Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex

A Superhero High School Adventure

By: Carole P. Roman

Narrated by: Dan McGowan

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Templeton Academy, the superhero high school, is finally open! The prestigious academy is recruiting the best of the best to enroll in its student body. The school is as mysterious as it is exclusive. Grady Whill thinks there is nothing special about him to make the grade. However, his best friend, Aarush Patel, has been selected and thinks Grady has the right stuff. Even school bully Elwood Bledsoe is attending. If Grady is fortunate enough to be picked, his guardian has forbidden him to attend. Will a family secret prevent Grady from becoming the superhero he was destined to be?

©2022 Carole P. Roman (P)2022 Carole P. Roman

To me, this is better than the Harry Potter

Grady was orphaned at a very young age with the death of his parents. His paternal grandparents raised him in his early years when both of his grandparents died and now he was the ward of his young uncle Leo, who was barely past his teens himself. Leo was good to Grady who made many sacrifices to take over the role of parenting, but they had a faulty relationship.

Grady’s best friend, Aarush, was autistic but a perfect friend for Grady. Grady’s former friend, Elmo, had become the Middle School bully. Of course, Aarush and Grady were objects of Elmo’s bullying. Now, they were finishing Middle School

The prestigious Templeton Academy- the superhero high school had very limited acceptance. Only the most unique and highly intelligent students were accepted. Arush would easily get accepted and he insisted that Grady apply also. Grady was not unique or special. Besides, his uncle assured him they could never afford it. He mostly resigned himself to the fact he’d probably be left behind in a mediocre high school, while his best friend moved on to the Acadamy. How could he possibly get into the same prestigious Academy?

The Prologue was a little disconcerting to me. I felt this was not going to be that great of a book. However, as it continued on, it grew in quality and adventure. It addressed so many real problems that are faced by youth. It was very realistic in a “superhuman” way.

The traumas and actions continued to build as mysteries unfolded. There were a few surprises.

The characters were well-defined and realistic. The scenes were portrayed quite well. Most were easily visualized.

Although this is a fantasy that has been compared to the Harry Potter series, I feel this is a much better and more realistic series.

Narrator Dan McGowan did a very good job of narrating. He had the energy, was quite consistent with the “voices” and emphasized in all the right places which enhanced the story.

Because of the prologue and a few scenes toward the end of the story that I couldn’t connect with I cannot give it a full Five Stars rating. However, I do give it a Four and a Half Stars rating.

This audiobook was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review.

An adventure teens will enjoy

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy from iRead Book Tours. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Grady and his best friend, Aarush, want to go to the new Templeton High School, but Grady didn’t finish applying, so he knows he has no chance. Until he’s accepted because Aarush filled out his application. Unfortunately, Grady’s bully makes into Templeton as well.

When they arrive at Templeton, things aren’t the same as at a “normal” high school. The codex is very important, and they are told that it will unlock the secrets to the universe. I like the first rule of the codex: failure is good. Once they learn what that truly means, they’ll start on the second rule.

Grady realizes that some people have special gifts. He wonders what his is. The curriculum is grueling and there are a lot of secrets that come out throughout the first year at school. It’s an exciting and strange school that middle school readers and young adults will enjoy.

The students are all unique and represent the fact that we are all different but still worth getting to know; in fact, our differences make for better friendships and more well-rounded adults.

What a way to end a book!

There’s something in here for everyone. I hope the author is almost done with the sequel. I’m ready for the next adventure!