Coda is definitely a teen novel. I just couldn't get into the story. The main plot of a young man searching for his brother is exaggerated and lacks any really character development. This may be because this is a sequel or it may not be. Reading this book did not make me want to run out and check out the first novel. The fact that it's a fast read is a plus for teens who have a hard time staying with a novel. ( )

College freshman Spencer spends his Christmas vacation looking for his brother Bunny, who has mysteriously disappeared. Bunny is on a temporary release from prison and must be with family at all times. Since their parents and extended families are out of town for the holiday, the responsibility for finding Bunny falls to Spencer...with the help of his friend and crush AmberLea, her friend Toby, and pop star Aiden Tween.

What ensues is entertaining, but totally implausible. The author describes this book as an "affectionate spoof of classic espionage tales" although the reader doesn't know that until the acknowledgment page which is in the end of the book. Spencer is the narrator of the tale and portrays himself as a sincere but bumbly kind of character. His voice is sarcastic which lends some humor to the escapade. Younger teens might enjoy this although it lacks depth and has no character or plot development. "Coda" is a part of the "Seven Sequels" series which is a sequel to "Seven: The Series." Each book in the series stands on it own and usually has a different author. The "Seven Sequels" series follows the characters in the original series. What ties both series together is that each of the seven is a grandson of David McLean. Upon his death, McLean left directions for each grandchild to carry out an assignment that had something to do with his murky past.

I've read 1 book in each series and while there is very little literary competence, there is entertainment and some excitement and may appeal to young male readers looking for something light to read. ( )

This was a sequel to a book I did not read, but I still had no problem following along thanks to the authors quick recaps of characters and their shared background.

Decent, action-adventure read for those who either want a one-sit read, or needing a Hi-Lo read (though I don't think this is technically a Hi-Lo read). Would recommend for pre-teens or older reading at a lower grade level (but don't want to be seen with Juvie books.) ( )

The 8th book in The Seven Sequels series, I was hoping to like Coda enough for it to send me looking for the rest of the books in the series. Unfortunately, it did not. A novel of intrigue about a kidnapped hoodlum and musical & artistic freedom for a made-up Balkan country, Coda irritated me more than anything.

Grant you, as an adult, I was not the target audience for this novel, however, I usually enjoy books written for kids and young adults as much as those written for "grown-ups." Coda, however, did not meet the mark. The plot was too campy and loose to come close to being either believable or engaging, and there was no character development, so I didn't care about any of the characters. Furthermore, the central question of whether or not Spencer's grandfather was a secret agent was never answered, leaving this unsatisfying novel with a completely unsatisfying conclusion. ( )

In CODA, Spencer spends his Christmas vacation looking for his brother Bunny, who has mysteriously disappeared while the two of them were skating. Their parents and extended families are out of town, so Spencer must save Bunny on his own — with the help of his girl-crush AmberLea, the suave Toby, the diminutive pop sensation Aiden Tween, and a cast of strange minor characters.

The author calls CODA "an affectionate spoof on classic espionage tales," which explains the far-fetched and somewhat campy plot of this novel. Adult readers may recognize the various films, books, characters, and songs the text references, but younger readers may be bewildered by the sometimes bizarrely meta-fictional elements of this story. Despite its realistic setting, this novel verges on screwball comedy; readers seeking problem-based fiction may be disappointed. The author often coyly glosses past matters that YA books normally linger over, such as sexuality and drug and alcohol use, and despite repeated threats and the presence of guns, the violence in the novel is cartoonish. The resolution is completely unbelievable, but by that point readers have either embraced or rejected the novel's larger logic, so the late revelations should simply act as a punchline to the running joke of the novel.

CODA is a fun and easy read, and readers who like absurd, over-the-top texts should enjoy this novel. CODA is a volume in the SEVEN SEQUELS series and is the companion novel to Richard Scrimger's THE WOLF AND ME, which readers may want to check out to learn the other side of Spencer and Bunny's story. ( )