The Seventh Level Book

"Each step gets him closer to greatness . . . or disaster." The quote from THE SEVENTH LEVEL by Jody Feldman basically sums up a seventh grader, Travis Raines, who always seems to be in the midst of trouble. But if he wants to be the school soccer team captain and stay out of detention, he will have to ease up on the trouble making. Easy enough... until a mysterious blue envelope appears in his locker. It could be the Legend, a secret school club, or someone trying to get him in more trouble. When he decides to follow the instructions, he finds himself closer to the truth about the all famous Legend than ever... but at what cost? The story, taking place at Lauer Middle School and being told by Travis, has you on your toes until the very end.

One thing I really like about this book is that it is set in realistic fiction helping you relate to Travis and his struggles throughout the novel. It is also relatively new being copyrighted in 2010 allowing a even better understanding of the plot. The characters of this story really bring it together. It follows Travis and his two friends Matti and Kip and the insidious school bully Randall. As the plot moves forward it unfolds into Travis' group versus Randall and his. But when Travis gets a mysterious blue envelope, he is turned to hiding things from his friends and telling lies. You see, the Legend is very secretive and many rules have be followed.. including keeping things from his friends. As he sets on down the Legend path he learns many truths about Randall and learns that his friends might just know a little more than he thinks they do.

As he gets more and more envelopes, the challenges seem to be less school appropriate. The book is designed for puzzle solvers. The Legend test are all puzzles and the constant change in them keeps you thinking. Travis has so much conflict going on its hard to keep track. His internal conflict is should he trust that the envelopes are actually from the Legend. As the story goes on he seems to believe they aren't from the Legend more and more. The external conflict is obviously Randall who is always a threat and might tie in with the mysterious new envelopes. This creates an ever changing antagonist versus protagonist plot.

Although I really liked this book, there are a few arguable points within it. Some people might say it is a kiddy book and it's all puzzles and games. I believe that it is very mature and even gets into crime. I find it crazy how something like a school club could lead to a scene from a Sherlock Holmes book. Another reason someone could be ambiguous of whether or not to read it is they might think it is boring. However the book is a never-ending puzzle and has many clever twists of the plot. When jealous kids get involved with a private school club, its definitely not boring but more action packed and surprising.

Overall, the small problems of this story don't amount to anything. THE SEVENTH LEVEL is a great book for creative thinkers and mystery readers. It is also a good read for people who can relate to characters and a good antagonist. Jody Feldman has many other great books and I hope to read more of them. I strongly exhort you to learn more about this book and even read it yourself!