As you have probably noticed if you have followed us for very long, we love the Brady Street Boys series. We have been anxiously waiting for the publication of Book 9, the final episode in the saga of the Fitzpatrick boys during the summer holidays. When I got an email from Katrina Hoover Lee saying that she was nearly ready to ship the books, I was horrified that we had missed our chance to get an early copy of Surgery in the Swamp for review! I immediately emailed the author, and was delighted when she sent me a copy. When I told the children we would be starting to read the book that day, there were cheers.
Publisher’s description:
Gary Fitzpatrick feels hope slipping away. Learning the missing doctor who removed his leg is being sued, his heart plummets and he tells his dad it’s time to give up. But when his father reminds him of the value of temperance and staying steady, the intelligent boy takes a deep breath and rethinks his path.
Now ready to accept whatever awaits him on the hunt along with his siblings and his beloved uncle, the sensitive teenager resolves to finish the quest. And as the trail leads to the library, an apartment, and a surprising clue pointing to northern Michigan, he’s off on an exhilarating plane flight to embrace his destiny.
Will his journey’s conclusion bring joy and enlightenment, or will Gary find nothing but a dead end?
My thoughts:
Surgery in the Swamp is a perfect wrap-up for the series. All the loose ends were tied up, the boys completed their summer study of the Fruits of the Spirit, and there was even some romance, which took me off guard but I loved the way it was written. There were a lot of surprises; a number of things came to light that I was not expecting any more than Terry, Gary and Larry were. As with all the previous books, the boys respected their parents and did all they could to obey them. When their parents could not go with the boys on an investigatory trip, Uncle Aaron went with them. I really like the healthy family dynamics.
Although the boys (teenagers except for 12-year-old Larry) are carrying out the investigation, they are not acting as adults, but very much acting their age. And the surgery alluded to in the title? Well, that situation sounds entirely plausible! I can imagine my own sons getting themselves into a similar situation. In fact, everything in the series seems quite plausible—although so many exciting things don’t normally happen to one family in the span of nine weeks!
Katrina Hoover Lee has written a wonderful series for children, especially boys, although girls love these books, too. In fact, the families who regularly borrow books from our library like them so well that frequently there are no copies on the shelf. A couple of families are eagerly waiting for the last two books in the series to arrive here. I hope that she will continue writing middle grade fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links on this page may be affiliate links which help to support Esther’s website.
WARNING: Don’t read this if you can’t handle mentions of 1) rats and 2) blood.
Available from Amazon, in Kindle format, now, here.
Paperback available for preorder from the author here.
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