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Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises
Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises
Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises
Audiobook8 hours

Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises

Written by Peter Lerangis

Narrated by Johnathan McClain

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

New York Times Bestselling Series!

“A high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. The Colossus Rises is Lerangis’s most gripping work yet. Young readers will love this story. I can’t wait to see what’s next in the Seven Wonders series!” —Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series

Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in master storyteller and 39 Clues author Peter Lerangis’s epic Seven Wonders series.

The Colossus Rises is the first installment of the bestselling five-book series chronicling the story of Jack McKinley, an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die—unless he finds seven magic Loculi that have been hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Young readers will learn all about the history and mysteries of the ancient world while savoring this unputdownable story from first page to last.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateFeb 5, 2013
ISBN9780062234308
Author

Peter Lerangis

PETER LERANGIS is the author of more than 160 books, which have sold more than four million copies and been translated into 27 different languages, including two books in the ‘New York Times’ bestselling series ‘The 39 Clues’. He lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their two sons, Nick and Joe. In his spare time, he likes to eat chocolate. Lots of it. Seriously, he loves chocolate.

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Reviews for Seven Wonders Book 1

Rating: 3.948275818965517 out of 5 stars
4/5

174 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    ‘Twas the AWSOME of books.
    Very good book and I recommend it
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Read it in May 2016. OMG. the sleeper book of my year. thought it t was going to be eeehhh, but turned out to really captivate my attention rather quickly and seriously too. Can't wait to get into this series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In this Percy Jackson and Harry Potter readalike, we have Jack McKinley who after collapsing in the middle of the street, is taken to a strange hospital. The hospital is something out of a fantasy and is run by a professor named Bhegad. Jack finds out he is suffering from a genetic trait inherited from the prince of Atlantis. Jack is becoming too strong too fast and it is destroying him.Jack and his friends must go on a 'quest' to find seven Louli that were stolen and hidden around the world in order to save the world and themselves.Fun for all ages!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    middlegrade/teen fiction (action/adventure/humor/fantasy-superpowers). 4th-9th grades; protagonists are 13 years old. This was recommended to me by a middle-schooler who really loves this series. Fans of Percy Jackson will probably enjoy this too; if you are looking for a plausible plot or characters with depth, maybe try something else.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Read it in May 2016. OMG. the sleeper book of my year. thought it t was going to be eeehhh, but turned out to really captivate my attention rather quickly and seriously too. Can't wait to get into this series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although exciting and filled with adventure, I didn't like the idea that the adults are constantly withholding information from the select kids. There is a lot less historical information in this series so far compared to Rick Riodan's Percy Jackson series or 39 clues. Maybe Book 2 will go there.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was the first book in the Seven Wonders series and I have had it to read for awhile. My son (8 years old) and I ended up reading it together. It was a very fun and well done middle grade adventure fantasy. My 8 year old son and I enjoyed it a ton. There are, ironically, five books in the Seven Wonders series. The final book in the series, The Legend of the Rift, will release in March of 2016.Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with a desperate problem….he’s going to die any day now. Then he wakes up at the Karai Institute where he finds out he possesses a special gene that gives him superhuman powers...if he doesn’t die from it first. Jack, along with the other kids with this strange gene, need to find the seven loculi if they are going to cure their condition once and for all. The loculi just happen to be hidden in the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Thus starts a crazy adventure full of danger and magic.My whole family really enjoyed this book. It’s written in a snappy and witty style that moves fast, has some humor in it, and is exciting. The book features four main characters: Jack, Marco, Aly, and Cass. All of them have different abilities and strengths.I really enjoyed that the kids have to search out the Seven Wonders and deal with some interesting magical characters. We get to learn some of the history behind the Seven Wonders as well. Parts of the book have a tomb raider type of feel to them as well which I enjoyed.The book ends at a good spot and wraps up nicely.Overall this was an entertaining and fun adventure fantasy read. Fans of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull will enjoy this series as well. I enjoyed the snappy dialogue and history and that the book moved at a fast pace The characters are easy to relate to and the story is engaging and interesting. My son and I will definitely continue with the series. This is a series that both middle grade readers and adults can enjoy together!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    So far this series appears pretty action packed. I liked that it was based on Atlantis and I like the seven wonders angle. It felt like a complete story but left me with a bunch of questions that will lead to me reading the next book in the series; such as whether the doctor and the institute are villains. The kids all seem likable and I'm hoping we get some of the following stories from the other kids perspectives.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wow.

    That's pretty much how I was left feeling after this book. To say that it ends on a cliffhanger is a gross understatement. Luckily, it's one that has me jonesing for the next book in the series. Fall 2013 can't come soon enough!

    I had a completely different experience with this book. I chose it as a classroom read aloud for my fourth graders. The trick to picking a good read aloud is to get one that's the start of a series and one that will capture the students and make them demand more. A good read aloud can spark a love of reading in reluctant readers and get your casual readers to jump into more books.

    This one was PERFECT.

    It was really fantastic to read The Colossus Rises out loud and see the reactions of my students. To say that they enjoyed it would also be a gross understatement. They really love being read to, but with this one, they were begging me to keep going. I think they'd have gone for an all-day read aloud if we'd been able to swing it. They laughed, they cried (for real!), they shouted, they jumped out of their chairs...perfect reactions to this book, in my opinion!

    For me, I loved how Peter Lerangis pulled a genius move on us with the way he ended his chapters. Brilliant. It definitely keeps you coming back for more. They were absolutely perfect for ending as read alouds too, because my students were irate that we stopped! They just HAD to know more! A book that captures the interest of ten year olds like that is pretty darn awesome.

    I loved the story, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that he incorporated the ancient wonders. See, I'm a huge geek, and the ancient wonders are all over my geekish radar. I love learning more about them, and I've actually toyed with the idea of writing a series myself. Well, now I don't need to, because this book is the start of a fantastic series. I know I couldn't do the wonders any more justice.

    It's fast-paced, very appropriate for tweens, fun, and with characters that you'll come to love. I'm definitely ordering the next book in the series, and I may just read this one aloud again. My students will definitely thank me for it.

    4 Eiffel Towers
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Colossus Rises is the first of, presumably, seven books following the adventures of Jack McKinley and other "special" teenagers. How are these kids special? Well, apparently they have a hidden gene that unlocks special amazing and magical abilities inside them but also acts as a ticking time bomb to their own death in their mid-teens. This gene has been passed on through generations and links them to the highly advanced and magical inhabitants of the ancient city of Atlantis. The book series "Seven Wonders" refers to the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World with the "wonder" from the first book being the Colossus of Rhodes.From a high level summary the premise is reminiscent of Riordan's Percy Jackson or Kane Chronicles series or even similar to the Harry Potter storyline. Just as Percy Jackson or the Kane family are related to the mythical gods and goddesses from ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, the Seven Wonders series involves kids who are descended from the mythical Atlanteans. This book has a feel that is definitely similar in some ways to the tone and feeling of the Percy Jackson series but it is also definitely distinct and stands on its own.With The Colossus Rises, we are introduced to Jack on a normal but problematic school day. Within hours, he finds himself passed out and being attended to by the school nurse but quickly a new set of doctors arrive on the scene and he blacks out only to awaken in a strange facility called Karai Institute on an island in the middle of nowhere. Jack rightly assumes that he's been kidnapped and he is highly skeptical of the facility director Professor Bhegad. A group of other kids similarly 'kidnapped' try to help convince Jack of the reality of their genetic "disease" though as time goes on it's clear that the other kids aren't entirely happy with being kept in the dark by Bhegad and his cronies.Each of the kids have their own super talents and abilities as a result of their genetic disorder. Aly is the only girl in the group and she is highly technical and super in touch with technology or anything electrical. Marco is the super athlete who is graced with amazing physical prowess…not "superhuman" per se (he can't fly), but he is definitely stronger and has greater endurance than even your average super athlete. Cass is blessed with an instant photographic memory and high intelligence which make him a super navigator and great problem solver. Jack spends large chunks of the book trying to determine his own talent. Having him as the narrator and central character in the book serves well to help relate to children and teenagers who are reading this book and perhaps trying to figure out their own place in the world. Jack is smart and quirky but he's never quite sure of himself or what he should do next. As the book progresses, it's clear that his talent is that of helping glue the group together and act as a sort of leader or innovator. He also alternates between being a bit reckless and headstrong and being a little scared and overly cautious. This also feels realistic since it grounds him and keeps him from always rushing thoughtlessly ahead and not always pulling the group back.The plot focuses on trying to help "cure" the genetic oddity that each of the kids posses. Professor Bhegad has a treatment which slows the fatal effects but cannot fully stop the progress towards death. He theorizes that if the kids can find the seven magical "Loculi" scattered around the world, he may be able to cure them. Even as the Kurai Institute hunts for the Loculi, another group is seeking out these magical items with their own agenda…to use their power and take over the world. Thus begins a race against time as the kids try to find the Loculi before they each die but also to stop the global disaster that will occur if they don't find them.The writing is whimsical and fun. It felt like a younger read than the early Percy Jackson or Harry Potter novels, but that may just be me projecting the darker and heavier novels later in each of those series. The language and tone should definitely be accessible to a middle grader, maybe even down as young as 7 or 8 depending on their reading level. There is a lot of very casual, conversational language as Jack describes some of the crazy characters and ridiculous situations. The lighthearted narrative should help keep kids interested even during the lengthier descriptions of the science and history leading up to the plot.The simple writing is quick and accessible and makes for an easy, page-turning read. To a degree it felt like some of the plot went a little too quickly for me. There were short stretches of exposition or description and then suddenly the plot would jump ahead by leaps and bounds very quickly. I think this breakneck pace is great especially for keeping kids interested and involved, but I worry that perhaps it loses some depth of plot or information as a result. I didn't feel confused or anything like that. I was just left wanting a little meat to the story.Overall this is a fun, kid-friendly adventure and a promising start to a new fantastic series. The quick pace and fun writing should appeal to younger readers and up through middle graders and teens. Adults may find some of the storytelling a bit light but it's definitely an enjoyable read and a good way to share reading time with your kids. I look forward to learning more about the Loculi and finding out how Jack and his friends find the other Wonders of the World.****3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Percy Jackson fans will love the first book in this new series!Jack is living an ordinary life until the day he collapses and wakes up in a place that is isolated from the rest of the world. He has no chance of ever going home because it turns out that he's inherited a genetic trait that will kill him without regular treatments. His only hope - and the world's - is for he and his friends to find seven magic Loculi that were stolen and hidden all over the world before the wrong people find them and use them for evil purposes.I really enjoyed this fast-paced book and look forward to the second installment later this year. The characters were likeable, though I'm looking forward to learning more about them and seeing what their next adventure will be.Also great for fans of these series: Charlie Bone, Harry Potter, Children of the Lamp, Heroes of Olympus, and the Kane Chronicles.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had already become a fan of Peter Lerangis after reading his contributions to the 39 Clues but it is so hard to come up with that next big thing in a kid's series. The Seven Wonders will be that next series! It has all the magic ingredients - action, quirky characters, witty dialogue that speaks to kids and an over the top mythical twist. Jack wakes up one morning and after a horrific accident ends up in a hospital in a secret location. With him are three other kids who share his upside down V tattoo and special talent. After an unsuccessful attempt at escaping the kids think that there may be something to what the professor has been telling them. The group must travel to the Seven Wonders of the world where mythical beasties await and danger looms large on every page. Fans of Percy Jackson and Lisa McMann's The Unwanteds this is your next book!