Fun book, you can relate to the story
922977
Great approach to a situation that most parents find themselves with little girls :), great way of getting the point accross without all the stubbornness :)
3123341
First things first, this is a kid's book, so if you don't enjoy the occasional middle-grade romp, then move along. As for me, I still remember craving books and movies about kids finding adventure and solving the mysteries to hidden treasure. This book did an exceptional job of filling the needs of the ten-year-old still lurking within me.

The main protagonist, Pablo Perez is highly likable. He's good to his little sister, understands how hard his widowed mother must work to support them, yet maintains a boy's mischievous love of discovery and the unknown. Pablo's sister, Pia is charming, and often opens her mouth before thinking. The children's cousin, Kiki is more worldly and well off, but has a mature outlook on the world. Monroe, the man who ultimately stands as the kid's mentor, is both mysterious and a little creepy at times, but overall a fun character.

Yes, I did note some discrepancies in terms of the real world and the story world, and I certainly think the kid's mother allowing them to go off with a wild man into a cave system, just because he spoke to her politely, was a bit of a stretch, but that was the adult in me not the ten-year-old in me getting fussy. This was a story about adventure and treasure, and too much logic would have spoiled it.

The book was decently written, and nicely formatted. I do think a better title is in order, one that reflects the plot and at least hints at the treasure hunt.

If your young child enjoys adventure/treasure hunt stories, or you enjoy revisiting your own childhood, A Boy Named Duct Tape is worth picking up.
3260546
Fun read, the back-and-forth interplay of the 2 main characters adds depth to the story, and helps us get to know them. I enjoyed the realism in the writing style, and look forward to reading more stories by this author
4318376
I guess being about the same age as the author, I can really connect and remember many of my own stories related to the book. Enjoy laughing as you read a wonderful story.
2534214
This was a fun book, for sure.  The story takes place in a somewhat typical fantasy setting inhabited by both new and old creatures and races.  It was well written from a technical standpoint, and the story was well delivered and well imagined.  Alimar is a likeable character, as, in fact, are all of the characters in the book.  They are believable, but not overly deep.  That is, you can get into the character enough to enjoy their presence in the story, but their own stories (at least in the first book) did not really bring them alive in my mind or make them so important I considered myself invested in their fate.  I do want to emphasis that they were still enjoyable characters and certainly added to the story.

An issue I saw was that a reader not well versed in fantasy books might be at a disadvantage.  The authors seemed to be working from a knowledge of good fantasy literature and perhaps unintentionally made the assumption that the reader had a similar background.  A few times I noticed details that would not be understood without background, but the book did not provide this background.  The one that caught me the most and stayed in memory was the mention of dwarven metalworking.  Yet nowhere else in the book is there an explanation of what a dwarf is, or why anyone would care about their metal smithing.  Yes, those of us that know fantasy know the great history of dwarves, but new readers would not.  Other parts of the plot seemed borrowed, yet sufficiently changed that I didn't mind it at all (lost king coming back to lead his kingdom despite the opposition, etc)

Some of the action sequences seemed like they were over-thought.  As though the authors wanted you to be able to clearly see the same action they imagined in your own head, and then really thought about how to get that across using only text.  It worked alright, but it seems in the way they tried to make the action clear, it ended up confusing the issue.  This is not distracting at all, it is just something I noticed and to be honest, I appreciate them trying to bring a difficult subject like armed combat to a level that teens or younger readers can follow.  Other authors can make these scenes confusing by using a lot of flair in their writing, and even using official terms used in the martial arts (whatever it may be) which sounds wonderfully fancy, but doesn't do a thing for my mental picture.

Please do not take the above items as a highly critical evaluation or something that ruined the book for me.  On the contrary, I very much enjoyed the book.  Enjoyable characters, great scene-setting, engaging story that didn't ever seem to get to a slow point that made me want to rush through, and a good plot.  I DO recommend this book to everyone teen to adult.  I really did enjoy it and I hope you do too.  I am looking forward to the remaining books, and if they are as good as the first (or perhaps better as the growing pains of the "first book" are behind them) then I really hope this little fantasy world takes on enough of a following that more books in this universe get written (even if by other authors that follow the original authors' guidelines).

Well done Mark and Josie, I look forward to reading you both again soon.
4047758
I have rated this book 4 stars, mainly because of the time it takes to really get into the story. The Book itself is amusing, creative and wraps you into the story. Its not something I would read again. But it is worth reading.
Definitely for mature audiences.
3020105
I thought this was a pretty good book.  It is a bit sad in the beginning, as it deals with a tough subject (grief and loss), but it is tempered with the fun and magic in the story.  I think that my kids (ages 5 and 6) would enjoy the book, and we'll probably listen to it over summer vacation on a car trip, but I think it is more geared toward middle-grade.  I thought the writing style was engaging and the narration was enjoyable (I listened to the Audible Audiobook).  Overall, I liked the book, and I think kids would like it, too.  I will definitely add the book to my family-friendly rotation of audio books, and if you are looking for a family-friendly audio book, I would recommend giving this one a try.
3659867
I enjoyed the story once I got into it, but at first it felt very much the Young Adult story that it is. Once the set-up was complete, the story picked up the pace and was great fun to read. I enjoyed the characters and their unique personalities and abilities--and, Hey!, if you're going to pick apart the physics of a comic-book-style story, you should go read something else! This is about having a good time, and telling an interesting tale; both are accomplished with this book.

I originally borrowed this book with my Prime membership, but I have the feeling I'm going to end up buying it because I enjoyed being in this world.
3507304
When Luke Pennybaker asks his father if he can watch TV he doesn't get the reply he wanted.  Instead he gets 5 questions, and in the end the answer is still no.  That's when Luke realizes that life isn't always fair, and decides to do something about it: he'll run for president.  He not only promises to make life fair, he promises that every kid will get "a dog or a cat or a hamster or a gerbil or a rabbit or an iguana."  But is being president really everything Luke wants?

This is a cute book with a funny story and reminds me of a lot of the stories I remember as a kid.  It's not heavy-handed on teaching a moral or anything, it's just a fun book that kids can relate to.  The artwork is well drawn and colorful, yet simple, and my wife and I enjoyed it as much as our daughter.
4288722
My Son and I chose to read this book together.  We both really enjoyed the story.  It was very relate-able for both my son and I for different reasons.  It was touching and funny right to  the end.  A great read!
3284278
I thought this was a very cute series.  The reader can easily identify the characters in the story with someone they know in real life, which makes it fun.  This is a very easy read, the plot is not very involved - which is great for just reading a fun story.
1459854
It has been a long, loong day and now it's storytime. If you need to you can pull out Winnie the Pooh and read an easy, mellow tale. Maybe some Richard Scarry; maybe one of your other favorite illustrated storybooks. But probably not this one, at least not until you've done it a few times and it has become familiar to your little listeners. Here's why.

The author, Willy Claflin, is a professional storyteller and he works best in an oral tradition. Accents, inflection, hands and arms and facial expressions. He knows how to physically sell a story. And maybe most important of all - he knows how to follow an audience and tell whether it is with him or he needs to circle around and drive home a part of the story before moving on. Well, that's what you have to do with this book, a written version of one of his Maynard Moose "Mother Moose" stories.

There is a running joke about double negatives. There is a big part devoted to the "soporific" effect of extended planning discussions. There is a lot of adult humor worked in to the story. None of this is beyond a little listener, but you have to make sure that listener gets it before moving on. So you have to repeat, elaborate, explain - in short, tell - the story, not just read it. You have funny mixed-up words, cockeyed story telling, odd characters, a silly plot, and a certain sense of off kilter anarchy. Kids love that, especially if it's coming from Mom or Dad. You have to commit to reading this book, and then I'd bet dollars to donuts you start doing it in a funny voice. Doesn't that sound like a nice treat for every now and then?

An added bonus is that the drawings are offbeat, angular, out of proportion and stylized with a real sense of humor and fun. Some of the art is practically frameable, which is a huge step up from the often just cute or serviceable illustrations in some books. This seems like the kind of book that encourages you to draw the listener in to the pictures and to point out funny bits. What an appealing extra.

So, a solid, unique and pretty sophisticated choice for adventurous readers and listeners.

Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
3540609
This is a really fun book...and points out, from a personal perspective, how different our lives are. And their forays into other cultures, pointing out kindness differences was interesting. It would be fun for young people to read, too.
2457346
First, let me preface that I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book for a middle grade reader. I had hoped to read it with my 8 year old daughter, but it wound up being just a little too much for her just yet. I think in another year or so, she will be ready for it.  Your mileage may vary for your kids.

I found the story to be very enjoyable.  There was a flavor of Dr. Seuss mixed with C.S. Lewis that made the characters and situations enjoyable for me.

The themes around relationships need work and sometimes difficult people are needing friends made the story a great one for the middle grade reader. It is not heavy handed, but the way it progresses gave me some nice warm fuzzies that really made it a good book to read.

Finally, I have to say that the illustrator also did some amazing work with the book. She drew pictures that help connect the story and bring it to life. Having a picture here and there and the subtle exoodles flowing through the pages was a nice touch to help the story along nicely.
3861754
Thank-you to Goodreads and Bloomsbury Publishing for a free copy of this book. This is a fun and bit silly read and I think any child in its targeted age group (Age 8-12; Grades 3-6) would enjoy it. The plot has a quick pace and its filled with quirky characters. I wish there was a bit more magic and maybe more detail, at times it feels like it jumps from scene to scene and gives details in the wrong places. I would give a big shout out to the illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson as I think the pictures in the book really help the book and create a mood for the story. The illustrations also tie in nicely with the fashion theme and I think grade school girls would really love that. All-in-all I would recommend this book, mostly to Grades 3-6 girls as I know my son in Grade 4 would likely not be interested in the story.
4165970
Loved the book.  The characters seem to be zany but I have known people who think just exactly like the characters in this book.  It is great to read about people we all can relate too.  I wouldn't ruin the book for others but how fun to have friends like Cora and Kitty.  Naming your children after horses doesn't seem much worse than coming up with names with all the same initials but it did make me laugh.
1937797
I was introduced to this book by a co-worker of mine who was reading it with his nephew. They were both laughing out loud and were quick to recommend the book to me as a potential Christmas present for my prolific-reader daughter, who at 11 years of age is part of the target demographic for this book. Turns out that she was already familiar with the story, as it is adapted from a comic strip on Funbrain.com. Fact is, you can peruse the entire text of this book on Funbrain, although there are some differences between the online version and the print version. She was excited to get the book, though, and read it in one sitting. She giggled and chortled so much that I couldn't resist giving it a go, and I'm glad that I did.

The main hero is a likeable, if clueless, goofball. He meanders his way through many a banal adventure, usually with his best friend at his side. Our hero and his bud tread the dangerous waters of unfortunate class seating charts, Halloween mishaps, Christmas disappointments, the soul-consuming terror of the school play, and many other familiar comic situations endemic to middle-class suburbia. The characters in this book pretty much act and react like real kids, and I think that the author has a pretty good idea of what it's like to be 11 or 12 years old again, on the cusp of adolescence but still very much caught up with childish emotions and motivations.

It's not deep literature, it's not cutting-edge social commentary, it's not supposed to be a completely accurate reflection of middle-school life...but it IS pretty darn funny. My daughter was laughing and enjoying it, and I know that I did as well. I heartily recommend it, and we're looking forward to the next installment. I'd suggest going to Funbrain to check it out, then grab the print version if you like what you see. It's good to have the portability of a book, and it's well worth the ten-spot, IMO.