Timothy Freshwater Und Die Unglaubliche Jagd Nach Dem Magischen Schlüssel

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman #2

by Adrienne Kress, Monika Hofko (Übersetzer)

Timothy Freshwater’s father can’t control him, his mother is always out of town, and now the boy too smart for his own good has been expelled from the last school in the city. After he meets Mr. Shen, a mysterious Chinese mailroom clerk at his father’s office, Timothy winds up in more trouble than he has ever gotten himself into. It turns out the diminutive Mr. Shen is a dragon. Forced to take human shape for a thousand years, Mr. Shen cannot resume his true form until he scales an ancient Dragon’s Gate during a festival for the 125th year of the dragon. Now Timothy finds himself Mr. Shen’s latest stalked by a ninja, and chased by a menacing trio of black taxicabs. And when Mr. Shen falls into the wrong hands, Timothy must rescue the dragon from a fleet of Chinese pirate junks. All hope seems lost until a strange-looking black brig with red sails called the Ironic Gentleman appears on the horizon. Relying on his own ingenuity and an annoying new ally, a girl called Alex, Timothy must take on the fleet and its evil commander, the Man in the Beige Linen Suit. Told in Adrienne Kress’s distinctive, sparkling prose, Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is a humorous and astounding story about a boy who ultimately uncovers his own ability to love and opens his heart to the world around him.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Adventure, Dragons

383 pages, Hardcover

First published January 13, 2008

About the author

Adrienne Kress is a Toronto born actor and author who loves to play make-believe. She also loves hot chocolate. And cheese. Not necessarily together.

2016 saw the release of HATTER MADIGAN: Ghost in the H.A.T.B.O.X., an exciting collaboration with NY Times bestselling author Frank Beddor (set in the same world as his Looking Glass Wars YA books). And April 2017 she releases the first book in her new Middle Grade series: THE EXPLORERS - The Door in the Alley (Delacorte, Random House).

October 2016 her essay appeared alongside work by the likes of Margaret Atwood and Mariko Tamaki in the non-fiction anthology THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS (Dark Horse).

She is also the author of two other children's novels: ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN and TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON'S GATE (Scholastic). And also the YA novels, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY (Steampunk Adventure from Dial Penguin, 2012) and OUTCAST (a quirky YA paranormal romance from Diversion Books, 2013).


Some more info about Adrienne: she is a theatre graduate of the Univeristy of Toronto and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in the UK. Published around the world, ALEX was featured in the New York Post as a "Post Potter Pick," as well as on the CBS early show. It won the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award in the UK and was nominated for the Red Cedar. The sequel, TIMOTHY, was nominated for the Audie, Red Cedar and Manitoba Young Readers Choice Awards, and was recently optioned for film. THE FRIDAY SOCIETY was nominated for a Quill Award, and has been optioned for television.

Oh, and the German title for ALEX is:
DIE HALSUBERKOPFUNDKRAGENDRAMATISCHABENTEUERLICHE KATASTROPHENEXPEDITION DER ALEX MORNINGSIDE.

No.

Seriously.

Find her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdrienneKress

On Instagram:
https://instagram.com/AdrienneKress

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrien...

Reviews

[Miss Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

It was not bad, per se, but truth is I was not loving it either.

I had a hard time feeling like I knew or cared about Timothy. He has behavioral issues, some of which can be attributed to the neglect of his parents, lack of discipline and his own intelligence not being challenged or directed toward something meaningful. Still, I expected a little bit more exploration of those issues and resolution and all we get is a token dinner. Alex and Timothy's "friendship" is barely existent. At what point did they really become friends? Could they have in the time allotted and what they go through together? Absolutely! It could have been great. But did we get to see a convincing story of that happening? We did not. So I am left wondering where that went and why suddenly Timothy considers Alex his friend when I felt like he has never really spoken with her, tried to get to know her or really let her in. The jacket makes this to-do about how the story reveals a boy who uncovers his own ability to love, and opens his heart to the world around him which is something I felt the book really did fail to show and that I really wanted to see. I wanted to see Timothy look at the world differently. I wanted to see him make friends and care about them. I wanted to see Timothy care! To see him feel something other than apathy or disgust or irritated or annoyed. The only time I felt any genuine emotion was with Mr. Shen. That was it.

And while there is humor, I would not go so far as to say that this is a particularly witty book, nor would I claim it has "sparkling prose".

Everything else on the flapjacket is accurate.

I did like that this picks up precisely after ALEX, the very next day.

I would still be interested to read more in this series.

[Nioniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning! Very, very mild spoilers!

Firstly - The ninja was Canadian! Yay!

Secondly - The villain's self-given name was The Man in the Beige Linen Suit! And really, how much cooler can you get than that?

Thirdly - The whole dragon thing was kind of wrong, and the dragon thing is kind of the whole idea of the book, which is unfortunate. BUT! Everything else was fantastic, so that's OK.

Fourthly - I loved how Timothy met up with Alex right after the events that happened in Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Very cool.

So! it's not quite as good as Alex, but very, very good nonetheless. And funny. And witty. And, you know, all of that.

[Kunj Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS about the book.


This is a really great book.

I say that because it has lots of details, and they are mostly all focused on the topic, which allows readers to visualize the book really well.

Also, there's the fact that Alex, from Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, comes back in this book for another adventure, which is a sudden twist in the story. It even makes some people think that Timothy and the Dragon's Gate is a sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, even though it might not be. Another part about this that interests readers is that Timothy meets up with Alex right after she defeats the old crew of the Ironic Gentleman, locks them up in the cellars on the ship, and starts to use the Ironic Gentleman as their own ship, since the HMS Valiant was damaged, and would have sunken by then if it wasn't for the inventor's water wings (which Timothy soon learned about), and the weight from the prisoners and their treasure chests would just end up making things worse.

Next, Adrienne Kress' writing is really unique because she sometimes goes off topic and talks about her thoughts and what's happening at the moment, and even though some people don't like when it happens too much, including me, it's still a really unique thing most authors don't do. Another thing is that she starts her chapter names with "In which...", and I've never seen authors do that with their chapter names. She still uses those styles in her most recent books, which were The Explorers Society books, but in those, most of her thoughts are in footnotes she wrote.

The book is action-packed, full of adventure, and includes lots of sudden twists that nobody would be able to guess before they read that part. It also includes lots of moments where there's a sudden story to the main topic and something funny happens.

If anyone were to ask me to give them a suggestion for a good book by Adrienne Kress, or just for any good book, Timothy and the Dragon's Gate would probably end up being my first suggestion.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy and the Dragon's Gate is a very exiting book. They try to get Mr. Shen to get back to his Dragon form. Mr. Shen is a dragon that got punished by his servants, and he is trying to get back to China because of his punishment ending on Lunar New Year. If he doesn't cross the Dragon's Gate by the end of Lunar New Year then he is stuck as a human forever. He is a servant of somebody and whoever has the key is his master, and Mr. Shen has to do everything that person says. His first Master is this person named Evan Bore, and Timothy tries to persaude him to give him the key. They get stopped a lot by this person named Emily, and she is a ninja. She tries to kill Timothy many times, but every time she fails. Emily finally gets the key by tricking Timothy onto a private jet to China, and she is flying it.
She takes the key off Timothy and kicks him out of the plane, but Timothy has a parachute. Finally, Mr. Shen gets back to China and through the Dragon’s Gate, and he turns back into a dragon. Above Timothy, his friends are fightining Emily and her boss. Timothy goes there, and Mr. Shen makes a windstorm and lightning. Emily gets fired, but she doesn’t really care.

[Jasmine Fogwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy and the Dragon's Gate had more direction than book one in the series and made for a more enjoyable read.The story moved along and the obstacles that were in the way made sense and aided in the characters growth, which were parts I found lacking in Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. I also liked how the two stories came together and added to the adventure.

[Ciclali · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book was not so great especially since there is not much to it like sad it's really dumb especially it does not give such a great example to kids Spoiler WARNING: Timothy gets into lots of trouble pulling pranks on his teacher and get suspend. that's not so great kids can read this and think its ok to do that so not so much great book but it had lots of drama to it.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know this was part of a series but it works well as a stand-alone. The narrator is annoying but the plot is solid.

[Childofwhonow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it and still love it whenever I reread it! I can't put it down! Its got adventure action family comedy all in one place! I recomend it especially for older readers

[Nichole Ostrander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pretty funny and this author has quite an interesting way of telling a story. This constantly told in the story tellers perspective; as if they were there and watching it all unfold. Mr. Shen is probably the best character I have ever read. I have not read the first book, but now I really want to. If you like adventure stories I suggest giving this one a chance.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Timothy Freshwater, 11 years old, has been expelled from the last school in the city. He’s played too many pranks and his teachers say he’s “too smart for his own good.” Since he’s now out of school, Mr. Bore, the CEO of the company his dad works for, recruits Timothy as his intern so Timothy can teach Mr. Bore how to make people like him. In Mr. Bore’s office, Timothy also meets Mr. Shen, a small Chinese man who happens to be an enslaved dragon. In order to free him so he can regain his dragon form, someone must steal a golden key from Mr. Bore and take Mr. Shen to China so he can pass through the Dragon’s Gate. That someone turns out to be Timothy, but it’s not as easy as he hopes because he’s being pursued by a Ninja and three mysterious black taxicabs.

Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is Adrienne Kress’s second children’s novel, following her debut Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate stands alone, but Alex, the heroine of the first novel, turns up somewhere in the middle of this story.

I read one third of Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate and then I called it quits. I had three problems with the book. I would have been able to get past one or two of them, but this particular triumvirate was just too much and I eventually decided that there are better ways to spend my time.

My first issue was that I disliked Timothy. He’s sullen, cynical, and completely disinterested in other people. All he wants to do is watch TV. He’s a brat. As far as I could tell, Timothy had no positive personality traits. Based on the blurb for the book, I was expecting Timothy to be clever, but I didn’t think he was particularly clever. The author tells us he is, but I think he only seemed clever in contrast to the adults we meet.

Which brings me to my second issue: the adults in the first third of the novel, without exception, are unbelievably absurd. With parents like that, it’s no wonder Timothy’s so obnoxious. And Mr. Bore the CEO taking advice about personality improvement from Timothy and asking him to plan a fancy party? Right. I’m sure Adrienne Kress meant for the adults to be ludicrous — there’s a quirky feel to the novel that often works — but this unpleasantness was just another brick in the wall for me.

Thirdly, though I usually think an intrusive narrator is fun, I didn’t like this one. He’s supposed to be drily humorous, but it wasn’t working for me. I just didn’t think these sorts of intrusions were funny: “The crazy man nodded that he understood, or maybe just nodded because he liked the sensation of nodding, and stood quickly.” I listened to the audiobook version of Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate, produced by Brilliance Audio and read by Christopher Lane. I could not tell if I just didn’t like the intrusive narrator in audio, or if it would have come across the same way in print. I did think Christopher Lane did a great job with the character voices, though.

Again, any of these issues by itself wouldn’t have kept me from continuing Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate — there were some parts that were delightfully quirky (e.g., the fish herder was hilarious) and I was interested in the female Ninja’s story. I feel certain that Timothy’s nasty personality would have mellowed and redeemed itself by the end of the book, too. But the journey wasn’t pleasant for me and I didn’t want to be around Timothy and all those stupid adults anymore, so I quit. I think I would have liked Adrienne Kress’s first novel, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, better.

[Shamsia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confieso que lo que me atrajo, en primera instancia, fue el título. Luego observé la tapa y me gustó más. Y el resumen terminó de convencerme. Parecía atractivo, en la superficie y en la profundidad, así que lo compré. Y, dada su relación calidad/precio, he salido ganando.

Al principio, Timothy, un nene inteligente, insolente y sin adultos que puedan darle los límites que necesita, es expulsado de la última escuela de la ciudad. Así que termina en el trabajo de su padre, donde su insolencia le termina ganando a dicho padre un buen rato de su jefe, y a Timothy un puesto como becario. Su jefe, el señor Bostezo, tiene un empleado que desentona con el resto, el señor Shen. Y, oh, caray, cómo desentona cuando sabe lo que es el realidad ese amable señor chino.

Así, Tomothy se ve arrastrado a una aventura que lo llevará hasta China, entre piratas, ninjas (¡la sobrecubierta miente!), taxis negros que no son lo que parecen (y sólo revelan sus objetivos al final), una madre ausente, un padre débil, una chica que ya ha tenido encontronazos con piratas y gente de lo más (aún) rara, como pastores de peces o millonarios locos.

Lo que más me ha gustado es la historia: si bien se nota que está escrita para personas de la mitad de mi edad, tiene cierto encanto que me atrae. En especial cuando la suerte acompaña de forma desmedida al protagonista, o cuando el peligro decide perdonarles porque, sin él, no habría historia. Sin embargo, en otras ocasiones Timothy tiene que esforzarse y salir de su zona de comodidad, y eso muestra que va cambiando de a poco.

Los personajes tienen sus altibajos: al principio el protagonista me resultaba odioso, pero conforme avanzaba la historia se fue mostrando más como el niño en busca de padres que le pusieran límites y estuviesen allí como adultos. Bostezo es infantil, el padre es una débil hoja muerta que arrastra el viento, la madre escapa a su sueño no realizado, y parece que todos los adultos a los que se les da un nombre tienen características exageradas, obsesiones raras o pasatiempos extraños. Y siempre parecen estar en el momento adecuado en el lugar adecuado. Pero es el señor Shen el que me ha decepcionado: siendo lo que es, debería actuar más como adulto y menos como un peso, a veces, muerto. Quizás se deba a su historia, pero no me termina de convencer que no sepa de cosas básicas que hasta un niño sabría. El saldo final es positivo, en especial en los últimos (e impresionantes) capítulos.

Si bien es un libro que incluye personajes e historias de un libro anterior de la autora, "Alex y el tesoro de la Laguna Roja", puede leerse sin problemas como tomo único.

[Myckyee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy Freshwater is a smart, cynical eleven year old who is almost too smart for his own good. After being expelled from the last school in town that would accept him, Timothy’s father brings him to work where Timothy meets the big boss, CEO Evans Bore and the company mail clerk, Mr. Shen. When timothy’s father leaves on a business trip, Timothy is left with a reclusive neighbour, Sir Bazalgette, a well-respected and famous architect. These three people, Evans Bore, Mr. Shen and Sir Bazalgette, then lead Timothy on the wildest, most unexpected adventure of his young life.

I read this book in three days and enjoyed every minute. It has all the ingredients of a rollicking good fantasy adventure story filled with bigger than life people, heroic heroes, colourful villains and non-stop action. The story flows from one madcap adventure to another as Timothy and his friends escape from their foes.

I’m happy to report that Timothy is not your typical ‘good boy’ character. I think that would be too boring. As mentioned before, he has a cynical side to him and his favourite word to any adult that tries to be condescending is ‘whatever’. There is plenty to like about his character, though, and that makes this story special.

Though Timothy and The Dragon’s Gate is a YA novel, adults can enjoy it as well. As a matter of fact, this book is littered with all sorts of clever and unexpected bits of humour that would appeal to many adults. From page 225:

Captain Magnanimous smiled and they all followed him down into the hold of the Valiant, where, in this case, the cells were completely filled with cutthroat pirates.
“And little old ladies?” whispered Timothy to Alex.
“Don’t get me started on them,” replied Alex, glaring at a group of five little old ladies in a separate cage who, in turn, glared right back at her.

This is a great ‘can’t put it down’ book for kids. And for those adults who loved the Harry Potter books – you'll love this one too!

[Melanie Au · Rating 3 out of 5]

How would you like it if every teacher you met was afraid of you? Timothy has been expelled from every school in his city. And he knows it's not really because he stuffed a student into a locker, put dog poo in a teacher's briefcase or organized a student protest. It's because he's smarter than adults and it scares them.
And so, Timothy ends up at his father's workplace instead of going to school and becomes (quite accidentally) the CEO's intern, with the job of helping the CEO, Evans Bore, understand why he has no friends. Things get even stranger for Timothy when his father goes on a business trip and he has to stay with his next door neighbour, Mr. Balzagette. It's then that Timothy learns that Mr. Shen, an employee of Evans Bore, is a dragon who has taken human form and is slave to anyone holds a magical golden key. The dragon's only way to freedom (and to return to his dragon form) is to walk under the Dragon's Gate in China with the person who holds the golden key.
Suddenly Timothy finds himself on a mission to get Mr. Shen back to China -- and stay alive. Mysterious black cabs are trying to run him over, ninjas and violent monks are following him -- and Timothy isn't even sure if he really cares about the dragon at all.
I think this would be a great book to recommend to kids looking for an "adventure" novel -- there's travel to new, unknown places, mysterious characters, a "quest" and the satisfying happy ending. And while there's also the usual changes in the protagonist -- Timothy discovers more about himself, learns to care for and accept others -- the book isn't overly didactic and doesn't resolve everything perfectly so that the plot line is slightly more believable. In general, I had fun reading this and found the writing and storyline quite good.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have any children. I've never really felt any desire to be a parent.

Every once in a while, though, I read a children's book and wish I had children I could read it to. "Timothy and the Dragon's Gate" is one of those books.

Young Timothy is a boy who is too smart for his own good. (Timothy, of course, disagrees with this assessment because, well, he's too smart for his own good.) He has managed to get himself expelled from every school in the city, leaving his father uncertain what to do with the lad. So, he takes his son to work one day. And there Timothy meets an elderly Chinese man named Mr. Shen, who is not what he seems to be... and Timothy is caught up in a number of whirlwind adventures.

This is an excellent follow-up to Kress' earlier children's novel, "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman". (It's not strictly necessary to have read "Alex" before reading "Timothy", but doing so greatly increases the enjoyment of the second story.) "Timothy" is funny, exciting and has a moral as our young hero learns a few life lessons (although the reader is not bashed over the head with this moral; it develops slowly, subtly and realistically).

If you've got those children that I never had, do them a favour and read this book to them. And "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman" while you're at it.

Heck, even if you don't have kids of your own, read them anyway. You won't be disappointed.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this story. My son loves the adventure and suspense. He regularly convinces me to stay in the car for an extra 20 - 30 minutes to continue listening (audio book version), because he just has to know what happens next. I admit I am also anticipating the next scene, and willingly let ice cream melt in the trunk just to hear it.


I love the main character. He is a boy who, hurt by the relational void with his parents and constantly being misunderstood (and constantly in trouble), has adopted an angrily ambivalent (is that contradictory?) attitude toward all other people. He is drawn into an unbelievable plight involving a dragon who had been cursed to be human, and finds himself caring very much about the destiny of this creature person - but cannot understand why.

As Timothy changes, the transformation is not full-on toughie turns to bleeding heart, which would be trite and would not fit with this story. He maintains many of his challenges, and several times vacillates between warmth and coldness. But his changes are real, and I find myself internally cheering the relationships that he manages to build along the way. The empathy that he builds comes with uncertain vulnerability, and there are times when my heart hurts with him.

This is a story that will stick with us for a long time. It may not be as epic as the Hobbit, but it is well worth picking up and spending time with it.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 2 out of 5]

Timothy Freshwater, 11 years old, has been expelled from the last school in the city. He’s played too many pranks and his teachers say he’s “too smart for his own good.” Since he’s now out of school, Mr. Bore, the CEO of the company his dad works for, recruits Timothy as his intern so Timothy can teach Mr. Bore how to make people like him. In Mr. Bore’s office, Timothy also meets Mr. Shen, a small Chinese man who happens to be an enslaved dragon. In order to free him so he can regain his dragon form, someone must steal a golden key from Mr. Bore and take Mr. Shen to China so he can pass through the Dragon’s Gate. That someone turns out to be Timothy, but it’s not as easy as he hopes because he’s being pursued by a Ninja and three mysterious black taxicabs.

Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is Adrienne Kress’s second child... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy’s Dad is at his wit’s end. Timothy has just gotten himself kicked out of yet another school. With nothing else to do, the boy hangs around his Dad’s work.

This is where the adventure begins. Timothy meets a man with a strange secret. It would seem his assistant, Mr Shen, is a dragon. What’s more, this dragon needs to get to China to the Dragon’s Gate, immediately. Unfortunately, there are a few challenges along the way, including pirates and the fact that no one seems to know how to get to the Dragon’s Gate.

Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is an exciting fun filled adventure. I highly recommend reading the author’s first book, Alex and the Ironic Gentlemen, before reading Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate as Alex and her friends make a very important appearance in this new adventure.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This unique follow up to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman continues the adventure but with a twist: the first half of the story focuses on Timothy Freshwater - a smart but sullen and uncooperative eleven year old. It is only in the second half of the book that Alex and The Ironic Gentleman show up. At that point Alex and Timothy team up and work together.

The style and sense of humor continues in this newest adventure, and the plot hook is equally creative, but I just didn't like Timothy as much as I did Alex. I understand Kress was trying to portray an 11 year old, but I have never been a fan of sullen and petulant adolescents and lead characters - it just gets old.

So while Timothy and the Dragon's Gate continues this series with a great sense of humor, and a good dose of adventure, it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the first book.

[Peregrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirates, a Canadian ninja, three menacing black cabs, a dragon in human form, a realistically flawed but still lovable main character, and a wonderful cross-country trek to save the day? Everything I expected plus more from the sequel of one of my favorite books.

It seems a lot of people didn't like Timothy. I can see why: he's got an attitude and is much more cynical than the amazing Alex. But I liked him. He was a realistic human being. And he does change towards the end.

The thing I love about these books is that they remind me of fairytales. The main character goes on a mission to rescue a friend from peril, meets a large cast of interesting characters on the way, and gets into all sorts of dangerous situations. Very much like a fairytale, only wackier and funnier and more exciting.

I hope I get to see more of Alex and Timothy someday!

[Jerm · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this one started off not being a sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, but then it was, so yay. Just as funny as the first one, without the weird, long, unsettling train ride.

Timothy has been kicked out of every school in the city, and doesn’t really know what will come next. As it turns out, it’s a dragon. But in human form. And he is forced to be the servant of whoever holds this gold key. Because he was a mean greedy dragon in the past. But now he’s a weird old Chinese guy. Anyway, if he gets to China and passes through the dragon’s gate by the end of the Lantern festival…he can be free again. Adventure ensues…

Worth every minute. And when Timothy finally meets up with Alex, it gets even better.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sullen, gifted, bored Timothy gets kicked out of the last school in the city. What's a parent to do? A frazzled father, with no help from star wannabe mother, takes Timothy to work with him. Now the adventures begin as Timothy meets a bespelled dragon and unwillingly goes on a quest to help the dragon break the spell. Along the way he encounters friends and foe, never always knowing which is wihich.

This is a fun, fast-paced book that I greatly enjoyed. Filled with adventure, humor, growing pains, and the obvious quests masking the lessons to be learned, this book is sure to engage and yes, even help teach a moral or two. "Whatever," Timothy would say, but readers will just laugh and ask for more.

[Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was good if you liked books about people who are just there to annoy others. The whole book Timothy was ignoring others and insulting others, and the insults weren't even good either. They say he's super smart, but every time something went wrong, he wouldn't even try to find a solution. And since he's ignoring everyone, nothing happens. When something does happen, he won't do anything. I found that Timothy was rude and obnoxious and when he tried to be funny, it failed. The book was a bad piece of writing with the only good part being close to the end and slightly amusing in other parts. To get an average rating of 3.73 means many people would have had to give fours. They must have been blackmailed.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman which I absolutely loved, and it was a bit of a disappointment.

It certainly wasn't bad, just a let down from Kress' first effort which was, what I believe, the archetypal children's book should be like. The main character was much less likable than Alex (much like how Harry Potter gets when he's going through puberty in book 5, except we don't have the history with Timothy to really care about seeing him through it), and the humor was just less good.

Read in isolation I probably would have quite enjoyed it, but as a sequel it was definitely not as good.

[Ji Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I thought that this book was a great sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Timothy is different from Alex and his personality is a different humor. More sarcastic. I thought it was similar to the first on certain things, which was fine, but in this one, the plot had a much better purpose. I thought this one lacked the more innocent kid storytelling in the first, but this one still had its funny moments. I really couldn't put this book down, especially since I was so excited for Timothy to meet Alex. I really hope this isn't the end, though if it is, it is a satisfactory ending. Overall, this series is so refreshing in how light, humorous, and simple the story is.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated this book. Timothy was a terrible child that no one could like. His attitude was beyond bad, it was out of character.

The fact that the author threw in characters from a previous book just to make a sequel didn't help.

Oh and don't forget that the adults acted like they were braindead uncaring people.

Sometimes it felt like the author tried to make her writing whitty or smart alicky to get the kids to like it but it turned readers off because it felt like a back talking teenager.

[Trelawney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to, in actuality, give this book two and a half stars, because it wasn't so bad as to garner a two, but also, wouldn't quite make three. Alex and the Ironic Gentleman was cute, witty, and highly enjoyable to read. I mentioned it to a few people, because I thought it was worth mentioning. However, its sequel did not live up to the first book. I felt this book tried too hard to be funny, and it just lost its appeal as a result. Shame really. :( Ah well, you can't win with them all I suppose.

[Keli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book slightly less than Kress' first book, but only slightly. She creates an honest young adult voice and bring the reader into a conspiracy. For example, when the adventurers have to walk for hours to reach the coast, she states that this part of adventure is boring and "let's just get to the pirates already." There was far less absurdism in this book than in "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman," but only a little. This book was a lot of fun and full of adventure.

[Kelly RAley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy is a very annoying, whiny, brat. I did not really enjoy him at all. In fact, I was almost rooting for the bad guys. Then the author finally had him meet Alex from her first book and it became tolerable again. I still enjoyed the writing style and Ms. Kress does a good job at moving the story along. This would be a great 9-14 yr old book for boys or girls. Nice and clean. (but I liked the first book better!)

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es kommt ja selten vor, aber ich habe es nicht geschafft weiter als bis Seite 40 zu kommen. Das Problem an diesem Buch ist die Hauptfigur. Timothy Freshwater ist hochbegabt, bereits von allen Schulen geflogen und geht einem einfach nur auf die Nerven. Er ist trotzig, gelangweilt und desinteressiert. Sein Vater, der langsam etwas verzweifelt ist kann einem nur leid tun. Ich hätte dieses Kind wahrscheinlich schon längst zur Adoption freigegeben.

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is thrilling, taking place at about the same time as Alex and the ironic gentlemen. This book reveals that Timothy is persistent to rescue his friends while facing multiple challenges, like escaping the trio of black cabs, or facing a group of ninjas. A thriller for all ages, seeing Timothy rescuing a Chinese dragon from a curse that he's been under for hundreds of years. Enjoy reading this book!