Legend of Greg

Rylander, Greg. The Legend of Greg
June 12th 2018 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Thursdays are usually bad in Greg's world, and his health food owning father's world as well. But the Thursday when Greg goes to the zoo with his elite private school classmates is especially bad when a polar bear tries to attack. His teachers are angry, and no one seems to have noticed that his best friend Edwin seemed to mesmerize the bear into NOT attacking Greg. When his father, who has just come back from another quest for ingredients for his funky teas and soaps, is attacked at his shop and kidnapped, things are definitely not looking good. With the help of a family friend, Greg finds out a LOT of interesting things he did not know about his family situation. For example, he's really a dwarf. Yes, a Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, Gimli sort of dwarf! Not only that, but Edwin is an elf, and they are the sworn enemy of the dwarfs. In fact, it's suspected that Edwin's parents might be behind the kidnapping, so Greg is having a hard time trusting his friend. When he travels into the dwarfs' realm under the city of Chicago, he meets other dwarfs his own age, and is amazed at the instant rapport he has with them. His first order of business is to find his father, but if a cute girl can make him a dagger and help him with his mission, why not? Things turn out to be more dire than his missing father, and when the adults don't seem to believe them, the dwarf children, along with their assigned tutor, take it upon themselves to try to save the day. Things don't go as well as expected, setting up the start of a war that will take at least two more books to settle!
Strengths: Rylander has proven himself as a master of the middle grade adventure trilogy with The Fourth Stall and Codename Zero, and he certainly cements this reputation with The Legend of Greg. Even the chapter titles are hysterical, but despite all of the humor, I really felt like Greg's problems were serious and real. The trust issues with Edwin-- wow. Serious stuff, and really well handled. Plenty for my fantasy fans as well-- talking swords, quests, underground encampments. I thought about this one for quite some time after I read it. It's quirky, but in a way that middle grade readers will enjoy. Bonus points for the breakdowns of which celebrities are which type of creature. May I be an elf? I just really want to run the library at Rivendell. And wear pretty robes.
Weaknesses: This will not have quite the wide appeal of Rylander's other two titles, but will be fantastic for fantasy readers.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing and can't wait for the next book!