Book Review: The Fourth Stall Part Two by Chris Rylander

Title: The Fourth Stall Part Two
Author: Chris Rylander
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pages:281
Rating: 9/10

This is the second book in the series out of two so far.

In this book, Mac, the school detective, just started a case that would test his bravery, trustworthiness, and friendship. It all started with a girl named TrixieVon Parkway, who had just arrived in Mac’s school. Her problems started when she dated this guy in her old school. Trixie didn’t like the boy at all. She though he was such a loser, so she dumped him. Her ex-boyfriend’s dad, Mr. Kjelson, worked at Trixie’s old school. He did not like Trixie dumping his son, so he started giving Trixie detentions. She thought this was really unfair. Finally Trixie moved, and she thought she escaped  her ex-boyfriend’s dad.

After she moved, Mr. Kjelson moved with her and took a job at Trixie’s current school.  Now Trixie wants Mac and Vince to get Mr. Kjelson off her back. The problem is that Mr. Kjelson is a nice person and Mac doesn’t know who he should trust. Along with Trixie’s problem, a person from Mac’s district, Dr. George, has come to discipline the school. He has made a new end of the year exam that is supposed to be harder than the previous exams. It is called the SMART. Everybody is really nervous about these tests. They want Mac to get the answers for the SMART. Can Mac and his friends solve Trixie’s problem along with helping his schoolmates get the answers for the SMART?

My favorite character in this book is Mac‘s friend, who helps Mac solve Trixie‘s problem. His name is Tyrell. Tyrell is so sneaky and cool it makes me laugh a lot. The role that Tyrell plays in this book  makes me understand the story more. I like him because he can gain a lot of information for Mac by lurking in the shadows. For example, Tyrell spies on Dr. George so he could get information about the SMARTs. Also, I like the gadgets that Tyrell has in this book. It makes him seem more mysterious and cool. Another reason why I like Tyrell is because he helps Mac a lot. When Mac asks for help he never says no. Also he is never afraid to take up a challenge. For example, he isn’t afraid to break into the school with cameras watching his every step.

I liked this book a lot because of the illustrations on the front cover. I think it really looks cool. Along with illustrations I like the font decoration for each chapter. I also like the descriptions in this book. It made me feel like I was in the book. For example, when Mac and his friends are in the lunchroom, I feel like I am right next to them eating my lunch.  Another reason why I liked this book was because of the plot of the story. It was very well thought out.  I also thought that the characters were creative. Mac and his friends use whatever they can to benefit them. They turn junk into treasure by thinking out of the box. In the book some questions remained unanswered. I think Chris Rylander should have answered these questions because some parts were hard to understand. It would have helped me comprehend the book better. Over all it was a fantastic book. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in mysteries.

Book Review: The Fourth Stall

Title: The Fourth Stall
Author: Chris Rylander
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pages: 314
Rating: 9.5/10

This book is the first book out of two.

In this book, a boy named Mac has his own business that he runs with his friend Vince. The business solves problems that other kids in his school have. Then one day, a boy named Fred comes to Mac and Vince’s office with a problem. He says that a boy named Staples is running a business in which people bet on things like who would win a basketball game. Fred was working for the business at the time, but decided that he did not want to be a criminal anymore, so he ran away. Fred said that Staples was going to come after him, and that he needed protection. Mac did not believe what Fred said, at first, because Staples was supposed to be a legend in school. He was thought to be smarter than the teachers. Mac didn’t want to help but he knew he had to do what his client said.  Mac needed staples out of his school. Can Mac defeat the mighty Staples?

My favorite character in this book was Mac.  Mac was my favorite because he kept on persevering. He stayed on his case even though he didn’t think he would be able to do it. Also I liked Mac, because he was really brave, like during the book Mac took on Staples even though Mac knew Staples was strong and had many people working for him. Also, he is brave because he and a couple of little kids  fought Staples head on. Also, another reason why I like Mac is because his personality is alike to mine. He likes sports and I like sports. I felt a strong connection to Mac. I think Mac was a very well thought out character. He had a deep personality which gave the story some life. He created the whole picture in this book.

I love this book for many reasons. First of all, Chris Rylander describes the story well. He gives it a lot of color and made sure that the reader didn’t get confused at all. I understood the book right away.  Another reason why I liked this book was because of the characters. The characters were very well described. There personality was really good. I think Chris Rylander filled them with life. The best character was Mac followed by Vince and then Fred. I also liked the suspense in the book. My teacher read this book as a read aloud in school. When he would finish a chapter we would beg him to read more and more because we really wanted to know what would happen after. All in all I liked this book very much. I would recommend this book to people who like detective books.