seizure

seizure
virals series #2
kathy reichs
ya/scifi/supernatural
razorbill
published 2011

Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack! But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it!

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble . . .

First of all, I've just got to say it, this was a huge Goonies rip off.  Now, I'm not saying this is a bad book, and I think she even makes a reference to the movie at one point, but really, it was Goonies.  The kids are all going to have to move away from each other and they have a chance to save their homes by finding a pirate treasure.

And while we're on the subject, Tory is just a bitch.  She believes that because she thinks it should be done it doesn't matter how it gets done and everyone should follow suit and do it with her.  Legal or not.  She believes everyone should just bow down to her whims, she lies to her friends, acts like a spoiled brat to her father and uses anyone she sees fit.  She has absolutely no respect for anyone but herself.  She's constantly rewarded for her crappy behavior and attitude.  When it comes to female heroines she's the absolute worst.

It's obvious that Kathy Reichs doesn't normally write for teens.  She's toned down the science talk.  Enough that you're not lost in technical information, but not so much that she's saying 'readers are dumb' which is nice.  But she doesn't quite have a grasp on how 14 year-olds operate.  They're all sort of caricatures of teenagers.

With all that being said, Seizure is a good book.  It's exciting and suspenseful with that bit of adventure thrown in for those who want a little more bite with their YA reads.