I was enjoying this quite thoroughly ... right up to the last fifth of the book.

Until then I delighted in being treated like I actually have a brain. But then author apparently recalled that he was writing for children - and down it crushed like an anvil.

The plunge from being treated like an intelligent being to being regarded as a nitwit with half a brain was most jarring.

I am offended at such an insulting treatment of my person.
I'm definitely holding a grudge here. *glares most balefully*

If you disregard the offending shift in attitude...
This was a fun and engaging read. Jaxter is a wicked awesome protagonist. And I definitely loved the Grimjinxes and their quirks.

It's a 3.5 read but I'm giving it a 3.0 because of the jarring disappointment suffered by my person herein.

I will, however, give the next books in the series the benefit of a doubt. But I will not be reading them just yet, I don't think. ( )

What happens when the fate of a town rests on their most notorious family of thieves? Will 12-year-old Jaxter manage to save them all? ( )

A most enjoyable fantasy read. The plot proceeds at breakneck speed, and embraces coincidence with a Dickensian insouciance. ( )

This is a 2014 Lone Star selection. It’s a fun, fantasy novel and book one of a planned trilogy.

The Grimjinx clan are a famous thieving family. They go back centuries and have a printed lore within the family. Jaxter is supposed to be a thief, but he’s really just too clumsy. In his first “solo”-ish mission, he catches the house on fire. He can’t pickpocket well or climb anything. He is, however, very smart and can use plants and herbs for all types of purposes, even to disenchant a lock.

Vengekeep has a yearly tapestry that were all spun way long ago that is supposed to foretell the future of Vengekeep each year. The new tapestry shows that the Grimjinx will save Vengekeep from horrible disasters in the coming year. Needless to say, the people are skeptical until fire comes crashing from the sky. The Grimjinx clan is confused b/c they faked the tapestry. How could anything on it come true? Once they realize what happened, they really do have to save the town. The only way is for Jaxter to make a concoction to dis-enchant the tapestry. He’ll need to travel over several lands to collect the plants and other materials needed, make the solvent, and return in a limited time.

Jaxter has befriended Callie who becomes an excellent pickpocket, as taught by Jaxter’s little sister. She refuses to let Jaxter leave without her. The two of them set out. Their adventures remind me of Percy Jackson. Both has a limited amount of time to get an “impossible” task accomplished and lots of people and circumstances make it seem like the task cannot be accomplished in the time needed. ( )

Jaxter Grimjinx is a thief. In fact, members of his family have been thieves for generations. But Jaxter has a problem: he's clumsy. So clumsy, in fact, that he manages to set a house on fire during his first real heist. Jaxter's bumble lands his family in jail, until an all-too-convenient prophecy arises, featuring numerous disasters set to befall the city of Vengekeep, and naming the Grimjinx family as the city's only possible saviors. It's a con, of course, created by Jaxter's mother . . . but then the prophecies start coming true. Can the Grimjinx family save the city -- and live to tell the tale?

This story is simply a lot of fun. There's humor, mystery, and adventure. I particularly like the way that the story plays with the "Child of Prophecy" trope that is so popular in juvenile fantasy, since the prophecies in question were created (and inadvertently brought to life) by one of the main characters. Highly recommended to fans of juvenile fantasy! ( )