Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Boris is an energetic character who longs for adventure, just like those his parents had before they turned their old bus into a house. One day they take him on an adventure of his own. Disappointed at first that it's only to another part of their town, he soon realizes that adventures can happen anywhere-even in his own backyard. This is a fun easy reader book with great full-color cartoons, brief text in large print, and likable characters. A bonus page gives instructions for making a compass, leading to a great interactive experience. Stranger Things has a bit more text and fewer illustrations. Ed feels that he does not have any interesting traits or talents; he is simply an extremely normal boy. However, he has no idea just what is in store for him when he finds a coin that says "strange, stranger." Soon everything is erupting into chaos, from his sister's food train turning into an actual moving train at the dinner table to a friend being able to turn his head completely around. Are these strange happenings trying to send Ed a message? This is a silly book that will pull kids in with the goofy plot and the fun black-and-white illustrations. The truly strange thing about this book is that it references Albert Camus's The Stranger, an odd choice for this audience. These books should be considered for larger libraries wanting to enhance their easy-reader collections.-Elizabeth Swistock, Orange County Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Ed is a normal third grader until the day he finds a strange coin in his lawn with "Strange, Stranger" imprinted on it. Suddenly people start acting stranger than usual toward him and weird occurrences pile up. While light on actual plot aside from these strangenesses, the eccentric bizarro-world setting, brought to life by illustrator Loveridge, may draw readers. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Logic takes a little too much of a flyer for this series opener to hold together. Considering that Ed has three identical friends named Quentin and a little brother, Derwin, who attends the Albert Camus Primary School, readers might be forgiven for thinking that his life seems strange enough. After finding a coin in the grass labeled "STRANGE, STRANGER" on both sides, though, suddenly Ed's plagued by peculiarities. One sister concocts a real locomotive at dinnertime from turkey and "wheels" of cranberry sauce, another leads a swarm of mice around the living room after listening to the "Pied Piper" story, and Derwin exchanges a list of a thousand words for a tall, thin neighbor's picture (get it?), among other mystifying events. Ed learns from the proprietor of the New Curiosity Shop that unless he can pass the rapidly eroding coin off to a "Stranger," the world will fall into mediocrity. In an ending that may be appropriately absurd but will leave readers feeling betwixt and between, Ed realizes that he has to bestow the coin onhimself. Part of the publisher's new Branches line of chapter books, this title is ostensibly aimed at 5- to 7-year-olds, but the obscure (to the age group) literary references and general tone skew it to well-read older elementary students. Despite the comical cartoon illustrations on every page, this setup volume is just possibly too clever to give its target audience any reason to read on. Now there's an existential dilemma. (Fantasy. 7-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
