Matt Monroe and the Secret Society of Odontology

Normally, I'm a huge fan of YA fantasy. I'm okay with reliving my (long-lost) teenage years vicariously through fiction. However, in this case, I found the story to be quite meh, and the writing to be stilted and derivative (derivative is fine if the book is well done, but stilted AND derivative is a slog). And, while the kids in the story were likable enough for the most part, none were truly memorable, and the adults were almost universally horrible, even the ones that were supposed to be the good guys.

This is not a very good book. According to his in-book bio, the author is a dentist who writes as a hobby. He read the Harry Potter series and was inspired to give youth fantasy a try himself.
What he has done is extremely derivative. When you read this book, you can clearly recognize the classic fantasy novel he's thinking of. There's Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and on. The basic premise of this book is pretty standard. A boy, Matt Monroe, discovers that, not only are mysterious forces threatening all of creation, but he is the "Chosen One" to fight for good against evil. He will be aided in his quest by a secret society of dentists (yes dentists)who have trained together for generations to fight in the show more coming great war against evil forces.
This could be absurdly fun and entertaining, but there is a meanness here. On more than one occasion, Matt's father (a dentist) is verbally abusive Matt's mom and it's presented as normal. Dad is correcting Mom. Matt and his brother treat their mother with disrespect routinely. The only girl in the book is Matt's mouthy, tomboyish friend who is put in her place. Taught to wear a dress, put on makeup and loose those darned glasses. Gotta look good for the boys.
In other words, I definitely would not recommend. show less

First of all, I wouldn't classify this as YA by any means, I would consider it junior fiction. It's important to know your target group. YA is usually much more sophisticated these days. I have to admit that I was skeptical for the first chapter or two. Even taking into consideration that this was for young readers, it felt somewhat choppy, some words not carefully chosen. I was determined to give it a chance though and before long the story began to flow more smoothly. This is a well told story of a small group of young people chosen to go into another dimension, a place called Paragon and travel to Odent city.

Strange events and mysterious objects and the prospect of a meeting of a secret society are found very early on in this book. show more At the meeting of The Brotherhood, Matt was told that he was the chosen one. Matt had a purer heart and more compassion he was told, and this is why he, and not the firstborn of his family was chosen to take this journey and do what had to be done. Josh and Katie were not just skeptical at first, but scoffed at the story they had been told. This did not last long after they entered Paragon.

This book is filed with secrets, other worlds and strange creatures. It is well suited for 9-13 year olds, or those who function at that approximate level. The children are the heroes and there are many adventures along the way. One thing that I found distracting and in fact annoying was the inclusion of all things related to dentistry. I thought it was unnecessary and at times off putting. I am not reviewing this as a book for adults, however, but a book for children. So assuming that at least some of the references will go unnoticed, I think this is for the most part, a good story. 3.5 stars if you are nine years old. show less

I made it to page 123 and had to stop because it became too ridiculous. At first, the mention of dentists, dentistry and teeth were very subtle or I just chose to ignore it. But what set me off to stop reading it was the white creatures were called Flouride and they were very strong. Now I get this is a children's book (I do read a lot of children's books) but definitely not the type I would read for fun. Maybe it would be good for a child to read this and learn about dentistry. Like I said in the beginning it did have promise... bigfoot monsters running around and ufos but when the kids go to Odont (i kid you not) and the town is shaped like a tooth ... yea no i'm good to move on to another book.

This was an interesting story. I never knew that I would be interested in odontology, I didn't even know what odontology was before reading this book, which taught be the definition and a fantastical meaning I enjoyed. It's always good when a book has a few words we don't know, especially if the book is outside your normal reading level, showing that everyone can learn something new every day. I think this book definitely deserved its award as well.

Great YA Novel That Mixes Fantasy With Mystery

Matt Monroe and The Secret Society is a great new YA novel that mixes fantasy with mystery.

Friendships, betrayal, and courage combine in this extraordinary story.

This is a great YA Novel that will excite readers who enjoy fantasy, mystery, and adventure.

Highly Recommended Read!!