Allan Woodrow writes humorous school stories such as Field Tripped, Class Dismissed or Unschooled. This book is a departure from previous books I have collected. It is a darkly humorous book mashed up with horror. Think Lemony Snicket books or Monty Python movies. Unfortunately, this is not my genre at all but I hoped the book would surprise me. It did not. With 334 pages, it was a slow read. I was determined to finish it so I could give a true review. I am reading this book for the Follet Summer Read & Review Program and they sent me this advanced copy.
This book is a story about an orphan named Bolt Wattle who lives in a very sorry and sad orphanage but is suddenly summoned to a country called Brugaria by a mysterious person named Baron. He is warned by the locals in town when he stops before arriving at the manor, that he is in danger. Barking penguins are heard everywhere and eventually you learn that the Baron turns into a "werepenguin" at midnight of a full moon. He wants company and is determined to bite Bolt on the neck and turn him into a "werepenguin" as well. It continues to get crazy, silly, dangerous, and a little scary as you continue reading.
I thought the writing was well down and often thought about the clever sentences and wording. Yes, some things were really funny! However, sometimes it was just really too crazy for my reading taste. There are drawings throughout the book. There is a warning that the artwork is not finalized and I am going to assume that when some of the drawings look unfinished, it was because they were not ready at the time of the publishing of this advanced reader copy.
I know that I didn't enjoy the humor in this book, however, it might be perfect for kids who love dark humor and horror mixed! I would rate it a 2 for me because it was OK. However, I think I would recommend it to people who are drawn to horror and or comedy and could give it an overall 3 for good. The reading level is about 5th grade.
On Sale: August 13, 2019
Pages: 352
Age Range: 8-12 years