The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria -- Middle Grades Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you a humorous book that has some lessons built in about self-worth, friendships and so much more! The book is The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria by Adi Alsaid. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12 and will have readers laughing and enjoying the story!

From the Publisher:

Phineas and Ferb meets the Despicable Me series in this hilarious and heartwarming middle grade debut from acclaimed author Adi Alsaid about a wannabe hero who lives in a goofily evil kingdom where nefarious schemes abound.

Welcome to Nefaria, where nearly every day the kingdom faces another evil scheme.

Most are harmless, though, so the citizens of Nefaria simply learn to live with the latest hijinks and go on with their lives. This includes Bobert Bougainvillea, who is much more concerned with the fact that he seems to be invisible. From the teachers in his school to his classmates, almost no one notices Bobert, no matter how visible he tries to be. Then everything changes when Bobert follows his classmates to a cursed gumball machine.

Before he knows it, Bobert is sucked into one of Nefaria’s most villainous evil schemes, a plot that has been a long time in the making—too long, in the evil wizard Matt’s opinion. And retreating into invisibility this time won’t do, not when Bobert is the only one with the drive, knowledge, and—if his newfound courage doesn’t fail him—bravery to foil Matt’s plan.

From Me:

At first, I wasn't too sure about this book. I am not a fan of Phineas and Ferb or the Despicable Me series. Nefaria sounded a bit too crazy to me and I couldn't really make sense of Bobert's invisibility. But as I continued to read, I found the book more and more interesting. I wanted to find out about how Bobert's plans would work out. The wackiness of Nefaria aside, the book shares a tale about a boy trying to figure out friendships and self-confidence. There is an underlying message about Bobert's bravery as well as confidence and how those make him more visible. 

Now the kids will love the craziness from the gumball machine curse to Matt's crazy scheme to become king. Each turn is so farfetched and crazy but will entertain most kids. Along with the craziness though is messages about friendships and responsibilities. Bobert feels responsible and tries to be brave to help all the gumball machine curse victims to escape. And though many of them blame him for their predicament, he finds friends among them. Then there are his classmates that he was just forming a friendship with when he took the dare and got caught in the gumball machine. They don't remember him but have something of his and are determined to find and help him. They put their own lives at risk to find someone they cannot even remember exists out of duty and friendship. 

I love how their messages intertwined with the humor and fun. Even the great warrior of Nefaria has strong messages for Bobert and his friends. The book is fully humorous fantasy but the messages are for real life. We can make ourselves feel invisible by not being brave enough to talk to others. We can make ourselves lonely by ignoring others and not being kind or brave. Or we can try our best to help others and be brave enough to talk and care. This book has such strong messages mixed into the fun. I hope you will check it out!