The Final Cut - by Denis Markell (Hardcover)

About the Book

When seventh-grader Alex is stuck taking a filmmaking class, he has to learn to work with two very different students to make the movie they want to make, even as someone tries to stop them.

Book Synopsis

An hilarious coming-of-age story about home, friendship, and learning that sometimes the most exciting adventures happen behind-the-scenes.

Alex Davis is convinced that seventh grade is going to be his year. After spending all summer at skate camp, he knows he'll finally be seen as one of the "cool kids" . . . until he's mistakenly put in the wrong elective. Now, instead of taking a popular video games class with his friends, he's stuck in Filmmaking with hipster teacher Pablo and a group of eccentric classmates.

But when it's announced that their films will be entered in the school's annual Golden Reel competition, Alex becomes determined to claim first prize and salvage his seventh-grade year.

With the help of his longtime crush, his best friend, and a peculiar new student, Alex sets out to make a masterpiece. Soon he discovers that someone is trying to sabotage his film and finds himself embroiled in a mystery--one that leads him and his crew to conniving classmates, traitorous teachers, and even corrupt city politicians!

Review Quotes

Praise for The Final Cut

"This droll middle school mystery, set in and around Brooklyn Heights, will especially delight New Yorkers with its familiar landmarks and gentle satire."--The New York Times

"A heady romp, fun and scary in turn, with just deserts dealt all round."--Kirkus Reviews

"Snappy dialogue and reluctant camaraderie make for an appealing neighborhood caper."--PW

Praise for Denis Markell:

"[An] affectionate tribute to a richly diverse, close-knit Brooklyn neighborhood and its multigenerational residents."--Publishers Weekly on The Ghost in Apartment 2R

"This is a great book to hand to just about any middle grade reader."--YA Books Central on Click Here to Start

"So inventive, and so much fun!"--Wendy Mass, NYT bestselling author of the Candymakers series on Game Masters of Garden Place

About the Author

Denis Markell has written three other novels for kids--the puzzle-packed mystery Click Here to Start, the Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventure The Game Masters of Garden Place, and the kid-friendly horror story The Ghost in Apartment 2R. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, illustrator Melissa Iwai, and his son, Jamie. You can find Denis on Twitter at @DenisMarkell, and yes, he'd be happy to do a Skype author visit for your kid's class.