Recently I haven’t read many kids books but I had heard good things about this one. While reading it I was reminded of all the characteristics of a good book for kids: a likable group of heroes coming off of hard times, bad guys, older bullying children, and hopefully a memorable gross-out scene.
All these and more were contained in this story, and I think with a little judicious editing it might have been a better book for me. The adventure starts off in a clever way (literally), but the middle of the book went on just a bit too long for my taste. The wrap-up was satisfying and covered all the loose ends in a cute and heart-warming way.
I also liked all the wordplay and puzzles in the story – aimed at kids but hilariously I struggled with quite a few of them.
The book has a lot of messaging in it – wholesome stuff about supporting your friends no matter what, doing your best in the face of adversity, and the benefits of not spending life alone (or plugged into a TV/device). I think some kids might feel like these messages might be a little overstressed, but I’m a long way from being a kid in modern society so I guess I’ll defer to the author’s judgement on this one.
Next I am reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub.
