Book Review: The 4midables – Who Are They?

The first book in this series, which I reviewed here, THE 4MIDABLES: How They Came To Be, was generously laden with geography and culture lessons. While Who Are They? certainly has that too, what it really leans into are thrills, action, and mystery, especially the rising curiosity of the world regarding the identity of who everyone is calling the “Robin Hood Heroes”. It’s an action and intrigue thrill ride that even James Bond would raise an appreciative eyebrow to.

A unique aspect of this series is the author’s pledge to give readers an alternative to violence-filled stories. He’s certainly done a great job of that, amping up the excitement and intrigue without going into the gory details. As a bonus, he’s also woven into the stories all sorts of information about world culture, technology, nature, history, and more. Readers will not only be entertained, they will seamlessly become smarter, too!

One standout scene for me featured Madison trying to make the winning goal to clinch the season for her high school soccer team while at the same time listening via DAC (digital audio chip) earbuds to her friends as they worked to bring some hijackers to justice. She stayed in tune with their actions as she raced up and down the field. The tension during this scene was tight enough that I literally had white knuckles as I read it.

When the “Robin Hood Heroes”, as the mysterious crime fighters have been nicknamed, continue their success streak, the world notices. The President of the United States and other country leaders, every major news service, and just regular people all share one thing in common. Everyone wants to know… Who ARE they?

I only have one small nitpick. I would love to see the frequent use of “little white lies”, or “LWLs” as the characters have nicknamed them, treated more seriously. I understand that the characters have to lie often as a consequence of their top-secret adventures, and the kids probably find it fun and exciting to make up stories to cover their actions. But when their parents also deliver their own “LWL’s” with playful grins and winks, I feel like a learning opportunity may have been missed. Perhaps the author could address this in adventures to come.

All in all, I really enjoyed the adrenalin rushes that came at a satisfyingly frequent pace. I’m certainly hoping we’ll be able to travel the world again on more crimefighting missions with Madison, Ethan, Maya, and Rafael. Besides, I’m going to need to know what Kynsor, their nemesis, is going to try next. In the meantime, I’ll try to grow my fingernails back out to a good nail-biting length again.

Learn more at THE 4MIDABLES official website.