The Magnificent Twelve: The Call (Vol. 1)

The first volume of a new adventure saga by Michael Grant, author of the Gone Mack series, suffers from an acute degree of mediocrity. Mediocre looks, mediocre grades, mediocre parents. And with an endless list of phobias and a bully hot on his trail, Mack is far from a heroic destiny. At least, that's what he thought. Until the day a 3,000-year-old man named Grimluk brings surreal news: Mack has been assigned to fight a terrifying evil force that threatens to destroy the world. He's part of a group called the Magnificent Twelve, and it's up to him to find the other eleven members. Together, the Magnificents must face terrifying opponents in an international manhunt. And the most surreal part of this story is: the only person who will accompany Mack on this journey is Stefan, the king of the school bullies and his archenemy.