Review – Something Wickedly Weird: The Icy Hand

Synopsis

SOMETHING WICKEDLY WEIRD VOLUME 2: THE ICY HAND 
THE SECOND ADVENTURE IN STANLEY BUGGLE’S SAGA

Even more wicked and weird than the first! Stanley is looking forward to a relaxing winter. After all, nothing could have been weirder than the werewolf curse and plotting pirates he had to face the summer before! Or at least that’s what Stanley thinks; but he has a lot to learn about Crampton Rock, especially after accidentally bringing some dead pirates back to life—ones that make the previous pirates he faced look like cuddly puppy dogs and ones that are trudging across the arctic determined to find a magical medallion in Stanley’s house. The only person who can save him is his dead great-uncle Bartholomew, which is a little tricky considering he’s…well, dead. Oh, and did we mention headless? With the help of a talking stuffed fish and a new friend named Daisy, Stanley sets out to find his great-uncle’s head, stop the pirates, and win over some new readers in this second funny and spooky instalment of a thrilling new series.

Review

The Icy Hand is the second book in the Something Wickedly Weird series, because of the spoilers that would be hard to avoid I’m not going to go into the plot. The above synopsis from the back of the book gives the basic story-line and a perfect idea of the plot so far.

I wasn’t able to get a hold of the first volume in this series but it seems that this is a series that can be read in order or as separate books. I would recommend reading in order though, as this book does mention things that had obviously happened in the first volume.

With that in mind, however, I did find The Icy Hand to be an enjoyable read. It has many appealing characters, both good guys and baddies. The story moves along very quickly with lots of action and humour (how could a talking fish not be funny?) There are also many wonderful illustrations throughout the book that really add to this kooky story.

While this was an entertaining book, it was just a bit too predictable to really grab my attention. My youngest son, 11 years old, thought it would be perfect to share with his 7 year old reading buddy at school. My son liked this volume well enough, his main complaint was that the writing was a bit too simple and the plot was not deep enough. He does think it is a series that will go over very well with younger kids, ages 5-9.

About The Author

After he was kidnapped by fearsome buccaneers, Chris Mould spent his early life as a cabin boy aboard a pirate ship, the Rusty Blade. Forced into a life of clashing cutlasses, he soon grew weary of battling bullies. Realising the pen was mightier than the sword, he began to draw and vowed he would never stop. He stowed away in a disused apple barrel and was washed up on the shores of old England. Nowadays he hides out in an old cabin overlooking a vast ocean. He sits, stooped over an old desk, weaving dark tales of terror and scratching artwork into reams of parchment. So why don't you stop what you're doing and send him an e-mail? To learn the truth about Chris Mould go straight to www.chrismouldink.com

www.somethingwickedlyweird.com

Published by Roaring Brook Press

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