I Told You So!

by Mark Gunning

Meet William and Thomas, two best friends. Follow them on a journey as they climb a giant tree, encounter killer bees, feed spicy chili to Harry (a dog), find a monster in the basement, build a gigantic ramp, and make it snow in the summertime. Lost baseballs, angry bees, extra spicy chili, basement monsters, a massive ramp, and broken bones. What more could a kid want?

111 pages, ebook

Published May 22, 2019

About the author

Mark Gunning is a children’s author (and retired educator) who believes that the weirdest ideas make the best stories. Based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, he traded in classroom chaos for barking dogs (Chewie and Ozzie) and the daily question, “What’ll the boys do next?” His books—like The Adventures of William and Thomas and the upcoming Itchygooney Mysteries series—mix laugh-out-loud moments with heart, because he knows kids will forgive almost anything… except boring chapters. When he’s not dreaming up mischief for William and Thomas, you’ll find him hiking the Niagara Gorge, playing slo-pitch, or convincing his guitar to hit the right chords. If you spot a swirl in the grass, look twice—it might just be the Mark of the Itchygooney Witch.

https://twitter.com/MGunningAuthor

Reviews

[Mark Gunning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been written with middle-grade children in mind. The book contains a number of short stories following the adventures of two best friends, William and Thomas. The boys attempt to pull off a number of pranks and stunts, with something usually going wrong. From killer bees, giant ramps, spicy chili, basement monsters, and an angry granny, kids will enjoy the humour and the determination of William and his best friend. Parents will even enjoy reading these short stories with their kids before bedtime. Two thumbs up for this entertaining collection of short stories.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

William & Thomas are best friends. They sometimes can get into trouble.
Their journey starts as they climb a giant tree. William’s glider is stuck at the top.
William decided to go to the drawing board & draw up plans.
Plan A. The 2 of them were going to take turns throwing Thomas autographed favorite Blue Jay ball into the tree to knock the glider down.

Plan B. 1 of them would climb the tree & get the glider down.
Thomas tried but came back down unsuccessful.
William was next. The bottom branch caught him as he fell.
Here came William’s sheepdog Harry.
William’s butt popped out of his pants.
Thomas was taking pictures to post.
William’s mom came out to see if she could help.

She also burst out laughing. He didn’t think it was funny.
Suddenly a gust of wind knocked the glider out of the tree.
& then the baseball fell.
Plan A. William was going to get us some honey out of a beehive.
Granny Grunt was coming to stay at William (son/brother), & Adam’s (little son/brother) house.
Plan B. Feed Harry (dog) the spicy chili.

Plan C. A worldwide record bicycle ramp jump.
What will their next adventures be?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great colored pictures & proper font & writing style. A very well written 2 best friends adventure story book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great children’s friendship adventure movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Itchygooney Books; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a boy's adventure book. (As a teacher, I found that girls will read just about anything but boys are hard to hook into a book.)  Boys love taking chances and they love it when silly things happen.  The artwork breaks up the pages for reluctant readers.

This book has everything -- humor, bad luck, a willingness to try anything once, more bad luck, and goofy solutions for life's problems.  This is just the stuff two 10-year-olds with too much time on their hands would get into.

I'm still laughing about the Basement Monster.  The two boys got what they deserved for trying to frighten Adam. However, it is so funny.  Looks like Adam got back at his brother, after all.

Overall, this is a real page-turner because the author offers adventure and humor in equal measures.

[Shahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Told You So! by Mark Gunning is a wildly entertaining collection of hilarious misadventures starring best friends William and Thomas. Perfectly capturing the chaos and imagination of childhood, this short read takes young readers on a rollercoaster ride filled with outrageous antics—from runaway chili-fed dogs to snowstorms in summer. Each chapter delivers laugh-out-loud moments, while still offering glimpses of friendship, consequences, and growing up. Gunning’s storytelling is light, zany, and vividly relatable for kids aged 8–12, making it ideal for reluctant readers or those craving fast-paced fun. The boys’ nonstop curiosity and schemes feel genuine, and the episodic format keeps things fresh and funny throughout. Whether it’s bees, monsters, or broken bones, I Told You So! proves that with great friends, even disasters can be unforgettable adventures.