About This Book
Reach for this book when your middle-grade reader is seeking a high-stakes adventure that balances fantastical mystery with deep emotional stakes. While the plot involves a race against time to save the characters' lives from a rare genetic condition, the story serves as a powerful metaphor for finding agency when facing circumstances beyond one's control. It is an ideal pick for children who enjoy puzzle-solving and ancient history but are also ready to engage with themes of mortality and the importance of choosing your own family. It offers a blend of Indiana Jones-style action and a poignant exploration of what it means to truly live when time is limited. Parents will appreciate the focus on collaboration and resilience, though they should be prepared for the characters to face genuine peril and the heavy reality of their medical diagnosis.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
DISTRESS: The central premise involves children facing a terminal diagnosis. While presented through a sci-fi lens, the "ticking clock" of their impending death could be distressing for sensitive readers or those dealing with real-life illness. There are scenes of intense peril, including being chased by shadow creatures and navigating lethal traps. CONVERSATION: Parents should be prepared to discuss the ethics of the Karai Institute. The organization essentially holds the children's lives in the balance to ensure their cooperation. It is a good opportunity to talk about consent and what makes a leader trustworthy versus manipulative.
Ideal Reader
A 10-year-old who loves mythology and escape rooms but is also starting to ask bigger questions about legacy and what makes a life worth living.
Parent Prep
Prepare to discuss the moral ambiguity of the Karai Institute’s methods and the complex power dynamics between the adults and the children. A child character collapsing or showing physical symptoms of their life-threatening condition.
Age Experience
Younger readers will focus on the cool gadgets and historical puzzles. Older readers will pick up on the nuanced mistrust between the kids and the adults who are supposedly trying to save them.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many quest fantasies where the goal is to save the world, this story is deeply personal: the kids are primarily trying to save themselves.
Read plot summary
Jack McKinley discovers he has a rare genetic trait that grants him extraordinary abilities but will kill him within months. He is taken to the Karai Institute, a secret facility where he and three other teens are trained to retrieve seven ancient orbs from the Seven Wonders of the World. In this installment, the team heads to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to face shadows, puzzles, and the looming threat of their own mortality.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The Karai Institute tells the kids they are saving them, but they also keep them isolated. Do you think the scientists are heroes or villains?
2
If you knew you only had six months to live, would you spend it on a dangerous quest to find a cure, or would you stay home with your family?
3
Which of the four friends' special abilities would you want to have, and how would you use it to help the group?
4
Jack often feels like he has to be the leader even when he is scared. What is the difference between being fearless and being brave?
5
How do the different strengths of Jack, Cass, Aly, and Marco work together to solve the puzzles in the Hanging Gardens?
