Tiefenthaler again proves his ability to craft a humorous, suspenseful story with depth and an authentic voice.
In this middle-grade book, a seventh-grader faces his fears in an attempt to prove that he’s actually seen his town’s legendary monster despite widespread skepticism from the townsfolk.
In 2015’s O.K. Is Great, author/illustrator and middle school teacher Tiefenthaler introduced readers to Otis “O.K.” Kalshwonkee, a 12-year-old whose desire to be more than average led to comical, challenging ups and downs in the odd farm town of Boykinville. O.K. makes a welcome return here, again narrating and illustrating his quirky fantasies, hopes, and daily observations of people and events. (Tiefenthaler’s convincingly childlike pencil drawings are a hoot.) O.K., with his best pal, Leo, confronts more middle school tribulations, a different mean-girl nemesis, and spiky family dynamics (including a macho big brother, wunderkind little sister, and seemingly oblivious parents). Meanwhile, they also set out to prove that the Beast of Boykinville Road, a werewolf said to lurk in the nearby woods, is real. The trouble is that O.K. is afraid of seemingly everything, including the dark, heights, spiders, and “my mom when she’s looking at my report card.” His efforts to find courage, which involve a high dive, a tarantula, bear repellent, and a baseball bat, all go awry. How can he face the Beast if he’s frozen with fear? A practical joke occurs in the story’s climactic scene, but Tiefenthaler mitigates its potential cruelty with the hilarity of O.K.’s realization that being afraid doesn’t preclude taking action. The author wears his educator hat throughout this tale—O.K.’s formidable yet kind literature teacher is the book’s primary authority figure, and well-read Leo explains the difference between “famous” and “infamous,” defines such words as “oxymoron” and “plight,” and shares various historic and scientific facts. But Tiefenthaler never sacrifices story and fun for the sake of educational content, just as he knows just how far to go with his portrayals of O.K.’s inner fears and outer torments without copping out. Readers will find the unexpectedly juicy plot turn at the end to be highly satisfying.
Tiefenthaler again proves his ability to craft a humorous, suspenseful story with depth and an authentic voice.Pub Date: June 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-69681-1
Page Count: 198
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A clever series starter sure to leave readers wanting more Peas and Hambone adventures.
A boy and his dog face off against a horde of zombie gorillas in this action-packed adventure by debut author Nichols.
Peter, whose nickname is “Peas,” is an ordinary 10-year-old kid with an extraordinary dog named Hambone. The dog walks and talks like a human but only when he’s alone with Peas, and he gives Hobbes (of Bill Watterson’s famous Calvin and Hobbes comic strip) a run for his money. Snarky troublemaker Hambone is determined to get even with a gorilla who threw “dirt” at him, so he and Peter break into the zoo early one morning. As they try to determine which gorilla is Hambone’s nemesis, they stumble upon an evil plot: One of the gorillas (whom Peas nicknames “Evil Doctor Crazy Gorilla”) gives the other gorillas a smoky green potion that turns them into zombies. Peas and Hambone are the only ones who stand between humanity and the zombie gorilla incursion, aside from crazy Mr. Oswalt, who’s so obsessed with World War I that he pilots a Sopwith Camel biplane around the neighborhood, and the Mama’s Boys biker gang, which fights with foam swords and squirt guns. Peas, who’s seen a lot of scary movies, knows that where there’s a potion, there must be an antidote. Hambone, who suffered a “childhood trauma involving the movie King Kong,” has a serious hatred of gorillas and zombies, and he comes up with the plan that eventually leads them to the mad scientist’s lair. Peas and Hambone’s first outing, full of chase scenes, absurd combat, cross-dressing and gross-out humor, is a madcap adventure sure to appeal to fans of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The vocabulary and pacing are well-suited to reluctant readers, and Nichols’ silly, coined phrases (such as “whup-butt” and “Oh-my-shnippies!”) are catchy enough that kids might adopt them.
A clever series starter sure to leave readers wanting more Peas and Hambone adventures.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-615-87100-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: SecretSquirrel Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An epic, masterly expansion of the Outlaw’s world.
This second volume of a YA series follows a Los Angeles crime fighter whose own body is both his salvation and destruction.
Chase Jackson, a high school junior in Glendale, California, has survived the football season and his first few weeks as the costumed vigilante Outlaw. The super speed, strength, and coordination that helped him become a star quarterback also pushed him into battle against teenage slumlord Tank Ware. After a brief sabbatical from crime fighting, the Outlaw meets another superpowered individual named Carter. He explains that Chase’s abilities come from a virus that amplifies his body chemistry. And if Chase doesn’t slow down and avoid stress, the virus will either drive him insane or kill him. Slowing down is tough, however, considering that bands of rioters have been roving Los Angeles in protest of anti-immigration laws. Chase is also still in a sham relationship with cheerleader Hannah Walker, who adores him merely as an accessory. Worse, his best friend, Katie Lopez, is dating Tank, unaware that he runs a gang and is at war with a new drug lord named the Chemist. The Outlaw must contend with new players, too, like the Sniper, who’s ready to pick him off if his powers run amok, and PuckDaddy, a legendary hacker who may or may not be on his side. Janney (The Outlaw, 2015) ratchets up every component that made the first novel in this series so compelling. The central arc of a football season, however, has been replaced by the mystery of the Outlaw’s aneurysm-inducing powers. Janney’s pacing is excellent, as are the action sequences; during a riot at school, Chase “could almost literally see the angles I should throw [the ball] if I wanted to hit him” when contending with a trespasser. As in the previous book, Chase finds solace at church, where the message “Love each other. Live peacefully. Take care of the poor” proves irresistible. By the explosive end, Janney’s Los Angeles and its Infected citizens know tragedy and that harder times approach.
An epic, masterly expansion of the Outlaw’s world.Pub Date: May 20, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9962293-4-0
Page Count: 258
Publisher: Sparkle Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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