Heck (The Nine Circles of Heck #1)
by
Dale E. Basye,
Bob Dob
When Milton and Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow-bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton isor wasa model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea Elsa Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesnt make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heckwheth...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
July 22nd 2008
by Random House, Incorporated
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Jan 14, 2008
Dale
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
jennpidgeon@yahoo.com
I had a lot of fun writing this book. It was very cathartic. I read the Advanced Reader Copy while I was immersed in the second book, and I was surprised that I still enjoyed it. Sure, there are things I would change now, but this experience—writing my first book—made me realize that one could very well spend their life writing and rewriting one book. Sometimes you just have to let it go. Actually, make that, all of the time.
What I like best about Heck (and what my spanking new agent had to say...more
What I like best about Heck (and what my spanking new agent had to say...more
Seriously, I thought the best thing about this book was its cover. :(
The main characters: Best thing about them was the realism with regards to the sibling relationship. Everything else was flat; the characters were stereotypes: There's Marlo, the badass goth girl who steals for no reason (but seems to care a lot about fashion and cosmetics in a much more traditional way), and Milton, who wears thick glasses, is a germophobe, is scared of everything, and doesn't actually belong in Heck (oh, and...more
The main characters: Best thing about them was the realism with regards to the sibling relationship. Everything else was flat; the characters were stereotypes: There's Marlo, the badass goth girl who steals for no reason (but seems to care a lot about fashion and cosmetics in a much more traditional way), and Milton, who wears thick glasses, is a germophobe, is scared of everything, and doesn't actually belong in Heck (oh, and...more
When Milton and Marlo Faust die in a tragic marshmallow related explosion, their souls wind up in Heck, one of the outer reaches of H-e-double hockey sticks. Their tormentor is Bea "Elsa" Bubb, a sadistic demon with bad gas. Milton, Marlo and their friend Virgil plan an elaborate escape.
It started off really funny, but some of the jokes are so subtle I wondered if this was a read aloud book. I am not sure most younger readers would get the references but the jokey aspects are sure to appeal. 2 1...more
It started off really funny, but some of the jokes are so subtle I wondered if this was a read aloud book. I am not sure most younger readers would get the references but the jokey aspects are sure to appeal. 2 1...more
Dec 08, 2008
Jennifer
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no one
Shelves:
children-fantasy
Grades 5-7
When Milton and his juvenile delinquent sister Marlo are killed by an exploding marshmellow mall sculpture/fountain, they are sent to Heck. Heck is a kind of limbo where bad kids go before descending into one of the nine layers of hell. The trouble is, Milton is good--the only “bad” thing he has ever done is get blamed for his sister’s petty thievery. Heck is an awful place, full of demons, teachers like Lizzie Borden and Nixon, a giant purple dinosaur that sings, and liver in the ven...more
When Milton and his juvenile delinquent sister Marlo are killed by an exploding marshmellow mall sculpture/fountain, they are sent to Heck. Heck is a kind of limbo where bad kids go before descending into one of the nine layers of hell. The trouble is, Milton is good--the only “bad” thing he has ever done is get blamed for his sister’s petty thievery. Heck is an awful place, full of demons, teachers like Lizzie Borden and Nixon, a giant purple dinosaur that sings, and liver in the ven...more
Brother & sister (Milton & Marlo Fauster) die in a freak accident and are condemed to eternal "darnation" as punishement for their earthly sins...a place tailor made for the sins of youth.
I liked this book initially, for the imagniative writing and scaled-down paralells to Dante, but I came to think that much of the message went over the head of the intended audience. Few kids can make the connection between Bea "Elsa" Bubb and the devil, and fewer still, I suspect, can name the "sins" o...more
I liked this book initially, for the imagniative writing and scaled-down paralells to Dante, but I came to think that much of the message went over the head of the intended audience. Few kids can make the connection between Bea "Elsa" Bubb and the devil, and fewer still, I suspect, can name the "sins" o...more
Nov 04, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Rebecca Wells for TeensReadToo.com
When Milton and Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they are sent not to Heaven or Hell, but instead to Heck, an otherworldly reform school for "bad kids." There, they must toil until they turn eighteen, at which point their souls will be reevaluated and sent on. Though Marlo, a teenager with an unfortunate case of kleptomania, clearly belongs in Heck, the siblings are at a loss to understand why Milton is there as well - he has always...more
When Milton and Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they are sent not to Heaven or Hell, but instead to Heck, an otherworldly reform school for "bad kids." There, they must toil until they turn eighteen, at which point their souls will be reevaluated and sent on. Though Marlo, a teenager with an unfortunate case of kleptomania, clearly belongs in Heck, the siblings are at a loss to understand why Milton is there as well - he has always...more
Dec 30, 2008
Hannah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who like humour
I loved the book. I can not wait 'till the squeal. I forget what it is called, but when I remember I will post it. All I know is that it is coming out in June.
There were some neat things about this book---the spoofs/puns on names and things was funny (example : Upchucky Cheez and the principal named Bea "Elsa" Bubb). But there was so much literal potty humor (many scenes of crawling through sewers)and a real non-ending that put me off. The ending and a preview note at the end indicate that this will be a series---using a Dantian nine rings of Heck motif. I doubt that I will follow the series. By the way, Heck is like a juvie Hell where you stay for in...more
The First in a series By Dale Basye. Our Hero, Milton meets his early demise along with his sister Marlo and is sent too Heck. A school for newly deceased kids, who were not necessairly the most well behaved in their lives on “the Stage”. What ensues is a lively adventures pitting Marlo and Milton, along with their trusty sidekick Lucky the ferret against Bee “Elsa” Bubb, the frog faced demon Head-mistress of Heck bent on making the siblings un-dead lives miserable. Basye builds a dark world, fi...more
Nov 23, 2011
Janis
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature-for-children,
fantasy
Taking on the idea of the circles of Hell from Dante's Inferno, this children's book humorously shares Heck, where the bad kids go. It's a way station until their souls are 18 and they go to either Heaven or Hell.
The premise is clever, much of the storyline is cute. The author is a bit out of touch with children, however. The teachers (yes, kids, there's still school after death) include Lizzie Borden and Richard Nixon (the former president teaches Ethics)--adults would see the humor in that, bu...more
The premise is clever, much of the storyline is cute. The author is a bit out of touch with children, however. The teachers (yes, kids, there's still school after death) include Lizzie Borden and Richard Nixon (the former president teaches Ethics)--adults would see the humor in that, bu...more
Lots of fun for Halloween! Milton Fauster is a good kid... especially when you compare him to his sister Marlo (shoplifter, troublemaker, school failure, you name it). When they are both killed in a freak giant marshmallow explosion at the mall, Milton isn't surprised to find out Marlo's not going to heaven. But neither is he! They both end up in Heck, the junior version of "H-E-double-hockey-sticks," according to Bea Elsa Bubb, principal of the place where the bad kids go. It's a place that is...more
so my mom wanted me to read this book seeing how i have a good intrest in hell. apperently, this was the first thing she saw about hell, my bad, heck. now this book was ok. not god awful like some books i read, but ok. one reason i think this is because it was meant for a younger audience. another thing was all the cameos by dead people, and yet they missed the most obvious one! Ozzy Osbourne as the music teacher. The fact that he's still alive makes it even more hilarious. now sometimes cameos...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really enjoyed following Milton and his older sister Marlo's adventures as they do their best to escape Limbo before being permanently assigned to one of the deeper circles. Turns out that there are 9 circles in Heck: Limbo, Rapacia, Blimpo, Fibble, Snivel, Precocia, Lipptor, Sadia, and Dupli-city. Don't know if that means that there will be 9 books in the series, but it should be fun!
This book is supposed to be geared for the 9-12 age group, but I don't know if they will get some of the pop c...more
This book is supposed to be geared for the 9-12 age group, but I don't know if they will get some of the pop c...more
After a giant marshmallow explosion Milton and Marlow Fauster find themselves in "Heck", a place where bad kids end up before they are sent to, well, a worse or better place. Milton knows why his sister is there, she's a kleptomaniac! Milton on the other hand is a good student and kid. According to the "Principal of Darkness", Bea "Elsa" Bubb, Milton committed one crime right before he passed over, he shoplifted (thanks to Marlow). Milton and Marlow are subjected to classes like Home-economics w...more
I don't know where I saw this book recommended, but I'm glad it's over. (And I'm so glad I won't have to read the rest of the series!) NOT the book for me. But let me try to give you what I think the author thought was witty... even though it was thrown in what seems like every single line.
"It was bad. Worse than bad. Terrible.
Filthy drops dripped. Filthy drips dropped. Terrible plops and splashes echoed through the dark, cramped pipeline. The smell was like a mixture of vinegar, socks, rotten m...more
"It was bad. Worse than bad. Terrible.
Filthy drops dripped. Filthy drips dropped. Terrible plops and splashes echoed through the dark, cramped pipeline. The smell was like a mixture of vinegar, socks, rotten m...more
Apr 23, 2009
Lisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
reluctant readers and their parents, upper elementary
I saw this book sitting on a display at the local public library and just had to pick it up. This has got to be one of the most eye-catching titles I have ever seen!
The book focuses on straight-laced Milton and his less well behaved older sister Marlo. Through a freak marshmallow accident Milton and Marlo end up in Heck where they will spend their eternal "darnation". The head of this other world reform school type place is Principal Bea "Elsa" Bubb. The children are first sent to the Disorienta...more
The book focuses on straight-laced Milton and his less well behaved older sister Marlo. Through a freak marshmallow accident Milton and Marlo end up in Heck where they will spend their eternal "darnation". The head of this other world reform school type place is Principal Bea "Elsa" Bubb. The children are first sent to the Disorienta...more
My interest in this book was piqued because it was chosen as one of the books for HCL's guy's read this summer. I immediately thought it looked humorous and was further intrigued when none of the boys in the guy's read club liked the book at all.
The story follows a siter and brother who through a series of incidents (mainly the fault of older sister Marlo) the two are incinerated in a marshmellow-y explosion. They soon find themselves in Heck. No, not H-E-double hockey sticks, but Heck, where th...more
The story follows a siter and brother who through a series of incidents (mainly the fault of older sister Marlo) the two are incinerated in a marshmellow-y explosion. They soon find themselves in Heck. No, not H-E-double hockey sticks, but Heck, where th...more
This is the story of twins, Milton and Marlo, who die while committing a crime and consequently get sent to Heck (Hell for children). There they have to attend school (the principal is a demon named B. Elsa Bubb) and try to mend their wicked ways before the day they turn 18 and receive the final verdict on where their souls will be sent for all eternity. The brother doesn’t really belong there. He was tricked into the crime by his sister and has led an otherwise exemplary life. They, of course,...more
This book caught my eye at the library and I remembered seeing it mentioned on Goodreads, but couldn't remember why I didn't add it to my shelf. I'm still not sure why that was, probably something I read in the reviews, but here's why I abandoned it:
It was way too gimicky. Every name was some play on the mythology of hell and evil. Probably this would appeal to the target audience (middle school), but for me, it was annoying.
The main characters were completely one-sided, at least to the point w...more
It was way too gimicky. Every name was some play on the mythology of hell and evil. Probably this would appeal to the target audience (middle school), but for me, it was annoying.
The main characters were completely one-sided, at least to the point w...more
Children's fiction; humor. This book was aimed at the tween audience but largely missed the mark. Basye tried too hard to be clever, making a pun or semi-witty remark every other sentence or so--the references to historical villains such as Nixon and Lizzie Borden will also be lost on the younger audience; unfortunately, it's not clever enough to entertain the older audiences either. I very quickly got tired of it and eventually quit reading.
Siblings Milton and Marlo find themselves in Heck after a marshmallow/bomb incident at the local mall. Milton's good, Marlo's bad, and both of them want to get back to the Surface.
While this is a great YA book and kids will love it, there's a lot of humor that can only be appreciated by well-read adults. Lots of allusions to Marlowe, Dante, and Milton that the average 14-year-old just hasn't accessed yet.
The writing is addressed to the juvenile mind, but the author had some really lovely imagery...more
While this is a great YA book and kids will love it, there's a lot of humor that can only be appreciated by well-read adults. Lots of allusions to Marlowe, Dante, and Milton that the average 14-year-old just hasn't accessed yet.
The writing is addressed to the juvenile mind, but the author had some really lovely imagery...more
This book tempted me for months. Sitting on the New Books rack with its glowing colors and intricate goth-y cover illustration of two cool kids. And finally I succumbed, took it home, began reading it, a chapter at a time, to my kids at bedtime.
As the dark, twisted details and plot points added up - shoplifting and vandalism, a giant marshmallow bear, thrift-store black dresses - I kept waiting for the story to gel. But beyond the premise: that there is a junior league Hell called Heck, and that...more
As the dark, twisted details and plot points added up - shoplifting and vandalism, a giant marshmallow bear, thrift-store black dresses - I kept waiting for the story to gel. But beyond the premise: that there is a junior league Hell called Heck, and that...more
Heck, Where the Bad Kids Go
by Dale E. Bayse & Bob Dob
The best thing about this book is the title. In fact, the only thing going for the book is the clever names as far as I'm concerned. Milton and Marlo, a brother and sister pair, are literally blown to bits while committing a mall prank/crime and end up in “Heck.” Heck is, apparently, where children go because they aren't bad enough to go to Hell until they are 18. Heck is sort of a warm-up for Hell. The author has fun using literary allus...more
by Dale E. Bayse & Bob Dob
The best thing about this book is the title. In fact, the only thing going for the book is the clever names as far as I'm concerned. Milton and Marlo, a brother and sister pair, are literally blown to bits while committing a mall prank/crime and end up in “Heck.” Heck is, apparently, where children go because they aren't bad enough to go to Hell until they are 18. Heck is sort of a warm-up for Hell. The author has fun using literary allus...more
Blah.
The premise was cool: a place that's not quite Hell where bad kids spend a large portion of eternity, filled with appropriate punishment and redundancy. It sucked, though. It really did. And I don't like to say that. I like to say that I must not have understood it. But I understood this one all too well.
First off, who is supposed to read this? No eleven year old is going to understand all of the references. What's more, there's so much in here that simply isn't appropriate for an eleven y...more
The premise was cool: a place that's not quite Hell where bad kids spend a large portion of eternity, filled with appropriate punishment and redundancy. It sucked, though. It really did. And I don't like to say that. I like to say that I must not have understood it. But I understood this one all too well.
First off, who is supposed to read this? No eleven year old is going to understand all of the references. What's more, there's so much in here that simply isn't appropriate for an eleven y...more
Jan 30, 2010
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Mary by:
NYRA 2011 nominee
I loved this book. It is a 6th grade reading level. I thought the humor was adult. With references to Nixon and other greats as being sent to Heck. I ordered this book for my library. It was recommended by a 5th grade boy at Dodson.
WHEN MILTON AND Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to...more
WHEN MILTON AND Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to...more
If you like stories that a little off-beat, then this is the book for you--"Heck: Where the Bad Kids go" by Dale E. Basye. In it, good kid Milton Fauster and his petty thief of a sister, Marlo are killed in a freak marshmallow explosion. Subsequently, they go to Heck, a kind of limbo where bad kids go before descending into one of the nine layers of hell, it is an awful place, full of demons, teachers like Lizzie Borden and Nixon, a giant purple dinosaur that sings, and liver and other gross stu...more
Just because you're under eighteen doesn't mean you'll die young and stay pretty! This hilarious book by co-Portlandier and adman Basye uses the marketer's silver tongue to pun and play it's way through h-e--double toothpick. When siblings Marlo and Milton Fauster die smothered in goo in the Mall of Generica after a giant marshmallow bear explodes,they end up in Heck. Heck is like school gone really rotten:lots of crying babies, a Limbo where you not only wait, you have to do the dance,and a Caf...more
I really liked the premise of this book--when you die and are a kid, rather than going straight to Hell, you get a chance in Heck--but it just didn't deliver. I really wasn't routing for the kids, not even the "good one" who seemed to get stuck in Heck by mistake. They just weren't that likeable. And the action dragged on quite a bit. A little disappointing.
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Dec 28, 2011 08:57pm
Oct 28, 2012 12:00pm
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