Graysen Foxx and the Curse of the Illuminerdy by J. Scott Savage, illustrations by Brandon Dorman

Graysen Foxx and the Curse of the Illuminerdy: Volume 2 (Graysen Foxx School Treasure Hunter) by J. Scott Savage, illustrations by Brandon Dorman
Publisher:  Shadow Mountain 
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   256 pages
Publishing:   January 2nd, 2024
Source:  Edelweiss +

Opening Line:  "Disguises come in all shapes and sizes."

The Curse of the Illuminerdy is the second book in the Graysen Foxx School Treasure Hunter series.  In the current book, Graysen attends Ordinary Elementary, which on the outside is just well ordinary.  Inside the school, however, is a very different story.  There are secret passages, hidden chambers and treasures, which Graysen the resident fifth grade archaeologist/ explorer hopes to find.  Assisting him are his two third grade treasure hunters in training and best friends, the twins Maya and Jack Delgado.  Currently they are in search of a creepy old painting that they hope to use to win the school's Halloween room decorating contest.  Along the way they come across an old spelling bee medal with mysterious writing on the back, but just as they are going to search further into the message an acrobatic clown steals their prize.  Just who is behind the theft?  Is it the Doodler and his sixth-grade gang?  Graysen's archnemesis, Raven Ransom? Or is it the second-grade spy network?  While following the clues, Graysen and his friend's cross paths with a secret society of super smart nerds called the Illuminerdy who put them to the ultimate test.  Will they be able to meet the challenge, or will they suffer The Curse of the Illuminerdy?    

I've had the pleasure of reading J. Scott Savage's The Lost Wonderland Diaries and Mysterious of Cove series and was instantly intrigued by his latest series about a school filled with treasure hunters.  It has a sort of Indiana Jones vibe that instantly appealed to me.  The Curse of the Illuminerdy was a really fun book, full of excitement and action.  Having this set inside a school lends itself to some interesting and fun adventures.  Who knew that they'd be riding on projector carts while using an abacus to navigate the turns?

There were many clues for Graysen and his friends to follow and puzzles to solve that took them all around the school, from the girl's bathroom to the bell tower and even face to face with alligators in a swimming pool.  I really enjoyed the math word problems and learning about Napier's Bones, an ancient way of multiplying numbers.  The story has a strong emphasis on teamwork, cooperation, and the valuable lesson that we all make mistakes from time to time, but the key is what we can learn from our mistake.  I also enjoyed how the story highlighted each kids' unique ability be it music, math, science, engineering, chemistry, computer programming or history.  And that by working together they were able to complete the puzzles.  I would recommend this to any adventure seeker who is interested in treasure hunting or for someone who just wants a good laugh.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the illustrations by Brandon Dorman, which were fabulous in capturing the action and main characters.  

**A huge thank you to Shadow Mountain for approving my request on Edelweiss+**