The Eighth Day (Eighth Day, 1)
The Eighth Day (Eighth Day, 1) book cover

The Eighth Day (Eighth Day, 1)

Paperback – January 6, 2015

by
Price
$6.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
336
Publisher
HarperCollins
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062272164
Dimensions
5.12 x 0.67 x 7.62 inches
Weight
8 ounces

Description

“Ancient magic pairs nicely with modern intrigue. Complicated alliances and ruthless villains keep the pages turning. A promising start to a new trilogy.” — Kirkus Reviews (on The Eighth Day) “[A] fast-paced, magical adventure. An unparalleled mix of evil villains, humor, and background that set this up for a likeable trilogy to be recommended for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Absolutely necessary for middle grades.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) “Fascinating…Melds Arthurian legend into present day. Fast paced and exciting.” — School Library Journal “Adventure, magic, and Arthurian legend combine in a roller-coaster ride of secrets. Perfect fodder for fans who adore mythology, legends, and series with more volumes yet to come.” — ALA Booklist “Suspense, stakes, and action. Enormously satisfying.” — The Nerdy Book Club Praise for the The Inquisitor’s Mark: “The concept and the characters are strong, and should continue to entertain its audience who will now eagerly await book three.” — School Library Journal In this riveting fantasy adventure that VOYA called "absolutely necessary for middle grades," thirteen-year-old Jax Aubrey discovers a secret Eighth Day with roots tracing back to Arthurian legend. Fans of Percy Jackson will devour this first book in a new series that combines exciting magic and pulse-pounding suspense. When Jax wakes up to a world without any people, he assumes it's the zombie apocalypse. But when he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he's really in the Eighth Day—an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Some people—like Jax and Riley—are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who's been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day. There's a reason Evangeline's hiding. As the descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, her magic is highly sought by corrupt Transitioners who want to use her to destroy the seven-day world. Torn between protecting his new friend and saving the human race from destruction, Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out. Be sure to check out The Inquisitor's Mark , the spellbinding second novel in the Eighth Day series. Dianne K. Salerni attended the University of Delaware, where she earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education, and then went on to earn a master's in language arts education at the University of Pennsylvania. She was an elementary school teacher for over twenty years and has also written several books, including We Hear the Dead and The Caged Graves . The Inquisitor's Mark is the second book in the Eighth Day series. Although Dianne knows there's not really such a thing as a secret Eighth Day, discovering one would explain all the food that disappears in her house. Until then, she'll continue to blame her husband, Bob, her two teenage daughters, Gabrielle and Gina, and her dog, Sorcia. Dianne lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Fans of Percy Jackson will devour this first book in Dianne K. Salerni's time-bending series that combines exciting magic and pulse-pounding suspense. In this riveting fantasy adventure, thirteen-year-old Jax Aubrey discovers a secret eighth day with roots tracing back to Arthurian legend.
  • When Jax wakes up to a world without any people in it, he assumes it's the zombie apocalypse. But when he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he's really in the eighth day—an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Some people—like Jax and Riley—are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who's been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day.
  • And there's a reason Evangeline's hiding. She is a descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, and there is a group of people who wish to use her in order to destroy the normal seven-day world and all who live in it. Torn between protecting his new friend and saving the entire human race from complete destruction, Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out.
  • Stay tuned for
  • The Inquisitor's Mark
  • , the spellbinding second novel in the Eighth Day series!

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(316)
★★★★
25%
(132)
★★★
15%
(79)
★★
7%
(37)
★
-7%
(-38)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Exciting book for grown-ups, too

I'm in my forties, so I may not be a Young Adult, but I still have the soul of one. I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy reading any other genre, and do not see any reason to limit its readership to any age group or category.

The central concept of The Eighth Day appears to be a very unique idea--especially to myself, an avid reader of comic books and a fan of sci fi and fantasy for 40-plus years. The twist of Arthurian lore adds to the levels of creativity, allowing access to different clans/houses/families with different powers and abilities. Having been a fan of Arthurian stories from Sir Thomas Malory to T.H. White to Mike Barr and Brian Bolland to Warren Murphy to Bernard Cornwell, it's nice to be able to enjoy these legends anew. (If you're not familiar with any of those creators I name-checked, they're worth your while.)

Add Dianne Salerni to that list. She has such a smooth writing style that the words seem to jump off the page and into your mind on their own. Her level of characterization sets this book apart from many others in the Young Adult genre, as not only is the main character fully fleshed out, so are many of the supporting characters. In several chapters the main point of view switches to one of these other characters, and those chapters are set in a different font. This is a nice method of storytelling that helps to emphasize the difference between "normal" people and those trapped in the eighth day.

Combine all of this with a plot that picks up speed and becomes ever more exciting, and The Eighth Day turns into a book that cannot be put down. At least, this particular grown-up needed less than half of the titular eight days to devour this novel.
10 people found this helpful
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A secret day, tucked between Wednesday & Thursday

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a LONG time, and I finally did it. Love the premise—so unique and compelling. I enjoyed the ins and outs of what would happen with an extra day of the week squeezed in, and the Arthurian-Merlin background that caused it. It’s supposed to be a middle grade novel for ages 8-12, but it reads on the higher end of that range; it could almost be a lower-end young adult read. It’s adventurous and the pacing keeps perking right along. And the characters are great to spend a few hours with.
3 people found this helpful
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a quiet teen who just wants to live like a normal boy

Suspense and action is evident in the thrilling young teen novel, The Eighth Day, by Dianne K. Salerini. It will have you gripping the edge of your seat the entire book, with many twists and turns. You will never know what comes after each chapter unless you read it for yourself.
Jax Aubrey, a quiet teen who just wants to live like a normal boy, is separated from his only family left. He is left with an irresponsible young adult named Riley Pendare, or so he thought. Jax has magical powers passed down to him from his father. At the turn of his 13th birthday, Jax finds himself in another timeline, containing an extra “Eighth Day”. Jax learns that he holds great magical power, passed to him from his father.
After learning more about the Eighth Day, Jax is told that a special race of humans called Kin only exists on the Eighth Day. He is also told that his next door neighbor’s house is inhabited by a Kin with extreme power. He is curious about this person but is told not to worry about her.

Dianne K. Salerni is an elementary school teacher and wrote her book for young teens. This is why many of the supportive events in the book occur at the Jax’s school. My favorite character was Jax because of his curious nature and supportive character. During the book, Jax was always trying to get more information. Also, he continuously helped others, even if it meant risking his life.

After reading this book, I felt like I was always looking for more. This drove me to continue reading and is a great writing strategy used by Salerni. This book’s fantasy and mysterious nature is sure to make you want more. I would recommend this book to any reader looking for a thrilling adventure!
2 people found this helpful
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Synopsis- Jax Aubrey hated his eighteen-year-old ignorant guardian

Synopsis- Jax Aubrey hated his eighteen-year-old ignorant guardian, Riley Pendare, and the town that he now lived in. He started living with Riley after Jax’s dad died (his mom died years before). Jax wished he could leave the stupid town and everyone in it forever. But when Jax wakes up one morning, and nobody is in town, not a single soul, he panics. This wasn’t what he meant! Where was everyone? But, the next day, everyone was back, and nobody knew that anything weird happened. Then, next week, it happened again. Jax soon learns there is an eighth day of the week in a different time-frame, and only certain people can traverse between the two. Jax live in both the normal 7 days and in the 8th day. Other people only lived on the eighth day. As it turns out, Jax, along with his not-so-clueless guardian, Riley, are protectors of one of the 8th day people, Evangeline. Evangeline is hiding from evil men (who also live in the eighth day) that want to get rid of the normal days and everyone in them, and replace it with only the eighth day. Jax’s days just got a lot more complicated!

What I Liked- This is one of those wild, crazy-good books that make you feel like you got off an awesome roller coaster when you get done with it. Ms. Salerni has written a one-of-a-kind exciting, and fun adventure book. The best part is that the writing is so well done that the story hangs together well and everything clicks. There is a cool setting that makes you feel like you are there with Jax. The idea of the eighth day is a creepy, yet cool, phenomenon. Imagine what could happen in a day, but to normal folk, it would happen in a minute. A lot of things can happen in a day. Lots of things could go wrong. I think it was a nice touch to have references to the Arthurian legends – as a fan of the legends, I really appreciated that. I really liked connecting the dots in the story to figure out who was who. Jax is a realistic, normal tween whom you can relate to. Riley, his guardian, ends up being pretty cool, too. I sincerely hope that there is a sequel!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
2 people found this helpful
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Had to buy book 2 !!!

Found this book at a juvenile probation camp. Due to this pandemic, there’s not much to do. I was immediately impressed with the book and I found myself reading more and more into the book, to the point that I felt like I was living in this imaginary world with Jax, Riley, Evangeline and the rest of the gang. I am obsessed with fantasy/sci-f! This book had me craving to go to work just so I could sit here and read it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves diving into fantasy worlds and comparing it to the real world.

Question to the author Mrs. Salerni;

Did you ever believe that what you wrote, may be real somewhere ?
Ps. Ecstatic to read Book 2 :)
1 people found this helpful
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He loved the book so much

This was part of my son's 6th grade summer reading for school. He loved the book so much, he read the entire series before summer's end!
1 people found this helpful
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A fascinating premise with great action

The Eighth Day is the first in Dianne K. Salerni's Eighth Day series and it starts off with a bang. A 13-year-old boy wakes up one day to find he's the only person around. Cars are parked on the road, just as they were when he went to bed the night before. What he soon finds out is that he's stumbled upon the eighth day--a day of the week only a small group of people are around to enjoy. But there is a dark side to the eighth day...and that dark side is what brings the action that will keep you reading the next book and the next and the next.
1 people found this helpful
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A fun read for fans of Arthurian legend

This review was originally posted at www.theflashlightreader.com

Fun to read right from the start! The Eighth Day is a middle school Sunshine State Reader for the 2015-2016 school year. I usually pick a few books from the list to read during the year so I can help out with our middle school book club. Luckily, I can say that I have not been disappointed with what I've read this year so far!

The Eighth Day is so full of action that it's hard to put down once you start reading. Jax has issues to work through, but it's nothing compared to his legal guardian's life. Talk about complicated. Add a mysterious girl living next door and you've got yourself quite a mystery.

Oh, but the real mystery begins when Jax discovers there is an eighth day in the week that only a select group of people know about. Why? Because that day is part of King Arthur's legend.

This book did such a great job incorporating elements of one of my favorite tales into a fresh spin on middle grades fiction. It is geared towards younger readers, so don't look for deep themes that leave you questioning life at the end of the book. You won't have a life changing experience. But you will have a great time reading The Eighth Day. I highly recommend it to all middle school kids and fans of Arthurian legend.
1 people found this helpful
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Exciting, can't wait for next book

The following review is by my nine-year-old daughter, who only asks to leave reviews when she's really loved a book:

The Eighth Day is about a day in a week that doesn’t exist. I liked the creativity. I like that it’s a whole new book but it has connections to older fairy tales. And the characters who are in the story are descended from people like Merlin and King Arthur. And I liked the honor blades. I would describe it as exciting. I can’t wait to read the next book.
1 people found this helpful
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Buyer Beware

We purchased this product and were told it was in good condition. This was a library book that had stickers all over it, writing in the inside was smeared where someone tried to erase it but did a poor job. This should have been rated poor condition. Highly displeased. A shame because the story/content was great; would have loved to have kept the book and displayed it.

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