When the new kid with green hair, Nina, starts at school Natalie doesn't know how her life will change. Nina befriends Natalie and invites her to join her in starting a 'Mastery Club' - a club where people become masters of their own lives using positive thinking and move on and up towards their own goals. Torn by the fact that her old friends feel cheated and left out, Natalie, in turn, invites them to join the club. The five of them identify things they want to change or want to achieve in their lives and set about trying to use the skills the club advocates to move towards those goals.
From the moment Nina is introduced to the story there is something you have to like about this confident, positive thinking and friendly girl. The story progresses and we become more involved in all the characters lives and find ourselves rooting for their success. However towards the end story, instead of coming to a climax as you expect, it flattens out, wraps up all the loose ends very neatly and launches into what feels like, and probably is, a lecture on the principles of The Mastery Club.
This final lecture is, I believe, actually because the book is some form of gateway introduction to courses, games, books etc and so this book is also a marketing device.
I would STRESS at this point that I find myself feeling that this could have otherwise been a good story but many of the ideas proposed in this story are fine for fiction but have no scientific basis whatsoever. Hold there though, I believe most strongly in the power of positive thinking and there is scientific evidence that it does improve health and happiness. Experts in body language will, I am sure, also tell you that positive thinking will improve your body language leading to better friendships, job opportunities etc as well as rubbing off onto friends and acquaintances and in turn improving their lives. BUT it's the HOW it works proposed in this story that has no scientific basis. In fact the logical extension of the proposed 'science' is that Natalie kills her own Grandmother! Also when quoting internet sources it's important to remember that "You can't really believe anything you read on the internet." - Abraham Lincoln said that and feel free to check the internet where I read it.
No, this book could have been a very good book but sadly, it is only good but spoiled by the ending and its role as a marketing tool.
Any one who thinks that I am well out of order is welcome to open a debate with me (The Mole) but privately via Facebook, Twitter or email and not publicly please, I do try to be open minded.
Publisher - Grace Productions (Australia)
Genre - Teen Fiction
Buy The Mastery Club
from Amazon
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