale's book out of Pendragon saga.
I'm glad I ended up liking it, maybe more than some middle grades I've read Recently.
as you know (probably, if you read my other reviews or been following me long enough), I don't like Horror (well, now you know!) but in this book, it's not merely Horror, it spiced up with something fantasy & mythical, something people told stories about, like "the Monster under the bed". also ghosts (& demons) are interesting by themselves. plus the premise of the story is magical & supernatural, middle grade-ish style.
so yeah, you could say I like horror as long as there is something fantasy & cool going on, not mere unknown terror.
vibes: Supernatural & the Librarians (tv shows) as middle grade
Welcome to the Library... an otherworldly place when ghosts tell their tales...
this story had an intriguing emotional start, such a fascinating first sentences that actually made me dive into the book instantly while I actually grab it to see if it is interesting enough so I stop bouncing on other books, because that's what happens when I don't know what to read. & I'm telling you, it WAS what I needed, a Great fun & light & cute Middle Grade) continued by Marcus getting in trouble & unknowingly, unwantedly fell into a thrilling supernatural mystery.
Quick easy read
Fast Pace
mysterious Plot
Funny
Cute
Spooky
Emotional
Believable
Good Realistic characters, I liked Michael, Marcus, Jim, Lu & Everett.
(the only problem that held me back from giving it 4 & affected my general satisfaction toward the book, was: the thrilling excitements weren't enough for me, or maybe just the plan in the end was kind of disappointing? maybe I'm too strict!?)
I'm still thinking...
I decided to go lenient on a story I liked so much that it turned to be my all-time favourite (even something happened there was stupid) & I feel connected to the characters.
Maybe if I was in my teenage year, I would enjoy it more (& giving it a solid 4 Stars), but I really liked it now too. I'm glad I'm not too old for Adventurous stories & Middle Grades. & I definitely recommend it to my future kid & also to you, if you have an Active Inner Child & you like a Spooky fast-paced Middle Grade with a Library of ghost stories & funny characters.
-
Plot: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★★/5
World Building: ★★★★/5
general idea: ★★★/5
September 29, 2021
Super fun middle grade with some seriously creepy scenes. Reminded me of Indiana Jones.
September 28, 2016
First line: “It was under the bed.”
I love creepy books and Curse of the Boggin is a great example of one for that middle grade reader that is slightly spooky with a bit of a mystery. Think things hiding under the bed, a creepy Boggin that can look like your best friend, controls the weather and creates illusions just to scare you. Marcus does get some help from his two best friends, Lu and Theo, as well as Everett, the head ghost librarian. I'm a huge fan of old-fashioned brass keys and liked that this one open's up into a library. The library is probably my favorite part of the whole story and the way that it is filled with these stories needing to be finished and how it is the ghosts who are writing them down. There are so many possibilities and the Curse of the Boggin does allude to some unfinished stories for Marcus' friends. I also liked how McHale stated in the foreword that he planned for each book in series to be read independently of the others, but with our three main characters being present in each book. Overall, this was a great introduction to the series, it has its creepy moments and I'll be curious to see what kinds of villains McHale will cook up next.
I love creepy books and Curse of the Boggin is a great example of one for that middle grade reader that is slightly spooky with a bit of a mystery. Think things hiding under the bed, a creepy Boggin that can look like your best friend, controls the weather and creates illusions just to scare you. Marcus does get some help from his two best friends, Lu and Theo, as well as Everett, the head ghost librarian. I'm a huge fan of old-fashioned brass keys and liked that this one open's up into a library. The library is probably my favorite part of the whole story and the way that it is filled with these stories needing to be finished and how it is the ghosts who are writing them down. There are so many possibilities and the Curse of the Boggin does allude to some unfinished stories for Marcus' friends. I also liked how McHale stated in the foreword that he planned for each book in series to be read independently of the others, but with our three main characters being present in each book. Overall, this was a great introduction to the series, it has its creepy moments and I'll be curious to see what kinds of villains McHale will cook up next.
February 5, 2018
In curse of the boggin Marcus has been given a key that unlocks to a secret library but Marcuse has a curse coming after him known as the boggin. Marcus and his 2 friends are faced with a lot of pressure on their shoulders. Shall they Surender the key to the boggin or should they try to take on the boggin with the faith in each other.
August 7, 2018
2018-19 VSBA nominee. Students who love scary books will really enjoy this, and it’s always good to know something besides RL Stine when they ask for the scary books. I’d happily recommend it.
November 12, 2018
I gave this book three stars, this was being generous. I found that it was slow to start and boring. Not something I would recommend to someone.
June 27, 2019
Would recommend it to the young fellas that are trying to get into the horror genre
February 24, 2018
I fell in love with D.J. MacHale as an author when I was a wee version of myself, as I waited incredibly impatiently for the next Pendragon book to come out. So when I happened across this series, of course I had to read it? A magical library? Check. Creepy threatening creatures that have be outsmarted? Even better. It checked all the boxes for what I wanted in an easy, entertaining read, and it didn't disappoint.
Curse of the Boggin is the first part of a series that revolves around the Library. There, among the shelves, are unfinished books, the ones where there was a disturbance in the story, something that didn't go quite the way it was supposed to, and now they remain unfinished. Now, 13-year-old Marcus O'Mara finds himself thrust into the depths of one such unfinished story, as he's haunted by not only impossible hallucinations, like a bull stampeding through school, but the ghost of a man who seems to be trying to send him a message: Surrender the key.
The plot of this book was engaging and interesting. Which is refreshing in mid-grade. The beginning was a little confusing, but after the first chapter or two, I was fully invested and wanted to know what the heck was going on. I mean, it opens up with a death. That's a pretty big move, especially in mid-grade, and sets the stakes really high. There will be no mistaking here: the big bad is not messing around.
Speaking of which, the villain is creepy and dark and not without her own motives, and she doesn't pull punches. Which is wonderful. The threat is real, darn it. This boggin isn't messing around. She knows where Marcus' weaknesses lie, and she's not afraid to exploit them, which is fascinating. It kept me guessing what was going to happen next.
One thing that really bothered me, though, was that the characters felt a lot like stereotypes. Sure, their personalities are fleshed out more towards the end, and I like the little twist in both of their stories. However, Theo is a stereotypical nerdy black kid who is highly logical and wants everything just so and doesn't believe in magic. Lu has the skater outcast thing going on and does things just because they're "edgy" or dangerous. I'm actually not even sure why these three were friends in the first place. There didn't really seem to be anything keeping them together. I felt like that could've been explored more. Even if it was something small that pulled them together, I could buy it (hey, it happens), but it irked me that they seemingly had nothing in common, were commonly arguing with each other until towards the end, but there wasn't really anything to explain their closeness.
Despite that, the ending was fantastic, and there's more books to come. Well, obviously because book two is already out, but the ending makes it clear that Marcus, Theo, and Lu have plenty more adventures ahead of them, which I'm excited to read about. I really liked the way the story drew the three of them together in the end. It's only the beginning of the mystery, and even though one book has ended, there are plenty more unfinished books to explore, and I am so onboard for that!
Curse of the Boggin is the first part of a series that revolves around the Library. There, among the shelves, are unfinished books, the ones where there was a disturbance in the story, something that didn't go quite the way it was supposed to, and now they remain unfinished. Now, 13-year-old Marcus O'Mara finds himself thrust into the depths of one such unfinished story, as he's haunted by not only impossible hallucinations, like a bull stampeding through school, but the ghost of a man who seems to be trying to send him a message: Surrender the key.
The plot of this book was engaging and interesting. Which is refreshing in mid-grade. The beginning was a little confusing, but after the first chapter or two, I was fully invested and wanted to know what the heck was going on. I mean, it opens up with a death. That's a pretty big move, especially in mid-grade, and sets the stakes really high. There will be no mistaking here: the big bad is not messing around.
Speaking of which, the villain is creepy and dark and not without her own motives, and she doesn't pull punches. Which is wonderful. The threat is real, darn it. This boggin isn't messing around. She knows where Marcus' weaknesses lie, and she's not afraid to exploit them, which is fascinating. It kept me guessing what was going to happen next.
One thing that really bothered me, though, was that the characters felt a lot like stereotypes. Sure, their personalities are fleshed out more towards the end, and I like the little twist in both of their stories. However, Theo is a stereotypical nerdy black kid who is highly logical and wants everything just so and doesn't believe in magic. Lu has the skater outcast thing going on and does things just because they're "edgy" or dangerous. I'm actually not even sure why these three were friends in the first place. There didn't really seem to be anything keeping them together. I felt like that could've been explored more. Even if it was something small that pulled them together, I could buy it (hey, it happens), but it irked me that they seemingly had nothing in common, were commonly arguing with each other until towards the end, but there wasn't really anything to explain their closeness.
Despite that, the ending was fantastic, and there's more books to come. Well, obviously because book two is already out, but the ending makes it clear that Marcus, Theo, and Lu have plenty more adventures ahead of them, which I'm excited to read about. I really liked the way the story drew the three of them together in the end. It's only the beginning of the mystery, and even though one book has ended, there are plenty more unfinished books to explore, and I am so onboard for that!
August 25, 2016
Okay, so I am super duper hard to impress. Add about 1000 more dupers to that when it comes to middle grade novels. Nothing against middle grade, but it's just not one of my favorite genres. In fact, the only middle grade novels that tend to get 3 stars or higher tend to be contemporary middle grade. When it comes to fantasy middle grade, I've been burned more times than not. I just don't find too many of them impressive. But Curse of the Boggin? That impressed the heck out of this grown adult (in age, at least. I admit, I'm not so great at adulting quite yet).
The great thing about Curse of the Boggin is that it draws you right in immediately. When I picked it up, I was thinking "Eh..." and then I read the first page...and then 3 hours later, I had finished the book. Because Curse of the Boggin just doesn't start out engaging, but keeps you engaged the entire way through.
There's just nothing that I found nitpick-worthy in Curse of the Boggin. I mean, it's touted as scary and I wasn't scared, but again, grown adult here! I don't get scared often. I do think that children will find the Boggin creepy, while adults will find her annoying and want to punch her (or maybe that's just me). And the library! Oh, the library! It was so captivating. I want to know more about all the unfinished books and all the finished books, basically ALL the books. I want more than little excerpts. I want entire side books written about all of these side stories. There's just so much potential for awesomeness in it. But in Curse of the Boggin, I loved nothing more than the three young characters.
I loved Marcus. He was cheeky, bold, and had me chuckling time and time again. I also really loved Lu because of her daring and fiery attitude. And Theo and his logic also captivated me. I figured out how much all of these characters had me intrigued when I learned about Lu's disruption and wanted to know more about it right away. And then we got to Theo's possible disruption and I thought "Whoa, that's deep!" So, the characters in Curse of the Boggin are all sorts of great.
Overall, I really enjoyed Curse of the Boggin. It was engaging, funny, with some creepy moments embedded in it. It also had a great main character, great supporting characters, a great villain, and a great setting (Huzzah for libraries!). I actually can't wait to read more of this series and the next book is going into my GIVE IT TO ME NOW! list (along with the second season of Stranger Things cause c'mon). Curse of the Boggin is highly, highly recommended!
The great thing about Curse of the Boggin is that it draws you right in immediately. When I picked it up, I was thinking "Eh..." and then I read the first page...and then 3 hours later, I had finished the book. Because Curse of the Boggin just doesn't start out engaging, but keeps you engaged the entire way through.
There's just nothing that I found nitpick-worthy in Curse of the Boggin. I mean, it's touted as scary and I wasn't scared, but again, grown adult here! I don't get scared often. I do think that children will find the Boggin creepy, while adults will find her annoying and want to punch her (or maybe that's just me). And the library! Oh, the library! It was so captivating. I want to know more about all the unfinished books and all the finished books, basically ALL the books. I want more than little excerpts. I want entire side books written about all of these side stories. There's just so much potential for awesomeness in it. But in Curse of the Boggin, I loved nothing more than the three young characters.
I loved Marcus. He was cheeky, bold, and had me chuckling time and time again. I also really loved Lu because of her daring and fiery attitude. And Theo and his logic also captivated me. I figured out how much all of these characters had me intrigued when I learned about Lu's disruption and wanted to know more about it right away. And then we got to Theo's possible disruption and I thought "Whoa, that's deep!" So, the characters in Curse of the Boggin are all sorts of great.
Overall, I really enjoyed Curse of the Boggin. It was engaging, funny, with some creepy moments embedded in it. It also had a great main character, great supporting characters, a great villain, and a great setting (Huzzah for libraries!). I actually can't wait to read more of this series and the next book is going into my GIVE IT TO ME NOW! list (along with the second season of Stranger Things cause c'mon). Curse of the Boggin is highly, highly recommended!
October 8, 2017
This is a book for middle grade children, with an age range of 8 to 12 years old. Obviously I’m not a kid anymore and I know my opinion will not be the same as the one of children; even so, the book is interesting and makes you want to know more.
In the first pages of the ARC I got there are reviews of children saying they “couldn’t put it down” and actually, me neither. Since the first chapter it hooks you up with a mysterious vibe full of suspense and action. The book is written without fillers, when it starts to slow down something intense occurs and makes the book fast paced again and keeps it interesting.
Definitely Marcus is the most remarkable character; the book is in his point of view so he appears almost all the time. Something that caught my attention is that Lu and Theo, Marcus’ friends, are supposed to be protagonists too, or that is what the synopsis makes you think, but they actually have a minor role and their scenes slow down the story. It’s not until the last chapters when they have a more important role in the story.
The villain is an interesting entity, it appears since the prologue and all the time it has this sinister and cruel aura. The reader doesn’t know its intention until half of the book, it’s until then we learn who or what it is, and its real intentions. At first it’s just an enigmatic and creepy character.
MacHale has the ability of describing in a way you can actually feel what it’s written, he knows how to create the right mood in each scene. There is a scene with spiders and, believe me, I could feel them walking on my arms.
The finale of the book makes clear that the story will continue. Also, speaking of the ending, I didn’t like it at all. I got the impression that the final battle wasn’t as impressive or dramatic as other confrontations with the Boggin (that’s the name of the villain, and the reason behind the title). I won’t give spoilers, but there is a confrontation scene at Theo’s house, and I think it was better than the final one.
Curse of the Boggin is a light novel due to the audience it’s targeted to, but that doesn’t make it less interesting or enjoyable. If you want to have a good time reading a light supernatural book, I recommend it :)
In the first pages of the ARC I got there are reviews of children saying they “couldn’t put it down” and actually, me neither. Since the first chapter it hooks you up with a mysterious vibe full of suspense and action. The book is written without fillers, when it starts to slow down something intense occurs and makes the book fast paced again and keeps it interesting.
Definitely Marcus is the most remarkable character; the book is in his point of view so he appears almost all the time. Something that caught my attention is that Lu and Theo, Marcus’ friends, are supposed to be protagonists too, or that is what the synopsis makes you think, but they actually have a minor role and their scenes slow down the story. It’s not until the last chapters when they have a more important role in the story.
The villain is an interesting entity, it appears since the prologue and all the time it has this sinister and cruel aura. The reader doesn’t know its intention until half of the book, it’s until then we learn who or what it is, and its real intentions. At first it’s just an enigmatic and creepy character.
MacHale has the ability of describing in a way you can actually feel what it’s written, he knows how to create the right mood in each scene. There is a scene with spiders and, believe me, I could feel them walking on my arms.
The finale of the book makes clear that the story will continue. Also, speaking of the ending, I didn’t like it at all. I got the impression that the final battle wasn’t as impressive or dramatic as other confrontations with the Boggin (that’s the name of the villain, and the reason behind the title). I won’t give spoilers, but there is a confrontation scene at Theo’s house, and I think it was better than the final one.
Curse of the Boggin is a light novel due to the audience it’s targeted to, but that doesn’t make it less interesting or enjoyable. If you want to have a good time reading a light supernatural book, I recommend it :)
September 8, 2016
Thirteen year old Marcus O’Mara is a good guy who more than occasionally finds himself in trouble with his parents, his friends, and especially at school...and now he’s found himself in BIG trouble, the supernatural kind. Marcus starts to see and experience strange things, then a ghost gives him a key to a mysterious place called The Library. The Library is home to unfinished stories being finished by ghosts. But there’s an evil presence that wants to destroy The Library and may just destroy Marcus and his friends in the process.
Curse of the Boggin, the first book in D.J. MacHale’s newest middle-grade series, is a fast-paced adventure full of thrills and chills. Bursting with imagination and creativity, Curse of the Boggin has a lot of intriguing and unique supernatural elements, amusing storytelling, and likable characters. MacHale creates a spooktacular, yet fun, atmosphere and world. The Library, with its exciting unfinished stories, irresistible secrets, and resident ghost, make for a captivating and whimsical setting. Young readers will love exploring this mysterious place with Marcus and be delighted by all its surprises and information it has to offer.
Marcus and his two best friends make for a quirky and eclectic trio. Each young character has an enjoyable and unique personality that readers will find relatable and likable. And, of course, MacHale offers readers a thoroughly spine-tingling and devious supernatural villain that will thrill and chill!
My final thoughts: Curse of the Boggin is an enthralling, humorous adventure that sets up the series nicely. I look forward to reading future books!
Curse of the Boggin, the first book in D.J. MacHale’s newest middle-grade series, is a fast-paced adventure full of thrills and chills. Bursting with imagination and creativity, Curse of the Boggin has a lot of intriguing and unique supernatural elements, amusing storytelling, and likable characters. MacHale creates a spooktacular, yet fun, atmosphere and world. The Library, with its exciting unfinished stories, irresistible secrets, and resident ghost, make for a captivating and whimsical setting. Young readers will love exploring this mysterious place with Marcus and be delighted by all its surprises and information it has to offer.
Marcus and his two best friends make for a quirky and eclectic trio. Each young character has an enjoyable and unique personality that readers will find relatable and likable. And, of course, MacHale offers readers a thoroughly spine-tingling and devious supernatural villain that will thrill and chill!
My final thoughts: Curse of the Boggin is an enthralling, humorous adventure that sets up the series nicely. I look forward to reading future books!
May 29, 2018
This is book one in The Library series, about a magical library that helps spirits whose stories have been disrupted by supernatural events. After Marcus finds the key that opens the door to the library, he is confronted by a creepy old lady who demands that he "Surrender the key." Along with his friends, Lu and Theo, Marcus must fight an ancient enemy and protect the library.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job. The forward gave interesting information about the author and the other books in this series, complete with creepy laugh. The only slightly annoying part was when the narrator read for the librarian who has a Scottish accent. It was a bit distracting.
While this book was much shorter than what I'm used to, the length is perfect for young readers. I was a bit disappointed when it ended so soon. Middle grade readers will want more of this scary, thrilling adventure. Some may find they want to leave the lights on after reading, but the story is worth it.
This book has also been released as Surrender the Key. There is one more book in the series so far (Black Moon Rising), and book 3, The Oracle of Doom, will be released in October of this year. After reading this book, I am interested in checking out other series by this author including The Pendragon series, and The Morpheus Road series.
Has anyone out there read either of those or something else by MacHale?
Recommended to: Readers in grades 5-8 who are looking for a scary adventure series.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job. The forward gave interesting information about the author and the other books in this series, complete with creepy laugh. The only slightly annoying part was when the narrator read for the librarian who has a Scottish accent. It was a bit distracting.
While this book was much shorter than what I'm used to, the length is perfect for young readers. I was a bit disappointed when it ended so soon. Middle grade readers will want more of this scary, thrilling adventure. Some may find they want to leave the lights on after reading, but the story is worth it.
This book has also been released as Surrender the Key. There is one more book in the series so far (Black Moon Rising), and book 3, The Oracle of Doom, will be released in October of this year. After reading this book, I am interested in checking out other series by this author including The Pendragon series, and The Morpheus Road series.
Has anyone out there read either of those or something else by MacHale?
Recommended to: Readers in grades 5-8 who are looking for a scary adventure series.
October 24, 2016
A mysterious library. Ghosts. A curse. And whatever a Boggin is. Sounds like quite the adventure.
Meet Marcus. A thirteen year old boy. He’s too young to have memories of the parents he lost. And he’s having problems with his adoptive family. He feels he’s a disappointment to them. His relationship with them gets more strained when weird things start happening to him.
Marcus confides in his best friends, Lu and Theo. He’ll need their help to protect those he loves and defeat the boggin.
It was especially fun to have a story featuring a haunted library. Wait until you find out what goes on there. Such an ingenious idea.
This was a fast, fun read. There are some harrowing scenes and some sad ones, with humor mingled throughout to lighten things up. I feel a point was being made with this tale. Communication. You need to talk, to express your thoughts and fears, in order to rid yourself of doubts and misconceptions.
The creepy parts are just that, creepy, not gory. Nothing young readers can’t handle. I loved stories like this growing up, and would recommend this book to all kids, young and young at heart, who like a little scare with their fun.
I received a copy of this book free of charge from the author.
Meet Marcus. A thirteen year old boy. He’s too young to have memories of the parents he lost. And he’s having problems with his adoptive family. He feels he’s a disappointment to them. His relationship with them gets more strained when weird things start happening to him.
Marcus confides in his best friends, Lu and Theo. He’ll need their help to protect those he loves and defeat the boggin.
It was especially fun to have a story featuring a haunted library. Wait until you find out what goes on there. Such an ingenious idea.
This was a fast, fun read. There are some harrowing scenes and some sad ones, with humor mingled throughout to lighten things up. I feel a point was being made with this tale. Communication. You need to talk, to express your thoughts and fears, in order to rid yourself of doubts and misconceptions.
The creepy parts are just that, creepy, not gory. Nothing young readers can’t handle. I loved stories like this growing up, and would recommend this book to all kids, young and young at heart, who like a little scare with their fun.
I received a copy of this book free of charge from the author.
February 10, 2025
Surrender the Key (originally known as “Curse of the Boggin”) is a chapter book for kids, written by D. J. MacHale. The prologue begins with a kid who has something under his bed that has been scaring him and soon the words “surrender the key” are scratched into the floorboards. Chapter one introduces us to a different kid, Marcus. During some school punishments, some mystical stuff starts happening. Such as the visions he sees of a man in a bathrobe. As he digs deeper into the mysteries of these visions, he finds himself travelling to a strange library, and trying to figure out why these apparitions and mystical beings have been targeting him.
Mmmm… I’m not quite sure what to think of this book. If I’m blunt… It wasn’t great, in my opinion. I would have liked there to be more explanations of scenes, to give more context as to the time period of the events. For example, I think it has an interesting beginning with the prologue, but then it skips to something completely different in chapter one. I would have liked a better transition. It wasn’t clear whether the prologue was before or after the events of chapter one, or how much further forward or backward it was. When it cuts to the chapter, it flips from third person to first person.
And I also feel like the characters are a bit off; there’s stuff about some of their personality traits that seem very awkward. Such as right from chapter one, the main character seems very unlikeable for me. I know that the author is trying to make him seem “cool” and “A legend”… But he comes off as a bully, to the point where he even considers beating up his friend because his friend uses the words “all righty”, to quote his thoughts, ““… Theo used the phrase all righty a lot. If he weren’t my best friend, I’d probably want to beat him up myself.” Ummmm… Why is using that phrase meant to be bad? Regularly mentally mocks this friend, by referring to him as a “nerd”. It’s one of those types of “friendships” where he mentally thinks somewhat negatively about this other kid, and forcing this “nerd” stereotype on him, despite the other kid doing nothing wrong. And he earned himself detention for writing a couple of sentences on a whiteboard and then drops the whiteboard marker on the ground, which makes his friend Lu refer to him as a “legend”. I feel like the author is trying to make him seem cool. But it’s one of those awkward and forced versions of cool, where the character isn’t actually cool, but the author wants us to think so anyway. He just seems like a jerk.
I would have liked it more if the author had done more building of suspense. With a lot of elements, it felt like the scenes got rushed through pretty quickly. But I feel like the author could have padded it out to build a little more detail into the scenes; explain more about the scenes, who is in the scenes, how these characters react to these scenarios. But a lot of the time, it just gets really rushed, and it feels like I don’t know enough about what happened. I also feel like there’s not enough worldbuilding.
And another annoyance of mine is that it’s the type of storyline where the fate of the universe is essentially put into the hands of a teenager, and he seems to be the only one who can stop this mystical creature from wreaking havoc. Yet the kid is given barely any information of how to do this. Having very little life experience or training in the job, he’s just expected to fight this creature, even though he is in severe danger when doing so. The librarian giving him this responsibility is basically zero help. And the only people he can get to help him in this scenario is his two teenage friends. I know that, as it’s a book for younger audiences, this is a pretty standard trope. However… It just feels like there’s very little common sense for any of the characters involved.
Ultimately, I don’t think it’s the worst book. I think it is okay… But I also feel like there are so many unanswered questions and things that don’t make sense about the story. There’s very little decent explanation of why the guy released the boggin, and I feel like there ought to have been more worldbuilding with the boggin, why it wants to go after the library and how it affects the world. For something so powerful, the explanations about it and its actions just feel very lacklustre and bland, to be blunt. Also… What is with that ending? So, after they capture it in a container, they seal the container in the copper, weigh it down and dump it into the ocean. Which just seems like a really bad idea. Because divers can find it; who may then unseal it (releasing the creature), just to see what’s inside. I feel like the boggin would get released in the future. It just doesn’t make sense as to why they did the whole drop it in the ocean thing, considering how unsafe that would be. Not to mention the way that it could get damaged by something unrelated, or erode and/ or corrode over time.
Overall, if you’re just looking for a standard supernatural novel that’s aimed at kids, you might like it. It has a lot of stereotypes and tropes, but it’s certainly an okay book. I just feel like it could have been done better. I would have appreciated if the main character were less of a jerk to people. Such as with his friends; he has a lot of negative and disrespectful thoughts about one friend, in particular. I think the main character is somewhat of a bad role model, in that way. I think the general story is mediocre, though generic. It feels like a somewhat standard book for kids where a trio of kids are put in a position where they need to save the world, but putting themselves in danger at the same time because (weirdly) there are no adults who can help them. I would have appreciated a little more use of the library. Otherwise… I think it was an okay read. I don’t think I would mind trying the next one in the series. I just hope that I will enjoy it more than this one.
Mmmm… I’m not quite sure what to think of this book. If I’m blunt… It wasn’t great, in my opinion. I would have liked there to be more explanations of scenes, to give more context as to the time period of the events. For example, I think it has an interesting beginning with the prologue, but then it skips to something completely different in chapter one. I would have liked a better transition. It wasn’t clear whether the prologue was before or after the events of chapter one, or how much further forward or backward it was. When it cuts to the chapter, it flips from third person to first person.
And I also feel like the characters are a bit off; there’s stuff about some of their personality traits that seem very awkward. Such as right from chapter one, the main character seems very unlikeable for me. I know that the author is trying to make him seem “cool” and “A legend”… But he comes off as a bully, to the point where he even considers beating up his friend because his friend uses the words “all righty”, to quote his thoughts, ““… Theo used the phrase all righty a lot. If he weren’t my best friend, I’d probably want to beat him up myself.” Ummmm… Why is using that phrase meant to be bad? Regularly mentally mocks this friend, by referring to him as a “nerd”. It’s one of those types of “friendships” where he mentally thinks somewhat negatively about this other kid, and forcing this “nerd” stereotype on him, despite the other kid doing nothing wrong. And he earned himself detention for writing a couple of sentences on a whiteboard and then drops the whiteboard marker on the ground, which makes his friend Lu refer to him as a “legend”. I feel like the author is trying to make him seem cool. But it’s one of those awkward and forced versions of cool, where the character isn’t actually cool, but the author wants us to think so anyway. He just seems like a jerk.
I would have liked it more if the author had done more building of suspense. With a lot of elements, it felt like the scenes got rushed through pretty quickly. But I feel like the author could have padded it out to build a little more detail into the scenes; explain more about the scenes, who is in the scenes, how these characters react to these scenarios. But a lot of the time, it just gets really rushed, and it feels like I don’t know enough about what happened. I also feel like there’s not enough worldbuilding.
And another annoyance of mine is that it’s the type of storyline where the fate of the universe is essentially put into the hands of a teenager, and he seems to be the only one who can stop this mystical creature from wreaking havoc. Yet the kid is given barely any information of how to do this. Having very little life experience or training in the job, he’s just expected to fight this creature, even though he is in severe danger when doing so. The librarian giving him this responsibility is basically zero help. And the only people he can get to help him in this scenario is his two teenage friends. I know that, as it’s a book for younger audiences, this is a pretty standard trope. However… It just feels like there’s very little common sense for any of the characters involved.
Ultimately, I don’t think it’s the worst book. I think it is okay… But I also feel like there are so many unanswered questions and things that don’t make sense about the story. There’s very little decent explanation of why the guy released the boggin, and I feel like there ought to have been more worldbuilding with the boggin, why it wants to go after the library and how it affects the world. For something so powerful, the explanations about it and its actions just feel very lacklustre and bland, to be blunt. Also… What is with that ending? So, after they capture it in a container, they seal the container in the copper, weigh it down and dump it into the ocean. Which just seems like a really bad idea. Because divers can find it; who may then unseal it (releasing the creature), just to see what’s inside. I feel like the boggin would get released in the future. It just doesn’t make sense as to why they did the whole drop it in the ocean thing, considering how unsafe that would be. Not to mention the way that it could get damaged by something unrelated, or erode and/ or corrode over time.
Overall, if you’re just looking for a standard supernatural novel that’s aimed at kids, you might like it. It has a lot of stereotypes and tropes, but it’s certainly an okay book. I just feel like it could have been done better. I would have appreciated if the main character were less of a jerk to people. Such as with his friends; he has a lot of negative and disrespectful thoughts about one friend, in particular. I think the main character is somewhat of a bad role model, in that way. I think the general story is mediocre, though generic. It feels like a somewhat standard book for kids where a trio of kids are put in a position where they need to save the world, but putting themselves in danger at the same time because (weirdly) there are no adults who can help them. I would have appreciated a little more use of the library. Otherwise… I think it was an okay read. I don’t think I would mind trying the next one in the series. I just hope that I will enjoy it more than this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2019
This book was so creepy. It gave me nightmares for 3 days. It was interesting, but if you don't like scary books, then this is not your book. Ghost stories and a magical Library, it's all up to one boy Marcus O' Mara, and his friends, Lu and Theo to save a ghost library and everyone's lives.
September 24, 2016
I really enjoyed this story. It was very fun to read! I was expecting a horror story and it wasn't at all. Lots of fun....
May 3, 2018
“Curse of the Boggin” a frightening adventure in a world where magic and ghosts exist opens with noises under nine -year- old Alex Swenor’s bed, cryptic writing on his floor about a mysterious key, an attack by a vicious dog and the death of his father after saving him from toppling over the roof of his apartment building.
When seventh grader Marcus O’Mara finds himself in trouble at his middle school he not only is given a detention and finds himself in the hot-seat with his adoptive parents but is suddenly seeing the ghostly apparition of a man in pajamas handing him a key as well as a creepy old woman who wants it. Delving into the mystery Marcus meets Alex Swenor and his mother who give him the “Paradox Key” which sweeps him through any door into a library run by Everett a enigmatic librarian who looks after uncompleted stories that require an ending.
But the danger has only just begun for Marcus who enlists the help of his friends Annabella Lun and Theo Mclean after learning that the old woman terrorizing them with her creation of realistic and terrifying illusions is a “Boggin” who’s determined to possess the key so that she can destroy the library.
Fast-paced this well-developed initial story in the Library series introduces Marcus O’Mara a bold and fearless middle-schooler who with his adventurous friends, the loyal and feisty Annabella Lu and the analytical, smart and nerdy Theo McLean collide with a crafty and sinister old woman, the Boggin who wants the key at any cost. With colourful and likeable characters who are faced with a dangerous and formidable adversary D.J. McHale quickly builds suspense especially when Marcus’s parents go for an outing on their sailboat only to face a hail storm, a fog bank and have to be rescued by the three friends in the Lu’s speedboat.
Middle-schoolers will love the action and dark intensity of the plot as Marcus, Annabella, and Theo confront their worse nightmares which include a vicious dog, black ooz, spiders and a girl with a doll’s face. Amid all the excitement other mysteries begin to unfurl like the motive behind the death of Marcus’s biological parents, the disappearance of Annabella’s cousin, and the fortune that has Theo’s life as he knows it ending on his fourteenth birthday.
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Curse of the Boggin” and am sure it will appeal to middle-schoolers who love a spooky adventure.
When seventh grader Marcus O’Mara finds himself in trouble at his middle school he not only is given a detention and finds himself in the hot-seat with his adoptive parents but is suddenly seeing the ghostly apparition of a man in pajamas handing him a key as well as a creepy old woman who wants it. Delving into the mystery Marcus meets Alex Swenor and his mother who give him the “Paradox Key” which sweeps him through any door into a library run by Everett a enigmatic librarian who looks after uncompleted stories that require an ending.
But the danger has only just begun for Marcus who enlists the help of his friends Annabella Lun and Theo Mclean after learning that the old woman terrorizing them with her creation of realistic and terrifying illusions is a “Boggin” who’s determined to possess the key so that she can destroy the library.
Fast-paced this well-developed initial story in the Library series introduces Marcus O’Mara a bold and fearless middle-schooler who with his adventurous friends, the loyal and feisty Annabella Lu and the analytical, smart and nerdy Theo McLean collide with a crafty and sinister old woman, the Boggin who wants the key at any cost. With colourful and likeable characters who are faced with a dangerous and formidable adversary D.J. McHale quickly builds suspense especially when Marcus’s parents go for an outing on their sailboat only to face a hail storm, a fog bank and have to be rescued by the three friends in the Lu’s speedboat.
Middle-schoolers will love the action and dark intensity of the plot as Marcus, Annabella, and Theo confront their worse nightmares which include a vicious dog, black ooz, spiders and a girl with a doll’s face. Amid all the excitement other mysteries begin to unfurl like the motive behind the death of Marcus’s biological parents, the disappearance of Annabella’s cousin, and the fortune that has Theo’s life as he knows it ending on his fourteenth birthday.
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Curse of the Boggin” and am sure it will appeal to middle-schoolers who love a spooky adventure.
October 8, 2017
This is a book for middle grade children, with an age range of 8 to 12 years old. Obviously I’m not a kid anymore and I know my opinion will not be the same as the one of children; even so, the book is interesting and makes you want to know more.
In the first pages of the ARC I got there are reviews of children saying they “couldn’t put it down” and actually, me neither. Since the first chapter it hooks you up with a mysterious vibe full of suspense and action. The book is written without fillers, when it starts to slow down something intense occurs and makes the book fast paced again and keeps it interesting.
Definitely Marcus is the most remarkable character; the book is in his point of view so he appears almost all the time. Something that caught my attention is that Lu and Theo, Marcus’ friends, are supposed to be protagonists too, or that is what the synopsis makes you think, but they actually have a minor role and their scenes slow down the story. It’s not until the last chapters when they have a more important role in the story.
The villain is an interesting entity, it appears since the prologue and all the time it has this sinister and cruel aura. The reader doesn’t know its intention until half of the book, it’s until then we learn who or what it is, and its real intentions. At first it’s just an enigmatic and creepy character.
MacHale has the ability of describing in a way you can actually feel what it’s written, he knows how to create the right mood in each scene. There is a scene with spiders and, believe me, I could feel them walking on my arms.
The finale of the book makes clear that the story will continue. Also, speaking of the ending, I didn’t like it at all. I got the impression that the final battle wasn’t as impressive or dramatic as other confrontations with the Boggin (that’s the name of the villain, and the reason behind the title). I won’t give spoilers, but there is a confrontation scene at Theo’s house, and I think it was better than the final one.
Curse of the Boggin is a light novel due to the audience it’s targeted to, but that doesn’t make it less interesting or enjoyable. If you want to have a good time reading a light supernatural book, I recommend it :)
In the first pages of the ARC I got there are reviews of children saying they “couldn’t put it down” and actually, me neither. Since the first chapter it hooks you up with a mysterious vibe full of suspense and action. The book is written without fillers, when it starts to slow down something intense occurs and makes the book fast paced again and keeps it interesting.
Definitely Marcus is the most remarkable character; the book is in his point of view so he appears almost all the time. Something that caught my attention is that Lu and Theo, Marcus’ friends, are supposed to be protagonists too, or that is what the synopsis makes you think, but they actually have a minor role and their scenes slow down the story. It’s not until the last chapters when they have a more important role in the story.
The villain is an interesting entity, it appears since the prologue and all the time it has this sinister and cruel aura. The reader doesn’t know its intention until half of the book, it’s until then we learn who or what it is, and its real intentions. At first it’s just an enigmatic and creepy character.
MacHale has the ability of describing in a way you can actually feel what it’s written, he knows how to create the right mood in each scene. There is a scene with spiders and, believe me, I could feel them walking on my arms.
The finale of the book makes clear that the story will continue. Also, speaking of the ending, I didn’t like it at all. I got the impression that the final battle wasn’t as impressive or dramatic as other confrontations with the Boggin (that’s the name of the villain, and the reason behind the title). I won’t give spoilers, but there is a confrontation scene at Theo’s house, and I think it was better than the final one.
Curse of the Boggin is a light novel due to the audience it’s targeted to, but that doesn’t make it less interesting or enjoyable. If you want to have a good time reading a light supernatural book, I recommend it :)
August 23, 2017
Marcus had a relatively normal life until he starts seeing some strange hallucinations. While at detention he hears a crash and sees a strange man with a key. When he goes to check it out he sees a bull and it starts to chase him but nobody else sees it. He tells his two friends and they don't think he is crazy but they don't know how to explain it.
Then more crazy stuff happens and he finds out who the ghost man in and goes to his wife's house and finds out a few things like there is a key that his biological father wanted him to have and she gives it to him. This opens up a whole new world because when you put the key close to a door it opens up a different door and that is how he enters The Library.
The Library is pretty cool as it's a library that holds unfinished books and it has agents who go about trying to finish them so the spirits can rest. So basically if someone is murdered and nobody figured out who did it then that book is still open until someone can figure out. Everyone has a book and spirits are always there taking down the notes that make up your book.
Marcus doesn't really want anything to do with this Library but he really has no choice because a boggin is on the loose and it wants the key so it can destroy the library and it could be going after his family or friends. So Marcus, Lu and Theo have to try and figure out how to trap the boggin.
I really liked the characters and they were really an oddball sort of pairing which reminded me of my friend when I was young. Marcus is cool and he doesn't let anything bother him. He stood up to a teacher for bullying and got detention and he thought it rocked. Lu is a rollerskater who loves doing the roller derby, and Theo is the smart and analytical one of the group. Theo has a hard time believing in the supernatural even when he sees it with his own eyes, I really like him. :)
This was a really good introduction to this series about this fun and interesting library. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and following the adventure. I think this one is great for young readers who like fantasy adventure reads and for adults too. :)
Then more crazy stuff happens and he finds out who the ghost man in and goes to his wife's house and finds out a few things like there is a key that his biological father wanted him to have and she gives it to him. This opens up a whole new world because when you put the key close to a door it opens up a different door and that is how he enters The Library.
The Library is pretty cool as it's a library that holds unfinished books and it has agents who go about trying to finish them so the spirits can rest. So basically if someone is murdered and nobody figured out who did it then that book is still open until someone can figure out. Everyone has a book and spirits are always there taking down the notes that make up your book.
Marcus doesn't really want anything to do with this Library but he really has no choice because a boggin is on the loose and it wants the key so it can destroy the library and it could be going after his family or friends. So Marcus, Lu and Theo have to try and figure out how to trap the boggin.
I really liked the characters and they were really an oddball sort of pairing which reminded me of my friend when I was young. Marcus is cool and he doesn't let anything bother him. He stood up to a teacher for bullying and got detention and he thought it rocked. Lu is a rollerskater who loves doing the roller derby, and Theo is the smart and analytical one of the group. Theo has a hard time believing in the supernatural even when he sees it with his own eyes, I really like him. :)
This was a really good introduction to this series about this fun and interesting library. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and following the adventure. I think this one is great for young readers who like fantasy adventure reads and for adults too. :)
October 10, 2019
If you are fan of this author and like suspenseful mysteries, I think this is a good one for you, especially if you are a young reader. This is a book about 7th-grader Marcus who is gifted with a key that can send to the Library, a place that investigates paranormal events and finished people's "stories". Yet, a old lady wants to steal the key from Marcus to destroy the library and worse yet, she can make his greatest fears can true.
However, I find the blurb on the cover misleading as I had the impression when I got it out that is going to have a similar plot to the library episode of "Doctor Who". In reality, this book has an uncanny resemblance to the movie trilogy/TV series "The Librarians" except the librarians are kids.
However, I have two reasons for dropping a star. One, to me it was incredible predictable after the first couple chapters. So for a 'mystery' book, that kind of let me down. But since the target audience is middle schoolers, I'll get it a benefit of a doubt. What completed the star drop was the characters. To me, I feel like our main characters here is a complete rehash of the Pendragon characters, the author's previous best-selling series. To Marcus was just like Bobby, the hero who writes the story and is always face with difficult decisions. Lu is like Courtney, the athletic, tough girl who never backs down from a challenge and likes the hero. And finally, Theo is almost like Mark, a nerd who's not always on top for getting caught in intense situations. Because of the similarities, I felt there was a strong lack of character development, let alone a development to make these characters unique. And to complete the similarities, the characters also live in the same town and go to the same school as the Pendragon characters. Is it foreshadowing that the two series will eventually link up with each other and Pendragon is an 'unfinished' story. I don't know but it sounds like a good idea.
Besides that, it was quick and enjoyable read and it was hard for me to put it down. I look forward to what the series has to store.
However, I find the blurb on the cover misleading as I had the impression when I got it out that is going to have a similar plot to the library episode of "Doctor Who". In reality, this book has an uncanny resemblance to the movie trilogy/TV series "The Librarians" except the librarians are kids.
However, I have two reasons for dropping a star. One, to me it was incredible predictable after the first couple chapters. So for a 'mystery' book, that kind of let me down. But since the target audience is middle schoolers, I'll get it a benefit of a doubt. What completed the star drop was the characters. To me, I feel like our main characters here is a complete rehash of the Pendragon characters, the author's previous best-selling series. To Marcus was just like Bobby, the hero who writes the story and is always face with difficult decisions. Lu is like Courtney, the athletic, tough girl who never backs down from a challenge and likes the hero. And finally, Theo is almost like Mark, a nerd who's not always on top for getting caught in intense situations. Because of the similarities, I felt there was a strong lack of character development, let alone a development to make these characters unique. And to complete the similarities, the characters also live in the same town and go to the same school as the Pendragon characters. Is it foreshadowing that the two series will eventually link up with each other and Pendragon is an 'unfinished' story. I don't know but it sounds like a good idea.
Besides that, it was quick and enjoyable read and it was hard for me to put it down. I look forward to what the series has to store.
November 4, 2016
'Curse of the Boggin' is a freaky and fun children's novel that's a perfect read for the Halloween season. It's the first book in a new series that follows our main character, Marcus, as his normal teen problems turn much worse - and weird. He sees strange visions that he can't explain, is put in crazy dangerous situations, and meets a ghost who won't give up until she gives him a key. The key opens the door to a library full of secrets and impossibilities - it also holds the truth about Marcus' past along with a collection of unfinished stories. Marcus is a great main character for the book. He's a realistic teenage boy with normal everyday problems - school, friends, getting in trouble, and issues with his adoptive parents. He's easy to identify with early on in the book, which makes things almost conceivable when they turn paranormal. I loved getting to know Marcus and watching him learn more about his past and himself throughout the story. He really comes into his own during the book, and I'm excited to see where the next book will take him and his friends. The plot was a fantastic mix of fantasy, paranormal, adventure, and action that keeps the reader on their toes for the entire ride. I found myself sucked into Marcus' wild adventure early in the book and couldn't stop reading until I had finished the entire thing. The writing is well done with great attention to detail and vivid imagery that brings the world and the story to life in front of your eyes. I'm not normally a big reader of middle grade fiction, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. I'm already looking forward to the next installment and what craziness awaits inside it's pages. Definitely recommended for fans of children's fiction, middle grade fiction, fantasy, adventure, action, and paranormal fiction!
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2020
Marcus is having some really weird things happen to him. While at detention, a rhinoceros chases him, he sees a ghost, and the words “surrender the key” keep showing up in weird places. Can he figure out what is going on and save himself, his friends and his family?
While this book does have a distinct Goosebumps feel to it, I mean even the authors first name is just initials, Curse of the Boggin is definitely much spookier work with much more developed characters. I love it that Marcus, on the surface, appears to be a troublemaker but in truth Marcus just dislike bullies. When a teacher is bullying students, Marcus knocks the teacher down a peg or two and gets detention as a result.
I loved Marcus’ dynamics with his parents. Teen relationships with parents are never easy sailing. Relationship with teens are fraught with arguments and tension. I love it that DJ McHale doesn’t try to sugar coat it or kill off the parents. Instead they have arguments and hurt feelings but underneath though can tell they really love each other.
I also really enjoyed both of Marcus’ friends.
The story was imaginative and well thought out. I enjoyed the world building. I also like how the books are linked but not in a linear fashion.
PG - Scary and intense scenes. A man jumps off a roof. Ghosts.
While this book does have a distinct Goosebumps feel to it, I mean even the authors first name is just initials, Curse of the Boggin is definitely much spookier work with much more developed characters. I love it that Marcus, on the surface, appears to be a troublemaker but in truth Marcus just dislike bullies. When a teacher is bullying students, Marcus knocks the teacher down a peg or two and gets detention as a result.
I loved Marcus’ dynamics with his parents. Teen relationships with parents are never easy sailing. Relationship with teens are fraught with arguments and tension. I love it that DJ McHale doesn’t try to sugar coat it or kill off the parents. Instead they have arguments and hurt feelings but underneath though can tell they really love each other.
I also really enjoyed both of Marcus’ friends.
The story was imaginative and well thought out. I enjoyed the world building. I also like how the books are linked but not in a linear fashion.
PG - Scary and intense scenes. A man jumps off a roof. Ghosts.
September 3, 2017
I saw this in a bookstore about a month ago and initially picked it up because of the cover. I love this cover. It has a certain level of creepiness that will have kids wanting to read it. I then noticed that the author was D.J. MacHale. I read his Pendragon series many years ago and loved it, so was excited to see that he is writing for middle-grade and the fact that it is a series just upped my interest level. So naturally I snapped this puppy right up.
I was not disappointed. This book has the right level of scary and creepy that will appeal to all of my students who are looking for a scary book. I also like the fact that even though it will be a series, according to the author’s forward, after you are done with the first book, you don’t need to read the rest in any particular order. Which means the next books will be their own story, although the characters we meet here will be having them. I always have kids who don’t care about the order of series, which I don’t get and I’m constantly urging them to read them in order. I won’t have to in this case.
To read more of my review visit my blog at https://elnadesbookchat.com/2017/07/1...
I was not disappointed. This book has the right level of scary and creepy that will appeal to all of my students who are looking for a scary book. I also like the fact that even though it will be a series, according to the author’s forward, after you are done with the first book, you don’t need to read the rest in any particular order. Which means the next books will be their own story, although the characters we meet here will be having them. I always have kids who don’t care about the order of series, which I don’t get and I’m constantly urging them to read them in order. I won’t have to in this case.
To read more of my review visit my blog at https://elnadesbookchat.com/2017/07/1...
November 25, 2018
This is a ghosts caught in limbo story. A little bit confusing, but otherwise a typically well-written, well-developed MacHale book.
Things haven't been going well for Marcus at home or school. Just when it seems like things can't get any worse, he begins seeing things others can't see, such as a man at school wearing a bathrobe and a message to "Surrender the key." When he learns that the man in the bathrobe is the ghost of a man who recently died, he goes to the home of his widow and is given a key that belonged to his deceased father. He uses the key to open a door into a library which contains all the unfinished stories of people's lives. When a person dies before their story is finished, they become a ghost in limbo. Agents of the library are tasked with intervening to help finish their story so they can find peace.
But there is a boggin on the loose which is trying desperately to destroy the key and therefore the library. It appears as a creepy old woman who uses the fears of Marcus and his two friends to try and get him to surrender the key. It's suspenseful and unpredictable. Can't go wrong with D. J. MacHale.
Things haven't been going well for Marcus at home or school. Just when it seems like things can't get any worse, he begins seeing things others can't see, such as a man at school wearing a bathrobe and a message to "Surrender the key." When he learns that the man in the bathrobe is the ghost of a man who recently died, he goes to the home of his widow and is given a key that belonged to his deceased father. He uses the key to open a door into a library which contains all the unfinished stories of people's lives. When a person dies before their story is finished, they become a ghost in limbo. Agents of the library are tasked with intervening to help finish their story so they can find peace.
But there is a boggin on the loose which is trying desperately to destroy the key and therefore the library. It appears as a creepy old woman who uses the fears of Marcus and his two friends to try and get him to surrender the key. It's suspenseful and unpredictable. Can't go wrong with D. J. MacHale.
February 7, 2017
Wonderful start to a new series by MacHale. Marcus faces the boogeyman as well as his feelings about having been adopted. His friends Lu and Theo get caught in the trouble that emerges when the Boggin, disguised as an old woman comes to demand the surrender of the key. But what key? Where is it? Who has it? This leads Marcus on a very harrowing chase to find the answers. He learns of a magical library that holds the books of finished and unfinished lives, the goal of the Library "agents" being to finish the open stories so that the spirits may rest.
I loved all of the characters, especially Everett, the librarian. The magical but dangerous nature of the story will keep kids turning pages. It is scary, but not too scary. MacHale's descriptions and action sequences fit right into the narrative and keep the flow. Marcus is a fearful, but courageous kid.
NOTE: This review will appear on my library's social media book review channel in the future.
I loved all of the characters, especially Everett, the librarian. The magical but dangerous nature of the story will keep kids turning pages. It is scary, but not too scary. MacHale's descriptions and action sequences fit right into the narrative and keep the flow. Marcus is a fearful, but courageous kid.
NOTE: This review will appear on my library's social media book review channel in the future.
March 27, 2019
"Enter the Library, where no one knows how the stories end . . . and finding out will be terrifying."
"There’s a place beyond this world, beyond the land of the living, where ghosts go to write their unfinished stories—stories that ended too soon. It’s a place for unexplained phenomena: mysteries that have never been solved, spirits that have never been laid to rest. And there’s only one way in or out."
"It’s called the Library, and you can get there with a special key. But beware! Don’t start a story you can’t finish. Because in this library, the stories you can’t finish just might finish you."
I am reading this book as part of a challenge. This one is to read a book with a character who has a hobby that I practice. Easy Reading, this story is about a library, my second favorite place to go. It is so peaceful at the Library.
"There’s a place beyond this world, beyond the land of the living, where ghosts go to write their unfinished stories—stories that ended too soon. It’s a place for unexplained phenomena: mysteries that have never been solved, spirits that have never been laid to rest. And there’s only one way in or out."
"It’s called the Library, and you can get there with a special key. But beware! Don’t start a story you can’t finish. Because in this library, the stories you can’t finish just might finish you."
I am reading this book as part of a challenge. This one is to read a book with a character who has a hobby that I practice. Easy Reading, this story is about a library, my second favorite place to go. It is so peaceful at the Library.
June 28, 2019
I feel the concept of this book was cool, but it felt like it took a long time to get to the action of the story. The pace just felt really slow to me. I also found it took a whole for the characters to have much form of development at all.
I didn't really like Marcus either, he seemed rather immature and rash for a main character. He didn't seem to have any care for his friends safety while trying to rescue his parents, which I understand wanting to rescue your parents but to disregard your friends safety, I just didn't like it.
I guess I am not the best judge entirely (not being the target audience) and maybe kids would get into it a bit more, but it still felt slow to me and I found a hard time connecting to the characters. It also felt like it took a while to set up the story. I don't think it is a series I personally would continue reading.
I didn't really like Marcus either, he seemed rather immature and rash for a main character. He didn't seem to have any care for his friends safety while trying to rescue his parents, which I understand wanting to rescue your parents but to disregard your friends safety, I just didn't like it.
I guess I am not the best judge entirely (not being the target audience) and maybe kids would get into it a bit more, but it still felt slow to me and I found a hard time connecting to the characters. It also felt like it took a while to set up the story. I don't think it is a series I personally would continue reading.
May 29, 2017
Yay new series!
Marcus O’Mara is used to disagreeing with his adoptive parents; what he isn’t used to is being haunted! Why is a strange man in a bathrobe following him? Who is the creepy old lady and why does she keep telling Marcus to “Surrender the key”? When Marcus does come across an old, mysterious key, he discovers it has the ability to take him to a strange place called the “Library;” but it’s not just any old library—this Library is full of unfinished stories. Now it’s up to Marcus to protect his friends and family from the supernatural being, the “Boggin,” discover what happened to his birth parents, and try to help some spirits find peace by finishing their stories…
Interesting and creative plot--looking forward to the continuation of Marcus' story. :)
Marcus O’Mara is used to disagreeing with his adoptive parents; what he isn’t used to is being haunted! Why is a strange man in a bathrobe following him? Who is the creepy old lady and why does she keep telling Marcus to “Surrender the key”? When Marcus does come across an old, mysterious key, he discovers it has the ability to take him to a strange place called the “Library;” but it’s not just any old library—this Library is full of unfinished stories. Now it’s up to Marcus to protect his friends and family from the supernatural being, the “Boggin,” discover what happened to his birth parents, and try to help some spirits find peace by finishing their stories…
Interesting and creative plot--looking forward to the continuation of Marcus' story. :)
July 28, 2017
"No Dewey Decimal system here"
"Don't all books have endings?"
Great starting place for adventure whether you believe in ghosts or not, after all, libraries contain all sorts of mysteries - if you're willing!
I have a small issue with the boat threads being dropped into the story near the end. I also think Theo was convinced too easily. And, I don't see how these three became friends - usually if 2 or 3 'misfits' are close friends, there is some common bond. Minor issues.
And we just know that box won't stay at the bottom of the bay, and won't the boggin be REALLY angry once she discovers she's been tricked!
This is the perfect book to give to Goosebumps fans who are ready for the next step in their reading journey.
"Don't all books have endings?"
Great starting place for adventure whether you believe in ghosts or not, after all, libraries contain all sorts of mysteries - if you're willing!
I have a small issue with the boat threads being dropped into the story near the end. I also think Theo was convinced too easily. And, I don't see how these three became friends - usually if 2 or 3 'misfits' are close friends, there is some common bond. Minor issues.
And we just know that box won't stay at the bottom of the bay, and won't the boggin be REALLY angry once she discovers she's been tricked!
This is the perfect book to give to Goosebumps fans who are ready for the next step in their reading journey.
May 26, 2021
I am loving D.J. MacHales talent for writing more and more and I can't get enough.
I have always loved and will always love and be obsessed with Are You Afraid of the Dark. Tower of Terror has always been one of my favorite movies. And now...
I love Surrender the Key. It was such a GREAT read.
A movie, a tv series, and a book. He has serious talent that I am in love with.
The characters were great, the story was great, I loved the spin-off the folklore. The story was fast paced and it had a nice mystery.
I was wondering how it was going to end. I am just sad that there's still questions to be answered at the end but it's understandable considering the ending. I know that it will be answered in the rest of the books so I'm excited to find out what happens in the next two books.
I have always loved and will always love and be obsessed with Are You Afraid of the Dark. Tower of Terror has always been one of my favorite movies. And now...
I love Surrender the Key. It was such a GREAT read.
A movie, a tv series, and a book. He has serious talent that I am in love with.
The characters were great, the story was great, I loved the spin-off the folklore. The story was fast paced and it had a nice mystery.
I was wondering how it was going to end. I am just sad that there's still questions to be answered at the end but it's understandable considering the ending. I know that it will be answered in the rest of the books so I'm excited to find out what happens in the next two books.
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