A confession. Mom and me? We’re Reece-aholics. (Not to be confused with a Reese-aholic of the peanut butter variety. Or crispy bacon. That’s diff. But just as tasty.)

Ever since we read Matt Guzman’s riotous fantasy/sci fi romp, Rieden Reece and the Broken Moon, we’ve been hooked on this kid and his madcap adventures. Rieden grows on ya. So we were delighted to hear Ri’s back for another crazy adventure in this fourth and latest installment. Here’s the 4-1-1:

Yo, dude, wassup? For young Rieden “Ri” Reece, it’s community service. The thirteen year-old has been busted for breaking and entering. Everyone sees Ri as the “poor little boy with the dead twin brother.” But the truth is more complicated. Much more. As in, his best friend Brian is sometimes Brian and Brian is sometimes Ri’s bro, Rob. Can Ri separate Rob’s consciousness from Brian’s and download Rob back into his own body? Well. There’s no time to waste with that question. Because before you can say “broseph,” Ri steps into a puddle and disappears. Actually, he dissolves.

Wait. Is that Rod Serling?

It’s not long before Ri must risk everything to save Earth from a deadly water anomaly. But how? Because his big brother Rob is gone. His divorced dad is living in China. His mom is in “the nuthouse for who knows how long.” Ri’s life is pretty much falling apart.

Whoa!

There are also alternate universes. Time travel. Flying zombie piranhas. A sunflower seed. A mysterious monocle. One needs to act with care while trusting people who pretend to be friends (Hi, Shelly, Lisa, and Makena.) A school bully named Ian Ice. An unknown anomaly that’s dissolving Earth. And can the adults really not see the world melting away? Are human beings nothing more than pests to advanced aliens from another universe?

Double Whoa!

The plot thickens when Ri discovers an “oops” in the time continuum. (That’s kind of a big deal, in case you’re wondering.) Ditto life-sucking water vipers. One royally ticked-off, perennially ravenous and hugely ginormous great white shark who has it in for Ri. Worse: Ri and his buds have “three rotations” before the shark thing devours Earth. Gnarly, dude. Can Ri and Rob and buds “fix the future history threads”?

Meanwhile, how can Ri know for sure which reality is true? There’s also a time bubble. Frozen fish (sort of). The author even sneaks in some science and physics and other educational stuff when you’re not lookin’. It’s painless. Promise.

Too. Much. Fun!

This book is a hoot and a half! It’s just Too. Much. Fun! The use of alliterative chapter headings also gives this book a witty, whimsical feel. Examples: The Artesian Antics, The Underwater Ulcer, and the Otherworldly Octave.

Additionally, Rieden Reece isn’t your typical protagonist. He’s not an archetypal superhero. He doesn’t have magical super-powers. Ri doesn’t have all the answers. Sometimes he’s lost, too. And it’s not always clear if what’s happening to Ri is real or in his imagination. In fact, Ri is pretty much your average, ordinary thirteen year-old trying to survive in and make sense of a world that often doesn’t make sense. In other words, he’s relatable. Especially for the target audience of middle grade readers. And those of us who haven’t yet decided what we want to be when we grow up.

Gold Medal!

Drenched in creativity and imagination and as fresh as this morning’s headlines, this book bristles with fantastic creatures, snarky dialogue, and deliciously malevolent villains. So if your imagination tank is running on empty or your imagineering muscles are flabby from lack of use, grab a copy of this book. You’ll be in gold medal shape in no time!

Fans of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and The Matrix will enjoy Rieden Reece and the Water World. And you know the cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope? Well…

Another confession. We really didn’t have time for this book when it showed up in our In Box. Did not. Did Not. DID NOT! We were just going to take a sneak peek at a chapter or two. Next thing ya know, we’re rounding second base and heading for home.

Uber Engaging

That’s cuz this uber engaging fantasy/sci fi read moves like Josef Newgarden at the Indy 500. Or The Kimster after a nice, thick T-bone steak. (Mom: Don’t make me explain this.) So you may not want to start it at night. If you do, you’ll probably be up till the wee hours, furiously turning pages as you race toward the end like a runaway locomotive. So don’t say we didn’t warn you, okay?

Official!

Finally, Rieden Reece and the Water World is the fourth installment in the Rieden Reece series. And lest you doubt our status as Official Reece-aholics, here are our reviews of previous titles in the Rieden Reece series. All in one handy-dandy place:

• Rieden Reece and the Broken Moon

• Rieden Reece and the Final Flower

• Rieden Reece and the Scroll of Life

Unite!

We hear there are more in the works. So Reece-aholics of the World, Unite! Like, totally.

Rieden Reece and the Water World

By Matt Guzman (Mindfast Publishing, July 2024)

Genre: Fiction – Middle School Fantasy

Pages (print): 240

Via: Reedsy Discovery

Our Rating: 4.5