Saturday, November 7, 2009

Review: Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom

Summary: Meet Frankie Pickle...the kid with the world's most amazing imagination!

It takes him on adventures.It helps him save the day. And sometimes it gets him into trouble.

When Frankie's mom says he never has to clean his room again, he goes hog wild. The more he plays, the bigger the mess grows, until it tumbles out of control! Now Frankie must clean up his act, but will his imagination be enough to conquer the CLOSET OF DOOM? -- Simon & Schuster

When Booking Son first saw FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE CLOSET OF DOOM by Eric Wight, I thought he was going to have a heart attack! He was so excited because the cover of the book reminded him of Indiana Jones. (He's never seen an Indiana Jones movie before, but he did see the stunt show at Disney World last month.) I'm betting that he won't be the only young boy who gets excited when he sees the cover of this book. FRANKIE PICKLE will likely appeal to many kids!

FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE CLOSET OF DOOM is the first book in a new series of graphic novels by Eric Wight. I think he is definitely on to something with Frankie and his very large imagination. I was highly entertained by this book, and I look forward to reading more about Frankie and his family. Frankie is a young boy with just a huge imagination. I especially enjoyed how Frankie turned even the most mundane parts of his life (like cleaning his closet) into an action-adventure story.

As a mother, what I really appreciate is that kids are going to enjoy these books too. Frankie is just a fabulous (and very likable character.) He is cute, funny and unpredictable; and I think kids are love to read about his adventures. The author has included enough illustrations and graphics between the text to make it a relatively quick read. In addition, he has written the book in short chapters so kids can read a little bit at a time and won't get frustrated. I really think this book is ideal for early readers who are just starting chapters or even kids who aren't thrilled about reading. And as far as I'm concerned, any book that gets kids to read is terrific!

One other thing that I liked about this book was that there was a section in the back that showed kids how to draw Frankie and Argyle the dog. There are step-by-step pictures showing how to create your own versions of these characters. I think kids are going to love drawing these characters; and I have to admit that they are both so cute that I was half-tempted to pull out some pencil and paper and give it a shot myself!

I think the Frankie Pickle books are ideal for young kids and especially young boys who otherwise might be reluctant readers. They are relatively easy to read; and since parts of the story are like a graphic novel, I'm predicting that kids are going to love them. It doesn't hurt that Frankie is a very funny kid and that his "adventures" are extremely entertaining.

Next weekend, I will get the chance to meet Mr. Wight! I have been asked to moderate a panel at Aaron's Books in Lititz, PA for their KidLit Festival; and Mr. Wight will be participating. The KidLit Festival takes place November 13-15, and I am so excited about it -- I can barely wait! Needless to say, I'm totally in full panic mode about moderating a panel of authors! If you live anywhere close, please consider coming to the Festival. It's a great way to support kidlit authors as well as a wonderful indie bookstore.

Thanks to Sam from Aaron's Books for providing me with a copy of this book!

3 comments:

Vasilly said...

Great review! I recently placed this on hold at my library for the kids. Can't wait to read it.

bermudaonion said...

Frankie Pickle sounds like a lot of fun! Vance would have enjoyed the section showing how to draw the characters.

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

I will DEFINITELY be looking into this this book for Kiddo.