Monday, February 14, 2011

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow - A Review


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So, a certain book came into my possession. A space book. A cosmic space book. A cosmic space kapow book. A wonderful wonderbar book.

It starts, as all good books start, with a corndog. And, of course, a spaceship. A talking spaceship. Jacob and his best friends, Sarah and Dexter, make the trade of a lifetime and blast off into space.

Accidents, of the hilarious kind, ensue. Dastardly villains appear - Space pirates... and substitute teachers. I mean, what could be more villainous? (And I say that having been one. A substitute teacher, that is. My spaceship's broken.)

The book, as anyone who might know the author would guess, is funny. Charmingly funny. Kids will love this. And quite a few adults channeling that inner child, too. Or channeling that inner substitute teacher. One or the other.

But, more than that, it's a good book. A story of friendship, of three kids having an adventure... and finding their way in the world (or the universe - slightly broken as it might be). Three kids who, if they hadn't blasted off for space, might have found a home (a few years later and a little older) at Hogwarts Academy. A story of three friends whose pasts shape who they are, and shape who they might be. A poignant story of a boy and a missing father, a story of what a child might do to fill a lonely void. And the friendships they find along the way.

Coming in May, 2011, from Dial Books for Young Readers.

So long, and thanks for all the laughs...

16 comments:

Jessica Bell said...

This title rings a bell! For some strange reason I think it's the title of one of Nathan Bransford's query examples. Hmm ... I never visited Nathan's blog much, but that query eg stuck with me. If it is in fact the same one I'm thinking about.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Too bad I don't have kids.

Emily White said...

Great review, Bryan! I have a couple nephews who may love this book (and may not mind it had been read by their aunt first). :)

Marlene Nash-McKay said...

If Nathan's book is as funny and clever as his blog then it is sure to be very entertaining!

Matthew MacNish said...

WTH is a supply teacher? I can't add much, not having read this, but I've been curious about it ever since I discovered Nathan. It sounds a lot like a cross between Hitchhiker's Guide and Space Quest, for kids, and even funnier.

42.

Nate Wilson said...

I've been wanting to read this since Nathan first introduced it on his blog (silly Alex, you don't need to have kids to read kids' books), and now I'm even more intrigued. I need to find out what supply teachers are. (Never mind; I just looked it up. It's one of those rare instances where the American term makes more sense than the British/Canadian one.)

Great review, Bryan!

vic caswell said...

is a supply teacher the same as a substitute?
i preordered this book asap for my sons!!! i think they're going to love it so much! and i'm crazy to do something to support nathan with all the crazy amazing help he's given all of us so unselfishly! plus... i kinda want to read it myself! :)

D.G. Hudson said...

Interesting review, Bryan, and one that says a little more than others about the underlying theme.

(Always have corndogs on hand for trading purposes. . .I would so like to have my own spaceship, too.)

Will this book be available from your bookstore, Bryan?

Nathan Bransford said...

Wow, thank you so much, Bryan! Very honored!!

Like others, I'm also amazed at the "supply teacher" term. I didn't know WONDERBAR might need translation into Canadian!

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

I can't wait for this to come out! The kids will have to fight me for it. I'm bigger than they are, but there's three of them, so we'll see...

Bryan Russell said...

Ha! Apparently I have to add a citation or something...

:)

Bryan Russell said...

Amended!

Lenny Lee said...

hi mr bryan! wow kapow!! i think i could wanna read this book for sure! i love space stuff and im a kid! gonna put it on my wanna read list right now.
...smiles from lenny

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to get my copy. I've been excited ever since I read the title! Thanks for the review, Bryan!

Deniz Bevan said...

Woo!
Lucky you getting a review copy! It's on preorder in my Amazon cart :-)

(For what it's worth, we call them substitute teachers in Montreal, not supply teachers - I thought that was in Britain only?)

Exchange Account said...

Wonderful blog! keep blogging! Loved reading you!