Irving Wishbutton and the Questing Academy

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Irving Wishbutton and the Questing Academy

by Brian Clopper (Goodreads Author)

4.7 of 5 stars 4.70 · rating details · 10 ratings · 5 reviews

There’s an academy where characters go to be schooled. While their authors toil at getting their stories written and printed, these characters are killing time at The Questing Academy. As their stories take shape, they endure many changes, some good, and some bad. At the academy, heroes learn the plotting ropes alongside villains, supporting characters and even window dres...more There’s an academy where characters go to be schooled. While their authors toil at getting their stories written and printed, these characters are killing time at The Questing Academy. As their stories take shape, they endure many changes, some good, and some bad. At the academy, heroes learn the plotting ropes alongside villains, supporting characters and even window dressing castmates such as guard three whose only contribution to his scene is a poorly timed sneeze.

Ah, but the academy stresses there are no small roles. Plopped into the middle of things is a grand hero, Irving Wishbutton. As he adjusts to life on a literary campus, he has to also deal with the twists and turns of his character and story development. It isn’t always pretty. For one, he arrives a smudge, his only distinct feature, a gaudy red button on his chest. Everything else about him is hazy and not defined yet due to his writer who has avoided describing him early on. Two, he immediately gets on Dean Harmstrike’s bad side when a pack of emberhounds from Irving’s own story attack him at the Office of Fine Aunts. Three, there are a plethora of mysteries and entanglements afloat at the academy. Irving’s creator has marked him as acutely curious. While the faculty tells him to dig into what makes himself tick, he can’t help but unravel the mysteries and secrets that abound on campus.

On his quest of self-discovery, he is befriended by another fellow smudge, a beautiful fairy from another book’s supporting cast. He also gets mixed up with a confused vampire whose fickle writer is constantly making revisions, including writing her twin brother out of her story. Lord Raggleswamp, a short-statured short-tempered braggart of a villain and Gared, The Golden Knight, whose silver tongue can command any and all monsters, are both constant thorns at Irving’s side as he seeks answers and to fit in. With the help of an equally headstrong cast, Irving tackles the big questions:

Who built the academy?
What’s Dean Harmstrike’s true agenda?
Why is being branded a smudge so very wrong to others on campus?
What lurks beneath the library?
What happens to each character upon graduation?(less)

Kindle Edition, 1, 301 pages

Published July 26th 2012 by Behemoth Books

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Sep 11, 2012 Valentina rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun book, with a mix of fantasy and mystery that will capture most readers.
The book is a bit difficult to describe because it is sort of a story within a story. One storyline is Irving’s and the other is his author. Irving’s part of the story takes place in the Academy, where he learns about himself. But as much as I enjoyed that one, I preferred Irving’s author’s story line. I loved to see the way he wrote, shifting Irving’s character and plot. It is very cleverly written.
The writing...more

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Jul 15, 2012 György rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I was not sure if it is a 4 star or a 5 star book for me. In the end I gave it 5 stars.
The book has 2 story lines. One is the story of Irving Wishbutton. The other is the story of 'his' author. The latter tells us how the author, a teacher, includes writing this story in his everyday life and how he develops the story, sometimes rewriting it, creates characters find names and how in some parts the process of writing is not an active process by the author but rather following the story he began...more I was not sure if it is a 4 star or a 5 star book for me. In the end I gave it 5 stars.
The book has 2 story lines. One is the story of Irving Wishbutton. The other is the story of 'his' author. The latter tells us how the author, a teacher, includes writing this story in his everyday life and how he develops the story, sometimes rewriting it, creates characters find names and how in some parts the process of writing is not an active process by the author but rather following the story he began like being drawn by a current.
In the Wishbutton story line those developments and changes are reflected by the hero, who starts as a smudge with undefined features, no clothes and no knowledge of himself. Irving is lead to the questing academy, where all characters learn how to act and play their role. A character leaves this academy when his book is published. The more his author defines him the more he knows about himself and the clearer his character becomes in appearance. The process is packed in a whodunit for YA.
I won't tell more about the content. Read for yourself. As for the rating:

5 stars for the idea. I like books, i like books about books. I would like to write myself. And a book about writing a book and experiencing the writing process from a chracters POV. I love you, Mr. Clopper....

5 stars for the second story line. It is beautifully balanced against the other story line and in itself.

4-5 stars for the Wishbutton story line. The only reason I did not give that story line 5 stars is that at least in the beginning I had the feeling that the language and the thoughts of the other characters sometimes did not fit those characters. As the story developed I got the impression that this was intended by the author to show how other authors try to define characters by their way of speaking and sometimes just fail in doing so.

The story does not end. We are promised a second book. I have not yet decided if I like this feeling of anticipation or rather hate to wait.

So, if you are not above reading a YA whodunit and if you ever wanted to experience how a book is written from a characters POV, give this one a try.
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Jun 12, 2013 Dianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-and-adventure, ages-12-up, author-review, children-12-under, fantasy, favorite, own, younger-readers, ya

How does author Brian Clopper create his quirky and FUN tales, aim them toward a younger audience and completely captivate this not-so-young-reader?? How does he flesh out his characters to be so completely endearing, yet fun, brave, flawed and totally unique? Believe it or not, Mr. Clopper tells us in his own clever way with his novel Irving Wishbutton and the Questing Academyand he manages to do so while being completely entertaining and whisking the reader off to a world where anything can, a...more How does author Brian Clopper create his quirky and FUN tales, aim them toward a younger audience and completely captivate this not-so-young-reader?? How does he flesh out his characters to be so completely endearing, yet fun, brave, flawed and totally unique? Believe it or not, Mr. Clopper tells us in his own clever way with his novel Irving Wishbutton and the Questing Academyand he manages to do so while being completely entertaining and whisking the reader off to a world where anything can, and just may happen!
Irving Wishbutton started as an idea in the mind of his author. He had no name, no face, he was a ‘smudge,’ just a shadow of the character he would become, so naturally, he must be enrolled in the Questing Academy, a newbie in the world of fictitious characters! He really doesn’t understand who or what he is or how he just ‘knows’ some things, like what a dog is. Irving learns he will ‘graduate’ from the Academy when/if his book is published. Of course, authors have ‘real’ lives, too, and Irving’s author frequently takes breaks from writing to do ‘real world’ things, things revolving around his family, things that obviously help fuel his creative mind! Have you ever wondered how characters get their names? How their personalities are created? How they evolve from a ‘smudge’ into “well-developed and fleshed out characters who feel real?” How about the plot? The twists, the turns, the change in direction, the lessons learned, do you think they are the sole workings of the author? Just maybe, this is a joint effort between author and the characters!

In his own way, Brian Clopper has probably created the best “How to Write” book ever, and he did it in a fun way, full of surprises, full of characters, twists, turns and tons of imagination! Younger readers will love this leap into a world full of fantasy where the mind can run free! Books like this spread the joy of the written word to all ages and just MAY spur a young reader into becoming a young author!

I need to thank both Brian Clopper and Irving Wishbutton (and probably Mr. Clopper's family)for allowing me the chance to read and get lost in this book!

Publication Date: June 21, 2012
Publisher: Behemoth Books
Number of Pages: 301
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Recommended Age: 9 to 90
My rating: 5 HUGE Stars and a few 'buttons'

Available at: Amazon

For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

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Jul 17, 2012 Keith Robinson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I strongly believe this is Brian Clopper's finest hour to date. It's not his first novel, nor his last, but it will always be a personal favorite with me. The whole idea of it is unique: the main character is (literally) being fleshed out as the story progresses while, in a parallel story, the fictional author goes about his daily routine and jots down ideas. So Irving comes to life slowly and surely at the hand of his unseen creator... and not a moment too soon!

It's hard to explain the plot pro...more

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Feb 06, 2013 A.E. Howard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Irving Wishbutton is a novel where all the characters are self-aware, that is, they know they're characters! The only exception is the author in the novel's frame story, a delicious little irony. Irving and his fellow characters must survive everything from plot twists to shifting appearances as the author writes and changes things in their world. What will it mean for their sense of self? And will they be able to survive when everything can change on a writers whim? I thoroughly enjoyed this im...more

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May 26, 2013 Christina Brock rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 17, 2013 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, ya

Apr 25, 2013 Sita marked it as to-read

Shelves: lp

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Shelves: fantasy, freebie, young-adult

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Shelves: freebies

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Shelves: kindle-to-read, teens

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Shelves: blp

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Shelves: fantasy, kindle, young-adult

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