August 2015 - The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein - A laugh out loud book for older elementary and middle school readers!
“’Wait with Tom,’ Billy said to Walter. ‘I need to go warn Robin and Hercules.’
’Hercules?’ said Tom Sawyer. ‘Is he here too?’
‘See that archer in the hooded robe? The huge guy disguised as a monk?’
‘That there is Hercules?’
‘Yup.’
‘Oh, this is bully!’ exclaimed Tom.
‘Does ‘bully’ mean ‘good’? asked Walter.
‘Nope,’ said Tom. ‘Bully is better than good.’
pg 119 Billy, Walter and Tom Sawyer - The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
’Hercules?’ said Tom Sawyer. ‘Is he here too?’
‘See that archer in the hooded robe? The huge guy disguised as a monk?’
‘That there is Hercules?’
‘Yup.’
‘Oh, this is bully!’ exclaimed Tom.
‘Does ‘bully’ mean ‘good’? asked Walter.
‘Nope,’ said Tom. ‘Bully is better than good.’
pg 119 Billy, Walter and Tom Sawyer - The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
Billy and his mom are spending the summer at a lakeside cabin they rented from Dr. Libris, a professor at the university where his Billy’s mom works. This isn’t the summer Billy planned, the cabin doesn’t have a TV, DVD player or a video game system, and after being at the cabin for only a few hours, Billy breaks his iPhone - not to mention the kid who lives in the fancy house next door, Nick, is not very friendly. Plus, Billy and his mom are at the cabin and his dad is still is at their apartment in New York City, because his parents might be splitting up. So when Billy discovers a locked bookcase in Dr. Libris’s study, he decides that hunting for the key is better than sitting around staring at art work on the walls. Luckily for Billy, unlocking the bookcase changes his whole summer, it’s still not what he planned, but it turns out to be pretty exciting – not to mention the kid who lives in the strange house on the other side, Walter, turns out to be a pretty fun guy to hang out with.
I spent some time debating whether or not to write this book up as one of my picks. I really enjoyed it and there were plenty of laugh out loud parts. When Billy reads a book from the bookcase, his imagination unknowingly brings the book characters to life on the small island in the lake just outside the cabin. Billy and Walter explore the island, meet some of their favorite characters from literature, and try to stay clear of others. What the boys don’t know is that Dr. Libris is watching them, using them as guinea pigs for a research project he is working on. The interaction between Billy, Walter and the book characters is hilarious, but my issues came with the end of the book. There are some storylines at the end that aren’t wrapped up and I couldn’t figure out if that was on purpose, Billy and his imagination creating the end; or if the author is leaving it open for a sequel … if so, I look forward to more adventures with the inhabitants of Dr. Libris’s Island.
Author Chris Grabenstein, besides writing The Island of Dr. Libris and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, which won a 2014 Buckeye Book Award, has also co-authored the I Funny and Treasure Hunters series with James Patterson. Check out his website for all kinds of fun stuff!
I spent some time debating whether or not to write this book up as one of my picks. I really enjoyed it and there were plenty of laugh out loud parts. When Billy reads a book from the bookcase, his imagination unknowingly brings the book characters to life on the small island in the lake just outside the cabin. Billy and Walter explore the island, meet some of their favorite characters from literature, and try to stay clear of others. What the boys don’t know is that Dr. Libris is watching them, using them as guinea pigs for a research project he is working on. The interaction between Billy, Walter and the book characters is hilarious, but my issues came with the end of the book. There are some storylines at the end that aren’t wrapped up and I couldn’t figure out if that was on purpose, Billy and his imagination creating the end; or if the author is leaving it open for a sequel … if so, I look forward to more adventures with the inhabitants of Dr. Libris’s Island.
Author Chris Grabenstein, besides writing The Island of Dr. Libris and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, which won a 2014 Buckeye Book Award, has also co-authored the I Funny and Treasure Hunters series with James Patterson. Check out his website for all kinds of fun stuff!