Staunton, Ted. Jump Cut. (Seven the Series.)

Staunton, Ted.  Jump Cut. (Seven the Series.)   Orca  219p  $9.95 978-1-55469-947-6      2012 ms/hs (hi-lo)  VG       Mystery/Detective

Spencer loves all things related to movies and hopes to work in the film industry once he finishes school.  When his grandfather dies, the will specifies that Spencer will receive money to purchase a top-of-the-line camera.  He is also ordered to kiss Gloria Lorraine, a retired movie star, film the kiss, and tell Gloria that the kiss is from his grandfather.  Once he finds Gloria at an old-age home, the hilarity and hijinks begin.  Gloria, not as doddering as she seems, commandeers a car not belonging to her and has Spencer drive away.  In the trunk there is a man with mob connections who is sprawled on top of packages of baker’s sugar (or is it packets of drugs?).  On Gloria’s orders, Spencer picks up Gloria’s granddaughter, who is wearing a police ankle bracelet .  This unlikely set of comrades covers a lot of ground as it travels to a remote Canadian town where Gloria and Spencer’s grandfather once had some sort of connection.  Along the way, they face all sorts of dangers, from people tracking the shipment in the Cadillac’s trunk to blood-sucking insects.  Whether young readers will “get” Gloria’s many malapropisms related to the history of film or not, this madcap adventure will appeal to those who like action novels, mob-related novels, or road-trip novels.  This is a first-class read about loyalty, first love and life imitating the movies.  

Seven the Series contains easy-to-read adventures of seven cousins, all undertaken to satisfy a grandfather’s will.  Each is written by a different author, with very different plots and unique personalities.  They are great for those who like adventure and action novels, in grades 6-10.   

Road Trips–Fiction, Adventure-Fiction                      --Lois McNicol