FINISHED:
Shelton, Dave. (2012). A boy and a bear in a boat. New York: David Fickling.

[Life of Pi meets Waiting for Godot... for kids!
That sounds like a joke, but it’s not.) This existential and esoteric title involves a boy who jumps in a rowboat captained by a bear and asks to be taken to the “other side” of a vast expanse of water.  What follows is 300 pages of hilariously dry, meaningless “action” including:  for a whole chapter the two play “I spy” with the only things to really spy being the sea and the sky (“Um, what did you say it began with again?” said the bear.  “S,” said the boy.  Like everything we’ve spied for the last hour, he thought.); the bear assures the boy that he knows where he’s going by pointing to a spot on an all blue map (“The boy was speechless.  A single tear traced a route down his cheek.  ‘No need to cry with joy,’ said the bear.  ‘It’s all part of the service.’”); and encounters with a terrifying creature from the deep (“Don’t hit him!” shouted the boy.  “Ask him if he knows the way!”) and a ghost ship (“What do you smell now?” said the boy.  “Danger!” said the bear.  “…or maybe marmalade.”).  The text is littered with cute, simple spot art every couple of pages which show a good amount of emotion (the bear is sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth while tying a fishing fly), and the chapters are episodic, relatively short, and easily digestible.  Although I fear this one might not get the response that it deserves, it sure made me laugh out loud!]

STARTED:
Wood, Maryrose. (2012). The unseen guest [The incorrigible children of Ashton Place #3]. New York: Balzer + Bray.

[Loving this series - they're pretty darned hilarious and clever...]

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