The Creeps - John Connolly

First line: "In a small terraced house in the English town of Biddlecombe, a birthday party was underway."

Just in time for Halloween, John Connolly's third book in his Samuel Johnson series is available in the United States. This is my first outing with Samuel and his little dog Boswell, and I was chastised for it in the book's footnotes (yes, really, footnotes--you'll love them!)

"An adventure described in The Infernals, available from all good bookshops and some bad ones. If you haven't read it, please find a copy and turn to the second footnote in Chapter One, which will wag a finger disapprovingly at you for picking up the later books in a series without first reading the earlier ones."

I will pick up The Infernals because I had so much fun with The Creeps! I also plan to push these books into the hands of my niece and nephew. The Creeps--the series--is really great fun for readers of all ages.

Samuel, Boswell and Lucy are attending the grand opening of a new toy shop taking over the long vacated Wreckit & Son's building. But an atmosphere of trouble is brewing everywhere, so what should be a joyous occasion has a foreboding air.

In the sweet shop that is actually a not-so-secret laboratory, the new tea boy is witnessing ghosts. Dan and his Dwarfs have been hired to work as elves at the opening of the Wreckit & Sons toy shop. And the Hilary Mould statue is moving from place to place throughout Biddlecombe. Add to that a voice in the wall of Wreckit & Sons and Crudford scouring the Multiverse for Mrs. Abernathy's atoms and you have the building blocks of an adventure suitable for Hell.

The Creeps is chock full of delightful elements. I mentioned the footnotes but it also has playful chapter titles, illustrations and plenty of smart humor. From metaphors as witty as

"...said Professor Stefan in the tone of a man who has just discovered a large hole in his bucket of patience, and is now considering hitting someone over the head with the bucket,..."

to descriptions as vivid as

"'What we're looking for is a big, black, rotten heart-shaped thingy filled with nastiness.'"

the writing is both intelligent and whimsical. And underneath that whimsy is a fantastic depth of character and plot. With The Creeps, there's no having to choose which element of story you prefer because both are so deftly defined. The ideas of the Multiverse and Hell and the alignment of everything are complex and intriguing. While the relationships aren't confined to humans. They go beyond to all kind of beings, acknowledging the plausibility of compassion and empathy between those who aren't exactly the same.

While October is a perfect time for The Creeps to come out, and it would make a great treat for your favorite ghost or goblin's Halloween bag, it's a fantastically wonderful reading experience any time. And yes, Earth may have "become unmoored from reality" but really, can't we all benefit from a little unmooring from time to time?

The Creeps is available in hardcover (ISBN: 978-1476757094) from Emily Bestler Books (Atria) and also on unabridged audio (ISBN: 978-1442368705) from Simon and Schuster Audio, narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds.

Guest Reviewer: Emma

I am extremely fortunate this week to have another guest reviewer. Emma is 12 and she is going to talk about the Young Adult novel SCAT from Carl Hiassen. I'm so excited that she chose this book to read and review because I, too, want to read Carl Hiassen. My good friend bought me one of his books for Christmas, so I was anxious to hear what Emma had to say about SCAT.

I want to let Emma take over right away and then I have a couple comments to share after, so Emma, take it away, girl!

Title: SCAT
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Reviewed by: Emma W.

1. Give a short summary of your book, but remember not to give away the ending.

Two children, Nick and Marta, are worried because their biology teacher went missing during a fire in the Black Vine Swamp. No one knew who set the fire but all clues point to Nick and Marta’s classmate, Duane Scrod Jr.

At the same time, Red Diamond Energy Corporation is illegally drilling oil in Florida’s land, so they may have set the fire to get rid of any sign of the rare Florida panther that might be found in their illegal drilling site, which will get Red Diamond sued.

2. Who is your story’s protagonist? How does the author develop this character (i.e., how does the author describe the character? How does the character talk? How does the character act with other characters? Does your character have special skills or talents?)

The protagonist in SCAT is Nick Waters. The author doesn’t actually give a description of the character, but throughout the story, I could tell that his character is friendly, fights for good causes, and is impulsive (but in a good way.) Nick could easily get along with anyone. He and his best friend Marta have many differences, but they’re still friends. His dad lost his right arm in Iraq, and I thought that it was sweet how Nick wanted to be just like his dad by tying his own arm behind his back. It seems that Nick has a big heart.

3. Besides the protagonist, who was your favorite character in the book and why?

My favorite character from SCAT is a man named Twilly because he was very environmental and always subtle about how he would try to stand up for his beliefs against harming the swamp and animals in the story. He wasn’t mentioned many times in the book, but I loved his character.

4. Describe the setting. How does it affect the plot? Could this book take place anywhere or is the setting essential?

The main setting in the story is the Black Vine Swamp. It has tons of different plant and animal life. The author described it as damp and murky, but also really beautiful because of all the pretty flowers and animals. It affected the plot because that is where Red Diamond had illegal land and was trying to kill the Florida panther. I think this setting is essential and also applies to other swamps in addition to Black Vine Swamp.

5. Describe a theme that the author uses in the book. Do you think the author did a good job developing the theme? Why or why not?

The theme of SCAT is about nature and what we can do to keep it from getting damaged even more than it already is. I think the author did a great job of developing the environmental theme, because he put it into a fun story that kids can relate to.

6. What did you like about the book?

I like that Carl Hiaasen did really well on giving the impression that kids can help the planet just as well as adults can.

7. What did you not like about the book?

To be honest, I didn’t like how the author made girls look like they’re supposed to be scared of everything and that they’re not capable of doing everything that boys can. I realized that when Marta always said things like, “No, I can’t do that. It’s too scary,” or “Eeeeewww!!!! I’m getting mud all over my new converse!!!”

8. Who would you recommend this book to?

I would recommend this book to all kid readers who like animals, mysteries, or stories about friendship. I highly recommend this book because it’s great!


Thank you so much, Emma! First I have to say what an intuitive reader you are. I'm very impressed with things you picked up on in the book and I'm pretty sure Carl Hiaasen would be impressed with your reading as well! And especially good for you on noticing Marta's character; a lot of readers would have missed those details. I'm really glad that you had fun reading SCAT and that you liked it. It has so many themes that I like in it, I'm going to have to check this one out myself. Most of all, thanks for sharing it with us. I'm not an expert on mystery books for young adults, so it's extremely helpful to have someone review who IS! You are welcome to review books for us any time you'd like!

Thanks Emma! And readers, Emma will probably stop by, so if you have questions or comments for her, be sure to leave them in the comments section. Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: Young Readers, Carl Hiaasen, book review

Guest Reviewer: Jack

There is a significant element of mystery that I tend to neglect here at the blog, and that's mystery books aimed at younger folks. Since it's summer, I thought I might ask some specialists in this realm of mystery books to come in and lend a hand. And boy oh boy did I get some great guest reviewers to step up.

My first reviewer is Jack. Jack is 8 years old and he enjoys soccer, basketball, ripsticking, skateboarding, baseball, art and reading - sometimes. Jack hasn't always been a real avid reader, so I'm very honored that he was willing to review a book for me. AND, not just any book. Jack choose to read THE BOXCAR CHILDREN. I don't know if any of you have read this series, yet, but when I was first learning to read on my own, this was one of the very first series I read. And I loved it! So, I'm doubly excited to have Jack here to talk about it. Let me quit yammering away and turn this post over to Jack!

Book Title: THE BOXCAR CHILDREN
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner
Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company

1. Give a short summary of your book, but remember not to give away the ending.

Four kids have lost their parents and now they are on their own. They are also running away from their grandpa because they think he is mean. They are named Henry, Benny, Violet and Jessie. They find a boxcar and find a way to live in it. It’s not easy for them but they seem to like it. Every day seems like hard work for them.

2. Who is the main character in your story? Tell us about this character – does he/she talk in a special way? What does this person look like? How do they treat other characters? Do they have friends? Would you want to be friends with this character?

The main character is Henry, the oldest brother. He helps his brother and sisters survive while they live in the boxcar. He cares about his brother and sisters in a special way. He acts older than his age. I guess he is about 14 years old. He doesn’t have any friends because he has to work to take care of the other kids. They have no parents. I would want to be friends with Henry but I think I would like his little brother, Benny, better. Benny is closer to my age.

3. Who was your favorite character in the story? Why was this character your favorite?

Benny is my favorite because he is younger and gets to play more. His brother and sisters have to work a lot. It seems like it would be too hard.

4. Tell us a little about the setting of your book. How is it important in the story? (Think about how the story would be different if it took place somewhere else.)

It would be hard to have this story without the boxcar. Each day they make the boxcar more like a real house. They have to use their imaginations and work hard to make it nice and fun. It is fun to see what they do. It made me want to live in the boxcar or try it out for a while.

5. What did you like best about your book?

It’s just a really good book and it’s hard to choose what I like best. It did make me wonder what would happen to Benny and the other kids because I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. There were some happy times in the book but I wondered how the story was going to end. I didn’t think they could live like that and hide forever.

6. Was there anything you didn’t like about your book?

Sometimes, they say their words too specifically.(Note from Jack's mom, who typed for him: I think he means that the language spoken was “more formal” or old fashioned to him.)

7. Who do you think would like to read this book? (Example: middle school readers, boys, girls, readers who like sports, etc.)

Anyone that really enjoys reading, even those who hate reading, would like this book. This was a good book.


That was wonderful, Jack! Thank you for sharing with us about THE BOXCAR
CHILDREN. I have a nephew who is a little bit younger than you are, but
now I'll remember that when he's able to read on his own, he will
probably like THE BOXCAR CHILDREN, too!

And readers, Jack is going to stop by and see if you have any questions
or comments for him, so feel free to leave him any messages in the
comments section today. What I'm most excited about is the fact that
Jack may be back to review another book this summer! I'm definitely
looking forward to Jack's next book.

Friday, I'll have another special guest reviewer so make sure you check
back! Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: Gertrude Chandler Warner, Mysteries for Young Readers