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lazygal's review
3.0
Reading this, I had flashbacks to Adam Rex's Cold Cereal and thought, "this is a cute idea but..." Maybe I'm just too old, but there was something a little missing here.
The idea of Indorsia and a computer disguised as a living room set was interesting. Likewise the "Victory Garden" crayon set, including rutabaga and zucchini colored crayons. Freak, Fiona and River's adventures in the Underhill house and Hellsboro were, as per the genre, a little over the top. More on the flash mobs might have been fun, or less on the CCD. Or perhaps a little more humor (there was very little here) would have been the answer. Still, I'm not the target age group and they might find it a better read.
ARC provided by publisher.
The idea of Indorsia and a computer disguised as a living room set was interesting. Likewise the "Victory Garden" crayon set, including rutabaga and zucchini colored crayons. Freak, Fiona and River's adventures in the Underhill house and Hellsboro were, as per the genre, a little over the top. More on the flash mobs might have been fun, or less on the CCD. Or perhaps a little more humor (there was very little here) would have been the answer. Still, I'm not the target age group and they might find it a better read.
ARC provided by publisher.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting take on how science and magic can work together, or not.
Cal and other farmers are going out of business because an inventor has come up with a way to make food from tomatoes.
But, no one understands how that works.
And then magic appears in the form of coins rolling.
And magic appears in a door opening.
And magic is leaking from another relm, and threatens to kill all magic. Forever.
This is just how the book goes. It wanders around, but all comes together in the end.
I liked how everything connected, though I have to say I found it odd that they introduced Drew to have him be gone for most of the book.
Good story on interconnectivity of life. Not too heavy handed there, and I liked that there was a series of books, in the magic relm called Mary Potter, about a scientist.
It took a while to get into the story, and it was a bit slow in the middle, but it made up for it as we raced to the conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Cal and other farmers are going out of business because an inventor has come up with a way to make food from tomatoes.
But, no one understands how that works.
And then magic appears in the form of coins rolling.
And magic appears in a door opening.
And magic is leaking from another relm, and threatens to kill all magic. Forever.
This is just how the book goes. It wanders around, but all comes together in the end.
I liked how everything connected, though I have to say I found it odd that they introduced Drew to have him be gone for most of the book.
Good story on interconnectivity of life. Not too heavy handed there, and I liked that there was a series of books, in the magic relm called Mary Potter, about a scientist.
It took a while to get into the story, and it was a bit slow in the middle, but it made up for it as we raced to the conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
yapha's review
4.0
What a super fun science fiction book for middle grade readers! River, Freak, and Fiona find a random sofa by their bus stop, which starts them on an incredible journey to save not only their town, but the entire Earth. The good guys are never flawless, though the bad guys remain truly evil, in this exciting adventure. A computer embedded in a variety of inanimate objects helps them become a team and work together as they aliens in the form of a super corporation hoping to enslave the earth. Recommended for grades 5 - 8.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
phyrre's review against another edition
5.0
You can read my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a review copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
That title is a mouthful, and I don’t recommend saying it five times fast, because who knows what could happen? You might end up opening a wormhole that the Earth falls into, thereby destroying all of creation, and you wouldn’t want that one on your resume, now would you?
What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon is a funny, punny adventure that extols the virtues of science in a sneaky, engaging way, wrapped up in a whole dragonload of fun.
I’m not entirely sure how to describe this book, because while the blurb does a good job, it doesn’t quite capture the heart in this story. I just had so much fun with this book, more than I imagined I would. Definitely one I would recommend to kids, and I think the easy humor would draw them right in.
My Thoughts:
- This book has a delightful, charming, easy-to-read voice that’s full of humor and easily relatable. Do I think kids will love it? Heck yes. I loved it. The plot is a little all over the place at first, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect or where it was going, but around the 30% mark, the quest really kicked into gear, and the plot was a little more focused on something other than I found a book of useless magic. Normally, this would drive me bonkers. I’m a very plot-centric gal. But here, the voice was just so fun and relatable that I was fine just going along for the ride. Yeah, sure, let’s meander here and there. I was just sort of fine with it, because Cal makes for a funny, engaging narrator.
- There’s a little of everything in this book: magic spells, endangered dragons, puns (oh so many wonderful puns), a quest, a conspiracy, new friendships. Yet, none of it is quite as you might expect. This book follows a very Pratchett-like (Pratchettian? Pratchettish?) habit of twists and turns. Just when you’re sure X will happen, the very improbable Y will happen instead … and probably make you laugh, at the same time. This was so freaking effective, because the book incorporates a lot of tropes that you think might end up being tired and cliche, but it twists them in a way that makes them recognizable yet fresh and fun.
- The characters in this are just absolutely delightful. You’ve got our main guy, Cal, who is the child of farmers … and farming can be a difficult life. I really appreciated how the book tackled this, in the midst of everything else, because legacy farms are hard. Staying afloat as a farmer? Also hard. Cal’s not what I would call brainy, but he’s a problem-solver, and his heart’s in the right place (mainly, his chest … I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING. Cheesy jokes galore with this book! Own it.)
Modesty is the go-getter of the group. She’s a leader, unafraid to take charge in a situation and just do the thing. Not exactly the stop-and-think-before-charging-in sort of character, but hey, that’s what she’s got the guys for, right?
Then there’s Drew, who’s the more book-smart, logical one. I didn’t feel like I got to know Drew as well as the others, which is a shame, because he’s probably the one who’s most like me. I loved how matter-of-fact he could be, though.
Last but not least, there’s Pre, who is a librarian who just wants to be a scientist (and on behalf of librarians everywhere, I’d be offended, if being a scientist wasn’t so stinking cool in its own right.) To be fair, science doesn’t exist in his world, which makes it more exotic. It’d be the equivalent of me wanting to be a witch and … well, duh. So I can’t really fault him on this one.
- There’s this super sneaky thing going on here, where the book slips in some really powerful life lessons while the reader isn’t looking. It’s sort of a “drop and go” approach, where they’re slipped into some action, and yet they catch your attention because, one, you’re not looking for or expecting them, but two, they make perfect sense in the context that you’re like … huh. Well, that’s a good point. My favorite examples of this, in particular, are with Pre and his absolute fascination with science, which doesn’t exist in his world. Pre wants very much to be a scientist, so the book shows, in a lot of little ways, how much science can play a part in everyday life. Or, you know, in big quests to save the world, even. It was so fun to see the little ways that Pre did something “scientifical” without even realizing it, because science is just that broad and that powerful.
- This book is super punny and with the cheesiest sense of humor, and I absolutely freaking loved it. It’s witty, in a simplistic way, and makes the story so much more enjoyable to read. The best thing about this type of humor is that it allows the author to slip in all sorts of little Easter eggs that younger kids may not understand, but which older readers and adults will appreciate even more. Basically, it’s accessible to all ages. There’s a little something for everyone. The book is obviously targeted to kids, but this would be a super fun one for parents to read out loud with their youngsters, too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a review copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
That title is a mouthful, and I don’t recommend saying it five times fast, because who knows what could happen? You might end up opening a wormhole that the Earth falls into, thereby destroying all of creation, and you wouldn’t want that one on your resume, now would you?
What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon is a funny, punny adventure that extols the virtues of science in a sneaky, engaging way, wrapped up in a whole dragonload of fun.
I’m not entirely sure how to describe this book, because while the blurb does a good job, it doesn’t quite capture the heart in this story. I just had so much fun with this book, more than I imagined I would. Definitely one I would recommend to kids, and I think the easy humor would draw them right in.
My Thoughts:
- This book has a delightful, charming, easy-to-read voice that’s full of humor and easily relatable. Do I think kids will love it? Heck yes. I loved it. The plot is a little all over the place at first, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect or where it was going, but around the 30% mark, the quest really kicked into gear, and the plot was a little more focused on something other than I found a book of useless magic. Normally, this would drive me bonkers. I’m a very plot-centric gal. But here, the voice was just so fun and relatable that I was fine just going along for the ride. Yeah, sure, let’s meander here and there. I was just sort of fine with it, because Cal makes for a funny, engaging narrator.
- There’s a little of everything in this book: magic spells, endangered dragons, puns (oh so many wonderful puns), a quest, a conspiracy, new friendships. Yet, none of it is quite as you might expect. This book follows a very Pratchett-like (Pratchettian? Pratchettish?) habit of twists and turns. Just when you’re sure X will happen, the very improbable Y will happen instead … and probably make you laugh, at the same time. This was so freaking effective, because the book incorporates a lot of tropes that you think might end up being tired and cliche, but it twists them in a way that makes them recognizable yet fresh and fun.
- The characters in this are just absolutely delightful. You’ve got our main guy, Cal, who is the child of farmers … and farming can be a difficult life. I really appreciated how the book tackled this, in the midst of everything else, because legacy farms are hard. Staying afloat as a farmer? Also hard. Cal’s not what I would call brainy, but he’s a problem-solver, and his heart’s in the right place (mainly, his chest … I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING. Cheesy jokes galore with this book! Own it.)
Modesty is the go-getter of the group. She’s a leader, unafraid to take charge in a situation and just do the thing. Not exactly the stop-and-think-before-charging-in sort of character, but hey, that’s what she’s got the guys for, right?
Then there’s Drew, who’s the more book-smart, logical one. I didn’t feel like I got to know Drew as well as the others, which is a shame, because he’s probably the one who’s most like me. I loved how matter-of-fact he could be, though.
Last but not least, there’s Pre, who is a librarian who just wants to be a scientist (and on behalf of librarians everywhere, I’d be offended, if being a scientist wasn’t so stinking cool in its own right.) To be fair, science doesn’t exist in his world, which makes it more exotic. It’d be the equivalent of me wanting to be a witch and … well, duh. So I can’t really fault him on this one.
- There’s this super sneaky thing going on here, where the book slips in some really powerful life lessons while the reader isn’t looking. It’s sort of a “drop and go” approach, where they’re slipped into some action, and yet they catch your attention because, one, you’re not looking for or expecting them, but two, they make perfect sense in the context that you’re like … huh. Well, that’s a good point. My favorite examples of this, in particular, are with Pre and his absolute fascination with science, which doesn’t exist in his world. Pre wants very much to be a scientist, so the book shows, in a lot of little ways, how much science can play a part in everyday life. Or, you know, in big quests to save the world, even. It was so fun to see the little ways that Pre did something “scientifical” without even realizing it, because science is just that broad and that powerful.
- This book is super punny and with the cheesiest sense of humor, and I absolutely freaking loved it. It’s witty, in a simplistic way, and makes the story so much more enjoyable to read. The best thing about this type of humor is that it allows the author to slip in all sorts of little Easter eggs that younger kids may not understand, but which older readers and adults will appreciate even more. Basically, it’s accessible to all ages. There’s a little something for everyone. The book is obviously targeted to kids, but this would be a super fun one for parents to read out loud with their youngsters, too.
freybrarian's review
3.0
The last fifty or so pages were so weird I could barely follow. (It didn't help that I didn't have the book with me and was just listening to the audiobook.) Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the author's dry sense of humor. I think this'd be a good readalike for The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Name of This Book is Secret.
areidj's review
5.0
I picked this up on a snow day in January and fell into a wonderful word of adventure! My favorite part about his book is the hilarious dialogue and ability to keep you guessing at the end. Keep it coming, Mr. Clark!