Christopher C. Payne's Blog, page 26

Linger

 

 

 

 

 

Linger

Maggie Stiefvater

SCHOLASTIC PRESS, year 2010

ISBN: 978-0-545-12329-7

Available format: Hardback, Paperback and ebook.

 

the longing.

Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

 

the loss.

Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of begin human.

 

the linger.

For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces- wolf and human- with love baring its two sides as well. It's harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?

 

If I could sum this book up into one word that would be spectacular! I loved this book so much that I found myself saddened that it had to end. This book leaves you wanting more and more and wanting to get your hands on the next book in this amazing trilogy, forever.

 

The book continues a few months after shiver ended. Spring is on it's way, but its taking its sweet time on getting there. Sam is still finding it hard to believe that he's turned human for good and Grace is discovering that something is changing within her and she doesn't know what.

 

Plot – ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ I thought the plot was amazing! It starts off where shiver ended and I was so happy that it did! You learn new things about Grace and Sam as well as Cole and Isabel as well.

 

Writing – ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ The writing was awesome as always! I didn't lose interest or get lost in words I didn't know the meaning off or anything! The writing didn't change much from the first book and I was very glad that it didn't.

 

Characters – ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ I've got to say I missed Grace and Sam a whole lot and I was so excited picking up linger and reading were Shiver left off and to see what was happening with all the characters and wolves of Mercy Falls.

 

Grace Brisbane – Grace is back and is ready to start her new life with Sam and look forward to her future with him. I enjoyed her character very much. She hasn't changed much, if at all, from shiver and I loved that. Grace is feeling something dark falling over her and boiling under her skin waiting to be released.

 

Sam Roth – Sam is extremely happy that he is not turning into a wolf and you can tell that by the way he is now living his life. He's ready to live his life and marry Grace, but when has anything been easy. Now with this strange unknown sickness falling upon Grace and their love is thrown through obstacle through obstacle. He will do anything to make things right so that he and Grace can continue living their lives the way they want.

 

Cole St. Clair – Cole is a troubled and damaged soul. He want's nothing more then to leave his human life behind him and become a wolf forever. Cole is someone that wants to leave his life behind him and start a new one as a wolf, but it's not what he expects. Things become complicated and the thing he thought he wanted turns out to be totally the opposite.

 

Isabel Culpeper – Isabel is her selfish self who says many true things in a very cruel way, but it's the truth none the less. She meets Cole and finds herself strangely attracted to him. Isabel wants to forget all that's happening around her, but she knows that's not possible so she lives with it all. The death of her brother, her parents fighting, and the wolves that were the cause of her brothers death even though she blames herself for it. She finds herself beginning the voice of reason and trying to bring everyone down to earth and trying to figure out whats going no with Grace and how to fix it.

 

Overall I give this book ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ – no more and no less!

Unearthly

Title: Unearthly                                       

                                                          

Author: Cynthia Hand

Publisher: HaperCollins 2011

ISBN: 978-0-06-199616-0

Format: Hardcover, E-book

In the beginning there's a boy standing in the trees….

Clara Gardner is part human, part angel and that means she is on earth for a reason…a purpose. It is this purpose that leads her to a new town with new faces and new friends. But there is also someone who she has seen but never met. The boy in her visions. The boy she thinks has something to do with her purpose.

It turns out that discovering what her visions mean and what role this boy plays in her life is a lot harder than she hoped it would be. To make matters more difficult she meets Tucker, a boy who she knows can only distract her from her purpose, but who is a distraction that she really likes.

Will Clara be able to follow the rules that apply to an angel blood or will her heart lead her astray?

I LOVED this book. I give it 5 stars. Unearthly took hold of me from the beginning and did not let go until after I had put it down. There is not one character in this book that I did not like-which is rare for me. Every single one of them had characteristics that I could relate to or admire. I even understood Kay and her snooty attitude toward Clara.

Clara was a great character. She was strong even when she was unsure about herself. When her family up and moved away from the only home she had ever known she realized that it was for her purpose and she accepted it…went with it. She threw herself into learning new activities and making new friends. I admired that she didn't whine and complain but rather set out to make the best of her situation. In the book Clara faces some tough decisions about her purpose and the direction in which she should go. She followed her gut and her heart to do what she thought was right, which makes her all more likable in my eyes.

And then there are the boys….Christian and *sigh* Tucker. Both have many great qualities. Christian is more mysterious, the popular, great looking guy that is almost God-like. But he isn't aloof, and he isn't a snob. He's a nice guy that cares about people. Tucker is also popular but in a more likable way. Where Christian is popular for his status Tucker is popular because is so real and genuine. People feel comfortable around Tucker and are drawn in because of that. I was drawn into him. His sense of humor and the way he challenged Clara brought out the good parts of her. I feel like she was the best version of herself when she was with Tucker. And let me just say that the outdoor rugged activities that these boys participated in (skiing, hiking, fishing) only made them more attractive and manly.

The setting of this book is fabulous as well. I loved the snow and the description of the log home Clara lives in. There was a natural element to the story that I loved and it was so refreshing to read a YA book that took place outside rather than in the hallways of high school.

This book just seemed different and fresh from every other book that I have read. I think sometimes that paranormal/fantasy YA can get a little redundant (even though I love it), but this book really kept me guessing. I would sit and try to figure out how I thought it would end or what Clara's purpose might be, but I wasn't ever right. I loved that it wasn't predictable. The possibilities for the next book seem endless. I cannot wait to figure out Clara's brother, Jeffery, who has a little bad boy in him and seems to have a few secrets of his own. And, why does Clara's mom never want to talk about her purpose? Then there is the big question: who will Clara ultimately pick? I know who I am rooting for to win….

Do you?

Review written by Cambria Hebert

No Strings Attached

Title: No Strings Attached

Format: DVD released May 2011

Director: Ivan Reitman

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Kline

Adam and Emma's lives always seem to cross paths every few years since they met as teenagers in summer camp. As adults they both settle in L.A. with Emma working as a medical resident, and Adam working as an assistant on a television show and hoping to become a writer. Adam discovers that his father has begun dating his ex-girlfriend, and Adam makes it his mission to get laid. He gets drunk and calls every girl he knows-and even tries to pick a few that he doesn't-before ending up naked and passed out at Emma's.

The pair decides to have a 'no strings attached' relationship-basically they become friends with benefits. Emma is very cautious with her emotions and makes it clear she doesn't want anything serious. Except the chemistry between the pair is undeniable and soon Emma and Adam begin to wonder if there is such a thing as no strings attached.

I actually really liked this movie. It was a light, fun movie and I was totally able to relax while I was watching it. I give it four stars.

Ashton Kutcher plays Adam, and I think he was charming and cute. I liked the vulnerability that he sometimes showed, and I liked the way he acted like he was 'pro' friends with benefits even when you could tell that he wanted more. I also liked that he clearly had no clue how to handle his feelings for Emma without scaring her away, and I laughed out loud when he brought her a balloon for doing a 'good job' when they slept together. I thought that his relationship with his dad was realistic. Adam's dad was famous, but he wanted to make something out of himself without using his dad's name to get anywhere. Even when Adam really disliked his dad, the viewer knew that he still cared about him. I think a lot of parent-sibling relationships can be like that.

Emma was your typical woman with a fear of getting hurt. She tried to be strong and independent even when her heart told her otherwise. I thought she was funny too, like when she told Adam that she was going to start peeing with door open, and it was going to get weird. This was the first time I had ever seen her in a romantic comedy and I thought she played it well. She definitely has the beauty, and whenever she laughed, I usually laughed too.

The movie was light and fun and the characters tried to pretend that they weren't invested but underneath it all they were. Adam and Emma were always there for each other when it mattered the most and I think that's what made me root for them.

Was the ending predictable? Yeah. Was the story line original? Maybe not. Was it still a good movie? You bet. When you have such a great cast and someone as charming as Ashton Kutcher on the screen, how could it not be?

Review written by Cambria Hebert

Ghosts of Coronado Bay

Title: Ghosts of Coronado Bay ( A Maya Blair Mystery)

Author: JG Faherty

ISBN: 978‐1‐936564‐09‐5 (Soft cover)

            978‐1‐936564‐10‐1 (E-book)

Publisher: JournalStone 2011

Maya Blair can see ghosts. She doesn't think much of her ability because it is something she has been able to do since childhood. She spends a lot of time with the only ghost in her life-her grandmother, Elsa. Seeing ghosts isn't all Maya can do, she has a unique gift of making a ghost solid whenever she is near. During a boring school visit to the local museum to see artifacts from a one hundred year old sunken ship, The Black Lady, Maya meets Blake. She is instantly attracted to his light hearted nature and boyish good looks.

 Its only after she begins to experience feelings for him that she realizes he is a ghost.

 So what's a girl supposed to do when her love interest is dead? Get a new love interest. Enter: Gavin, a dark haired mystery man who has 'bad to the bone' written all over him. Maya is immediately drawn to his sexy good looks and confident attitude. Too bad Gavin is a ghost too.

To add to Maya's confusion both Blake and Gavin want something from her. Something that she has guarded carefully-even when she was being pressured by her over bearing, pig headed ex-her virginity.

What could two ghosts want with her virginity and who should she trust? As the answers unfold Maya has to look deep inside herself to find the truth and stop an evil wizard from completing his nefarious plan that is a century in the making.

When I was a kid I discovered a passion for reading. And still thinking of my favorite author today makes me smile. In fact, his books are still in print today. My favorite childhood author? R.L. Stine.  I read every one of the books from his Goosebumps series that I could get my hands on. Ghosts of Coronado Bay reminded me of R.L. Stine and the stories that I used to love so much.  

J.G. Faherty is a wonderful writer who tells the story in a straight forward, current manor and still manages to give rich detail and paint a vibrant picture. The story takes place on the Island of Coronado Bay and makes the perfect beach setting for a shipwreck to be unearthed. Personally, I love the mystery and even romanticism that is associated with a felled ship and the possibility of sunken treasure. Add in the twist of some ghosts-both naughty and nice- and you've got yourself one interesting read!

In the book Maya faces a lot of issues that young women face today, such as, bullying from an ex, pressure to have sex and the demands of having a job while going to school. She is also strong and almost unflappable. She takes karate and doesn't hesitate to defend herself when needed and she never freaks out when the unimaginable appears.

Maya and Lucy are best friends and even though they are very different, they accept each other for who they are and you can sense the bond that they share. Lucy has a 'this is who I am' attitude and isn't afraid to be herself. She has the crass of a sailor but is still likable.

Blake and Gavin represent two halves of a whole: day and night. Where one is light the other is dark, where one is good the other is bad. And, even though I knew that one was up to no good, Maya didn't and I found myself telling her throughout the book what I thought she needed to know.

Lucky for her she listened. Okay, she didn't listen to me but she did figure out what was going on and she came up with a pretty clever plan to stop the evil ghost (Want to know what she did? Buy the book and find out-cause I'm not saying!). Just like all good books Maya had the help of her faithful friends and even the help of a friend she didn't think she had.

This book is a fast, entertaining read that I would recommend for a rainy afternoon and a warm blanket. It just might bring you back to something you enjoyed in the past like it did for me. One thing is for sure, Ghosts of Coronado Bay is something that you can pick up and enjoy today!

Review is written by Cambria Hebert

Amaretto Flame

Title: Amaretto Flame (Eagleton Coven #1)

Author: Sammie Spencer

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

AISN: B004TSCMDM

Publication Date: March 26, 2011 by Sammie Spencer

Available format: E-book

     Olivia has spent her life training, learning how to kill the Venator, her people's greatest deadly threat. She has never known the care free kind of life that she thinks humans live. She has always felt like she was on the outside, never part of the group. So, when she commits a 'crime', the high priestess of her coven sends her away to live among humans as her punishment, she feels more out of place than ever.

     When she takes a waitress job at a small bar in town, she is surprised to find new friends…and an intriguing singer with gorgeous amaretto colored eyes. Olivia finds herself part of a world she never imagined and maybe actually liking it…

      But it isn't good times for long because Venator attacks start happening, and Olivia is afraid for the family that she left behind-the family that she can't be with to protect. When she discovers the secret behind the attacks, everything she has been training for is put to the test.

      I have to say that usually books about witches are not my thing. This book is an exception. I loved this book, and I give it four stars. Sammie Spencer has woven quite a unique world that I was so easily drawn into. The characters are believable and relatable. I really loved Olivia's internal journey throughout the book. She was honest with herself about herself, and she really worked through a lot of her own issues internally which made her such a strong character. She never let other people define her, and she always did what she believed was right. I also really liked that even when she found that her new life with the humans was fun, she never forgot about where she came from and never stopped caring about the people she left behind.

      Jackson Vance was another great character. He was quite a puzzle in the beginning, and I found myself thinking that he was what was presented: a bad boy player that liked to keep things non-committal and easy. Boy was I wrong. I loved how the layers of his personality unfolded along with the story. Just when I thought I had him figured out, I was surprised.

      The magic and powers in the story were also something that I enjoyed. As I mentioned before witch books usually aren't my thing, but I really enjoyed the different powers each person held, and I liked the fact that it wasn't all about the magic. It was more about how they used their abilities and the lives they lead with each other. They were a family of misfits that discovered they weren't really misfits after all, and they belonged together. It was a great family bond.

    Everett, Olivia's brother, was another favorite of mine. The bond that he and Olivia shared made me wish that I had a brother of my own. I can only hope that Sammie Spencer writes in a rockin' love interest for him in her next book!

     I can't wait to see what happens in the next book, and where Olivia and Jackson go. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a great story and strong characters. With summer approaching, anyone who had thought about getting a copy of this book, quit waiting! Snag this book, pull up your chair near the pool, work on your tan, and settle in for some great entertainment!

This review was written by Cambria Hebert

HERO

Go, Thom, go!

HERO

Written by Perry Moore

ISBN:  9781423101963

First published in 2007, reprinted in 2009

Available in hardback, paperback, and audio book formats

*

Being a gay teen is hard enough, let alone a gay teen with the world's toughest father, no mother, and no friends. Now try being a gay teen with the world's toughest father, no mother, and no friends who just figured out he has superpowers. You want to join the League, the world's premiere superhero team, more than anything–but your parents are blacklisted, making everyone look at you suspiciously. And even if you do get in, good luck dealing with the cackling old lady, screaming bitch, neurotic hypochondriac, and second-rate sidekick you're put on a team with, probably because the League wants to make you quit.

Welcome to Thom Creed's life. He's not thrilled about it, but he's not giving up. Whatever it takes, he'll be a hero–though he might need to learn how sooner than he thinks.

HERO, essentially a coming-of-age story with superpowers, is wonderful in every possible way. It's funny, it's exciting, it's touching. It has adventure and mystery, family trouble as Thom tries to figure out his father and learns about his mother, and a bit of romance when he meets Goran, a handsome basketball player from Croatia.

Perry Moore, most famous for producing the Narnia movies, wrote HERO as a challenge to the comic book industry, which had begun introducing gay characters but then sidelined them, apparently not knowing what to do with them and uncomfortable with the idea of giving them love interests. When HERO became a financial and critical success, it helped galvanize some wary writers/editors into really including their gay characters into the mainstream for the first time.

A lot of plans followed. Stan Lee, founder of many of Marvel Comics' most famous characters and titles, loved HERO and was working with Moore on a comic project. The first steps of a movie adaptation went underway. And, of course, Moore started work on the sequel…

…When he died in 2011 at the ridiculous age of 39. It's a terrible tragedy that so much talent, at the peak of his career in both movies and writing, left the world so young. But as a legacy, I can't think of much better Moore could have left behind than HERO.

*

Review by Elizabeth Reuter

Letters to Elise: A Peter Townsend Novella

Letters to Elise:  A Peter Townsend Novella

By:  Amanda Hocking

ASIN:  B004GUSE2Q

Published December 20, 2010

Available Format: ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

In Amanda Hocking's My Blood Approves series, Peter Townsend finds himself in love with Alice despite his own reservations.  Unfortunately, although Alice certainly has feelings for Peter, she is also in love with his brother, Jack.  It is revealed that Peter once was bonded with and very much in love with a vampire named Elise.  Letters to Elise:  A Peter Townsend Novella takes us back in Peter's life.  Through his correspondence with Ezra and Elise, he describes how he becomes a vampire and what his early life is like.  We learn how he meets and falls in love with Elise and what became of her.  Finally we are given a backstage pass when Mae, Jack, and Alice enter his life.

In case you didn't catch it before, I LOVE Peter in Hocking's My Blood Approves series.  He is so much more interesting and mature than his brother (and certainly better looking in my imagination).  I think Alice should have chosen him to begin with.  Of course, that would have taken a lot of content out of the books, but a girl can dream can't she?   This novella gives the reader a chance to spend some quality time with Peter and get to know him a little better.  I was so thankful to finally have the full back story about him and Elise which was only briefly described in My Blood Approves.

Because this book is a novella, and therefore much shorter, in addition to being formatted as letters instead of chapters, it is an extremely easy, quick read.  I read the entire thing at the ball field one day waiting for my son to finish baseball practice.  My only complaint is that occasionally Hocking inserts quite a bit of dialogue within a letter, making it a bit confusing and taking some of the charm away from the overall presentation.

If you are interested in the My Blood Approves series, this novella is definitely a great piece of supplemental literature.   If you want to quickly get a feel for the series as well as Hocking's writing, I think this would be a great place to start.  Just be prepared to "need" her other books when you are finished!

Review by Cassie McCown

Sucker Punch

Blondie, Amber, Baby Doll, Sweet Pea and Rocket

Sucker Punch

Directed by Zack Snyder

Rated PG-13

Three-and-a-half stars.

*

Sucker Punch opens with young Baby Doll (Emily Browning) being committed to an asylum that turns out to have a brothel hidden inside. Desperate to escape, Baby Doll recedes into a fantasy world where she unexpectedly finds power. But is it enough to free herself?

This is an intriguing idea. Trauma victims often undergo a

The real world. Maybe.

process call "dissociation" where, when the pain grows too overwhelming, the victim's mind will sort of…go away for awhile. It's the last refuge of the horribly abused, and the idea of a victim finding power in that most powerless of places has so much potential that based on that concept alone I knew psychologists foaming at the mouth to see this movie.

However, in execution, Sucker Punch seems to have designed its characters like this:

Guy A: Okay, what's every kinky sex fantasy you can think of?

Guy B: Uuummm…Naughty Schoolgirl, Naughty Nurse, Girl With Gun, Girl in Leather, Hot Older Slut–mid-thirties is old, right?–Stripper, and Barbarian Swordswoman.

"I enjoy long walks on the beach and reading poetry."

Guy A: And that's our character list!

Guy B: Don't forget the panty shots.

And then designed its fight scenes like this:

Guy A: Okay, let's put everything cool we've ever seen in video games together, then double how many of them we have on screen at one time, and make them explode.

The thing about Zack Snyder is, you can tell the guy loves Matrix/V for Vendetta-type films where the awesome action compliments deeper ideas about things like the human condition, spirituality, and politics. He always tries to include those ideas in his own films, but they never fit together quite right, and Sucker Punch is not an exception. The "dissociation as power" idea is fascinating, and the surreal "dream inside a fantasy inside a dream" that Baby Doll experiences as she begins to lose track of what's real is cool. However, the execution is flawed, particularly in a twist ending which is much less, "Oh, I see!" and much more "Hang on, that doesn't make sense, and is also kind of stupid."

The action and visuals are awesome, but because the movie tried to make me think too much I had trouble getting into them in the last act.

Sweet Pea will kick your ass.

This is not to say Sucker Punch is a total loss. Those action scenes are pretty damn awesome; if Sucker Punch doesn't manage to be a statement about power for the powerless, it still provides a creative visual feast for fanboys and gals. It has an awesome soundtrack. And I loved the Wise Man (Scott Glenn), the guru who guided the girls along their way. If you don't think too hard, this movie is fun, certainly worth a look at the dollar theaters where it is now. The sheer creativity of the designs and scale of the action might just blow you away.

*

Review by Elizabeth Reuter

Fossil Hunter

Fossil Hunter

by Robert J. Sawyer

Tor reprint edition, March 2005

ISBN 0-765-30793-4

Trade paperback

Picking up years after Far-Seer concludes, Fossil Hunter centers on Afsan's children. They were not culled by the Bloodpriests, thus putting Afsan in the unusual position of knowing who his children are. Afsan is now advisor to the emperor, Dybo, and one of his sons, Toroca, leads a survey team of Land. Like his father, Toroca makes another discovery about their civilization that turns their whole worldview upside down: evolution.

The second book of Sawyer's Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy is weaker than the first, but as a continuation of the first story's main arc it is logical and interesting. Unlike Far-Seer, Fossil Hunter has multiple story lines running through it.

The main story is Toroca's research, leading up to his theory of the true origin of their species, and it has nothing to do with God. There's another thread involving Afsan's children. They are unique in that they don't seem to have a territorial reflex. We also find out that the government is not completely fair. The rulers of each providence are actually of the same family. The church spared them from going through the culling, and the weakest member of the clutch was chosen to be emperor so the church could manipulate the government. When this is revealed, the people are outraged that the highest members of their own government do not obey their most sacred laws. Society begins to break down. The governor of a providence, Rodlox, claims to be the rightful emperor, and he wants his throne.

The final story line I want to discuss takes place from an awkward point of view. Its name is the Watcher. The Watcher appears early on in the book, and the introduction is jarring because all of a sudden the narration takes us from the inhabitants of the Quintaglio's moon to a first-person, omniscient view of the entire universe.

The Watcher is some non-corporeal being, and we deduce that the Watcher is responsible for transporting the Quintaglios (among others) from Earth to distant planets that were more suitable for them.

The Watcher is my only problem with this book. These musings are out of place and entirely unnecessary. We could've figured out what was going on without the Watcher's first-person account. Toroca discovers the wreckage of the alien spacecraft that transported life to their world, which means the Watcher's chapters only break the story's point of view. The series is supposed to take place from the dinosaurs' point of view. The Watcher uncomfortably takes the reader outside the story instead of letting the reader experience it for himself.

Furthermore, the very inclusion of an alien race creating their population takes the wind out of Toroca's discovery of evolution. Afsan took God out of the sky, as well as placed them on one planet among countless others. Toroca does discover evolution, but thanks to the Watcher we know the Quintaglios didn't really evolve, so it means very little.

By far the most interesting story is Rodlox's challenge. Afsan's solution to the problem, and to restore order to the people, is to recreate the culling on the royal family. Putting it in today's terms, this means dropping every state governor in a pit with a hungry, flesh-eating, feral dinosaur, and the last man standing gets to be president. It's extreme, and Afsan puts his friend's life on the line, but if it restores the people's faith in the system, it's worth it. This isn't cruel, or outrageous. It's a logical way for sentient dinosaurs to handle the situation. The final battle is epic, and the victor now deserves to be emperor.

As part of the trilogy, it continues the story very well. If I just forget about the Watcher, it's a great read. Oddly, this story actually makes more sense after reading Foreigner, the third book in the series.

Review written by James Steele

Doodling

Doodling

By:  Jonathan Gould

AISN:  B004KSQVCO

Published January 24, 2011

Available Format:  ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

Neville Lansdowne just could not keep up with the desperately spinning world any longer.  He simply had to let go.  He soon finds, however, that life in space is just another adventure.  Wandering through an asteroid field, he runs into many remarkable characters.  One asteroid is home to kitchen appliance devotees, while another is the territory of a couple of party animals.  Life in outer space is as diverse, eccentric, and unpredictable as it is on Earth.  There is one slight complication, however.  The world is out of control and on a collision course with Neville's beloved asteroid family.  It is up to Neville to figure out how to stop this horrific catastrophe from occurring and setting everything back to rights.

Doodling is something I most likely would not have read under normal circumstances.  Since I was given a copy to review, I was happy to try it out.  I have to say, it was truly delightful!

Doodling best falls under the category of comic fantasy.  It rides the waves with A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and an inkling of Gulliver's Travels.  The writing is creative and perfectly paced—quite comparable to Lewis Carroll.  The book is chockfull of metaphors, if you care to notice them.  Although, you might just want to sit back and enjoy the wit (think a rather G-rated Monty Python production).

At times it reminded me of one of my son's favorite Nickelodeon television shows, The Upside Down Show.   The quirky humor and fun, inventive resolutions fall right in line with that show's aim at both comical entertainment and education.  I think it is something that my kids would enjoy reading when their attention spans are slightly more extensive.   I was able to zoom through this short read in just a couple reading sessions, but it certainly did not lack in amusement!

Bravo to Mr. Gould!

Right now you can snag a copy on Amazon for a mere $0.99.  Please don't deny yourself a little break from this hectic world with a bit of Doodling.

Review by Cassie McCown