It was okay, though lacking in originality. Normally, this would have rated it three stars, but, at the beginning of the book, Brian's dad goes off to Antarctica...in the summer. Flights to Antarctica in summer are exceedingly rare, undertaken only for emergencies and flying out someone who has broken a hand and the opposite arm. Most flights that far south are only done during the months of October through March because that's when the can be. Basically, that one small factual mis-step, which could have been changed with no impact to the story, colored my perception of the book as a whole. ( )

Brian is not at all happy when he's sent to spend the summer with his uncle in Boring, Illinois -- which is both the town's name and an accurate description of life there. But then he and his cousin get lost in the woods and come across a family of eccentrics and their strange, sprawling house, and things get a lot more interesting for him.

This was a decent but not particularly memorable kids' book. I do have a bit of a soft spot, perhaps, for weird, dreamlike houses full of secret passages and bizarre rooms. But even so, I'd say this isn't necessarily the kind of kids' novel that holds a whole lot of interest for adults.

Although it did sort of get me thinking. It was a little surprising to me just how much of the quirky family's "adventurousness" seemed to consist of putting themselves in utterly gratuitous danger. There's a kid who sleeps in a hammock hung from a ceiling high enough that he'd probably die if he fell out, for instance, and there aren't any seat belts in the family car. Is being allowed to be pointlessly unsafe a bit of a wish fulfillment fantasy for kids raised by a generation of over-protective helicopter parents? Or am I reading entirely too much into one fairly silly little story?

Rating: 3.5/5, although maybe half a star of that comes from thinking it'd be more fun for its intended audience of kids than it was for me. ( )

This was a sweet and light gem of a middle grade novel. Brian is absolutely miserable at the prospect of spending his summer with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Nora in Boring, Illinois. His brothers are doing cool stuff - spending the summer with friends or at cool internships. Even his dad is taking off for the South Pole, which is the reason Brian is stuck in Boring in the first place.

When he arrives, things get even worse - his uncle has decided to test his new educational computer software on Nora and Brian and they have to attend summer school every day. Nora is unfriendly and completely uninterested in soccer or anything interesting - all she wants to do is write in her secret notebook. Boring is, in fact, extremely boring.

Then Brian has an argument and runs into the woods he's been told to stay out and, of course, gets lost. The next thing he knows he and Nora have discovered the craziest old house/castle/ruin they've ever seen and summer gets a lot more exciting.

It's not long before the eccentric Van Dashes are a big part of Nora and Brian's life and the two are trying to keep their wacky house from being torn down, even if the Van Dashes don't seem to notice they're in imminent danger. While Brian's aunt and uncle would be perfectly happy for everything in Boring, Illinois to be the same old boring color, shape, and behavior, Brian and Nora have decided they want something a little bit more interesting. Brian struggles to figure out what makes the Van Dashes tick and Nora wavers between her interest in the literary family of explorers and her own loyalty to her family. It all ends in a climactic stand-off (complete with explosions, wild boars, battering rams, a missing author, and a midnight break-in at City Hall).

This is the kind of rambling summer adventure that I remember reading in the summer. It's not necessarily realistic, but it grabs the imagination and will be thoroughly enjoyable for kids who want to imagine an exciting alternative to their everyday life and those who enjoy mysterious and rambling houses with lots of secrets. It's also quite funny!

Verdict: A good addition to your summer reading repertoire, light and funny with some humorous digs at following the crowd and doing your own thing.

ISBN: 9780101996225; Published 2017 by G. P. Putnam's Sons; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Brian's dad was lucky enough to FINALLY be selected to go to Antactica for his dream astonomy job, but that means Brian has nowhere to live for the summer. He ends up with his aunt and uncle in Boring, IL and it sure is one boring place. With no friends and a cousin who stares at him but doesn't really speak to him, Brian is desperate to find ways to entertain himself when he's not stuck doing Summer's Cool on the computer all day. He accidentally kicks the soccer ball over the fence and gets lost in the forest when he tries to retrieve it. Managing to trace his footsteps, he finds his way out of the woods but is warned by his aunt and uncle not to go into the woods again.

Just a few days later, Brian is so bored he steals Nora's precious green notebook and runs into the woods. They get utterly lost this time and have no choice to go to the Matchstick Castle to ask for help out. No one answers the door but it's open so they walk in. Cosmo comes bursting down the stairwell yelling "Good, you're here. Did you bring your tennis rackets?" Turns out, there are giant amazonian wasps flying around the house and he needs their help to get them back into the crate. Can they do it?

How will they get back to the van Dash's to tell them their house will be torn down in three days if they are grounded?

Setting: Boring, IL, somewhat small town with forest nearby

Characters:
Brian Brown -
Barry - Brian's older brother, in college
Brad - Brian's older brother, in high school, staying with his friend Isaac and working in a pizza place
Nora Brown - Brian's cousin, wants to be an author, writes in her green notebook all the time, seems to have internalized some of her father's values for schoolwork, wants to follow rules, only smiles and giggles (but not obnoxiously) around Cosmo
Uncle Gary - creator of Summer's Cool, runs a tight ship during summer school program, rings actual bell to signal start/stop of school day and breaks
Aunt - not a main character, rarely talks or interacts with other characters
Cosmo van Dash - 11 y/o, son of Dashiell,
Dashiell van Dash - Cosmo's father, famous explorer, "man who discovered the underground pyramids of Madagascar. The first man to navigate from pole to pole in a bicycle-powered hot air balloon. The only person to every survive a fistfight with the abominable snowman."
Uncle Montague - tends the garden, butchers the meat, chief cook and bottle washer
Captain Roald van Dash - famed navigator, "survivor of shipwrecks on all seven seas and several freshwater lakes"
Ivar van Dash - "geologist, gemologist, and spelunker who discovered an mapped the crystal caves of Kam-Ranuti"
Kingsley van Dash - author, went to a new part of the house to be inspired to write and got stuck or lost there

Recurring Themes: adventure, summer school, boredom, quest, soccer, friendship

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: I read this one to prepare for the author visiting my school. I really enjoyed it! Decent characters, good exciting plot. I think kids will like it.

Genre: Realistic Fiction or Science Fiction (house not quite completely realistic because of the way it falls apart and the way it's built, but it certainly could just be a really weird old, dilapidated house) or Action/Adventure (life and death situation with the bees and the rescue)

Pacing: medium-fast
Characters: well developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:

Quote: pg 108 "Sometimes I think [adults] create more problems than they solve." ( )