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289th out of 304 books
—
481 voters
Kid Vs. Squid
by
Greg Van Eekhout (Goodreads Author)
Thatcher Hill is bored stiff of his summer job dusting the fake mermaids and shrunken heads at his uncle's seaside Museum of Curiosities. But when a mysterious girl steals an artifact from the museum, Thatcher's summer becomes an adventure that takes him from the top of the ferris wheel to the depths of the sea. Following the thief, he learns that she is a princess of the...more
Hardcover, 193 pages
Published
May 11th 2010
by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
(first published 2010)
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This middle-grade novel was fresh and delightful, and more charming than I expected. It's a little like Percy Jackson, except that it's more creative and doesn't take itself so seriously.
Eekhout sets the story in Los Huesos, a rather grim and macabre seaside town in California. Thatcher is sent to live with his great uncle Griswald, and his job is to help maintain Griswald's museum of curiosities. When one of the curiosities gets stolen, Thatcher and his new friend Trudy become involved in an an...more
Eekhout sets the story in Los Huesos, a rather grim and macabre seaside town in California. Thatcher is sent to live with his great uncle Griswald, and his job is to help maintain Griswald's museum of curiosities. When one of the curiosities gets stolen, Thatcher and his new friend Trudy become involved in an an...more
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Kid vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout is a fast-paced book about a boy named Thatcher who has to spend his summer with his crazy uncle Griswald on a California beach town called Las Huesas. His uncle owns The Museum of the Strange and Curious and this is where Thatcher is expected to spend his summer days. The story is told through Thatcher’s voice, which is so real the reader wants to join him on his crazy adventure. He’s clever, funny and a great story-teller. The descriptions are witty and imagin...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is really really really wonderful because it is fun to read and hilarious. The plot was probably the most creative plot that you will read this year. For example, that everybody turns out to be happy, instead of one victory. It's not just good guys versus bad guys.
Books usually have two characters, but this one has three main characters, Thatcher is the main-main character, Trudy is important, and Shoal is quite important, too. Trudy is a bit of a hero; she's the one saying what Skall...more
Books usually have two characters, but this one has three main characters, Thatcher is the main-main character, Trudy is important, and Shoal is quite important, too. Trudy is a bit of a hero; she's the one saying what Skall...more
Really make that like three point five. It was a lot of fun and a length that many of my students will actually be able to FINISH. (Can you tell I get frustrated when they don't finish? Once or twice, it's all good. But some of them? Almost never. :[) The timing seemed a little off ... was great until the ending sort of seemed to come out of nowhere and then there were a couple pages of "and this is what happened to our main characters after" and then it was done. So, you know ... maybe a few mo...more
I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long, long time.
Van Eekhout's Kid Vs Squid manages to return kids of any age to that sweet spot in their imagination that their childhood favorite reads take them to. KvS is all out adventure and humor. Three kids--Thatcher, Shoal and Trudy--bond in ways that only 3 Musketeers on a life-threatening adventure can.
And then there's the weirdness. Uncle Griswold runs a museum for oddities of the sea. Cursed carnies return to the board walk every year. A w...more
Van Eekhout's Kid Vs Squid manages to return kids of any age to that sweet spot in their imagination that their childhood favorite reads take them to. KvS is all out adventure and humor. Three kids--Thatcher, Shoal and Trudy--bond in ways that only 3 Musketeers on a life-threatening adventure can.
And then there's the weirdness. Uncle Griswold runs a museum for oddities of the sea. Cursed carnies return to the board walk every year. A w...more
Middle schooler Thatcher Hill goes to live with his uncle in a small seaside town in California for the summer. His job is to take care of odd objects at the Museum of Curiosities, which includes a mysterious shrunken head in a box. A young girl steals this mysterious object from the museum and things soon turn bizarre as Thatcher, in his pursuit of this thief, gets caught up in a ages-old battle between an evil witch and the people of the lost city of Atlantis. He gets chased by jelly-fish boys...more
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
Thatcher is spending the summer with his eccentric uncle, Griswald, on the boardwalk at his museum of curiosities. Amongst the museum is a box that his uncle refers to as the What-Is-It.
When a mysterious girl steals the What-Is-It, Thatcher catches up with her and confronts her about her theft. When she tells him that she is the princess of Atlantis and is cursed to stay in the water all winter and run the stands along the boardwalk during the summer, Thatc...more
Thatcher is spending the summer with his eccentric uncle, Griswald, on the boardwalk at his museum of curiosities. Amongst the museum is a box that his uncle refers to as the What-Is-It.
When a mysterious girl steals the What-Is-It, Thatcher catches up with her and confronts her about her theft. When she tells him that she is the princess of Atlantis and is cursed to stay in the water all winter and run the stands along the boardwalk during the summer, Thatc...more
Aug 25, 2010
Jeanne
added it
The kids and I just finished this book and it's taken us a long time. Great, wonderful descriptions and use of language in this book. "Her voice was like little slugs covered in rust." Great message of friendship and self-confidence. The language is a bit difficult, but even if the reader didn't know all of the words, they could still get the gist of the story.
I am having a hard time deciding how I really feel about this book. Before reading the book, I read some reviews stating this was a very funny book but I didn't find it to be that amuzing. I think it was quite creative and I'm pretty sure my students will like it but I'm not sure I would think of it as being very funny. Maybe it was the state of mind I was in while reading it :)
This is an awesome book! I read it every night and i could barely put it down! It is about a boy who stays at his Uncle's Museum for the summer,and meets a girl from Atlantis. The girl, his friend, Trudy, And he all go on an adventure to get back an Atlantean Object,or as they call it, a "What is it??" It's an amazing book!
The title is fabulous, but I just couldn't get into the story. I could probably find some kids to recommend it to, but for most, it wouldn't be a must-read. Still, since we all have different tastes, there may be some who find this to be their favorite book ever. I did like the eccentric and bizarre Uncle Griswald - he was my favorite character of the bunch.
Giant attack squid! Kelp and lobster men! Seagull spies! Mummies and shrunken heads! Curses and an evil witch's head and a creepy Neptune house! Non-stop action and snarky humor give this lots of boy appeal. 3-6th grade
Totally enjoyed this science fiction/fantasy!! Thrasher is hilarious, he would say or think things that made me laugh out loud and wish I could talk to a fellow reader!! A good time!! Good crossover!!
We liked the humor and the wide spectrum of Dr. Moreau-type marine monsters. An off-season seaside town is the naturally creepy setting for a spooky mystery. Nice friendship details keep things from getting overly Scooby-Doo-esque.
I couldn't get into the book, everything felt rushed and unfocused. There are parts of the book that were very good and funny, it depends on your tastes. It wasn't bad. But I was disappointed.
A fun read with a slightly paranormal bent. It's never too early for a little atlantis lore, plus I love all those gory old museums full of bits and bobs and fakery. So the setting was great. I think Colin will like this next year in third grade.
creative, original and fun plot. I liked the author's nod to Pacific Beach. Will definitely recommend this book to others.
Imaginative, fun, engaging, and thrilling.
KID VS SQUID blows Percy Jackson out of the water. The voice of the kid narrator here is pitch perfect. Thatcher is wry, witty, and smart without coming off like an obnoxious jerk (see: Jackson, P.). The action is intense and though the plot is outlandish it never descends into goofiness. This is a book that treats its readers with respect and a sense of adventure.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend KID VS SQUID to even the most reluctant tween reader. An...more
KID VS SQUID blows Percy Jackson out of the water. The voice of the kid narrator here is pitch perfect. Thatcher is wry, witty, and smart without coming off like an obnoxious jerk (see: Jackson, P.). The action is intense and though the plot is outlandish it never descends into goofiness. This is a book that treats its readers with respect and a sense of adventure.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend KID VS SQUID to even the most reluctant tween reader. An...more
Definitely a boy book, maybe 4th grade.
REVIEW TO COME.
Lots of fun
A fun little book combining Atlantis and boardwalk culture.
(for Thomas)
May 22, 2010
Deborah Coates
added it
Awesome fun!
Just OK
Take one look at the cover of this book (colossal giant cartoon squid (those eye brows!) & his kid friend) and tell me that you don't want to read it too! How could you not?
Fun and fast paced, wonderful use of language. An adventure worthy of an amusement park.
One Sentence Review: I should probably be more of a stickler for this book, but considering how fun it is and the great premise (the denizens of Atlantis are cursed to work as carnies every summer on land) this was one of the more enjoyable random little books of the year.
A children's book that I read based on friends' recommendations. Very imaginative and funny, so I kept reading, but really too YA for my tastes.[return]BTW, did great books like this exist when I was a kid? I didn't have them, but I was in a library-deprived place.
Loved the title and cover and liked the beginning but felt it lost something about halfway through... decent but unexceptional...
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Greg van Eekhout writes books for kids and adults. He enjoys eating little tacos, walking along the beach, and practicing kung fu. About the kung fu: He's let himself get a bit slovenly, quite frankly, so please do not challenge him to a fight. He cries easily. He's a weeper. He lives in San Diego.
More about Greg Van Eekhout...
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