The Navel of the World by P.J. Hoover

At the end of summer school last year Benjamin Holt had one outstanding homework assignment – to find his two missing brothers. The thing is, Benjamin has no idea how he is ever going to accomplish this, especially since he won’t be in Lemuria for a long while. What perplexes him even more is the fact that he and his brothers are the three people that keeps the worlds in balance. This news is almost too much for him to bear, especially since he is so young, but it also pushes him farther to find the whereabouts of his brothers.

Over spring break Benjamin gets the opportunity to intern at his father’s law office where he finds a mysterious file with his name on it. The only problem with the file is that he can’t read it as it is in ancient Lemurian, but at least he has some sort of clue. When he finally arrives back in Lumeria he is greeted by his telegen pals, continuing on with their studies, along with learning the art of time travel. With this new power in stow the Emerald Tablet Alliance sets off across the earth in search of the missing brothers.

Goodness these books are good! They are so jam packed with adventure that it is hard not to love them. With the combination of the great plot and characters, along with the flawless writing it was quite difficult to put the book down. The world that was created – Lemuria – was so cool – as in I was it was real. What was even better about Lemuria was it felt real. You could hear the footsteps on the path and bell jingling when the characters walked into a shop.

The characters were also very interesting. Benjamin was so determined to find his brothers that I felt myself cheering for him along his journey – which sounded like a lot of fun! Also the characters just clicked together. It was interesting to see their relationships unfold and again it was very real. The ending was probably the best part of the book. It made my heart race with anticipation, which I never wanted to end. Sadly it did though, leaving lots of room for the next book.

This book is definitely one suitable for anyone looking for adventure and fun. I compared the first book, The Emerald Tablet, to the Percy Jackson series, but after reading this book I dare say that they are better! I cannot wait to read more from PJ Hoover as she is absolutely fantastic, and I urge everyone, young or old, to pick up a copy and see for themselves how cool Lemuria is!