Title: Kevin’s Point
of View
Author: Del Shannon
Book Summary:
“Kevin
Tobin is a relatively ordinary 12-year-old dealing with the aftermath of his
father's death in a mountain biking accident near their home in Boulder, Colorado.
To escape from his emotional turmoil,
Kevin has developed his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes his sister through his
superhero antics on an average Wednesday morning, his ability to escape inside
a character's head become critical to his survival after his life is once-again
turned upside down a year after his father's death. A mysterious package arrives in the mail,
Kevin and his best friend are hunted down by a ruthless villain set upon world
domination, and after enlisting Kevin's teenage sister and her pizza-delivery
boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the secret of Kevin's whole
existence is revealed to him by a source we never expected. Del Shannon's imaginative story, appreciation
for the powers of family and the desire of young boys to both escape reality
and prove themselves within it, and fast-paced, adventure-filled storytelling
style make this a book with wide appeal for readers of all ages.”
I like to think of myself as a
creative person… but even I have nothing on Kevin Tobin and his seemingly
infinite store of creativity. Kevin is a
young boy who deals with the death of his father in a very unique way… he
pretends to be someone else. These
little pretend sessions of Kevin’s are not typically dangerous, and everyone
assumes he will grow out of them. His
many personas provide Kevin a hiatus from his life for a brief time and, more
than once, these “alter egos” help him and his friends out of sticky
situations. Don’t be fooled however; the
“alter egos” also get Kevin into many difficult situations, especially with his
mother!
When I
first read the premise for Kevin’s Point
of View I’m not really sure what to expect. It
looks like an interesting plot, but I worry it will be too childish of a
writing style for my taste. Luckily, my
fears turn out to be unnecessary. The
one thing that really grabs me when I see Kevin’s
Point of View is the cover… it is HYSTERICAL. I love it.
The cover is made even better when a naked Kevin mimics the picture in
the first couple of chapters!
When I
first start to read, I am instantly pulled into the story. The description Shannon
puts into it is amazing, and I can fully envision everything that is happening. I instantly feel like part of Kevin’s family,
and I understand Kevin’s mischievous nature and his pride in annoying his
sister. At the same time, I can connect
with both his sister, Betsy, and his mother in both their roles. Kevin annoys Betsy
with his antics and, like all good big sisters, she is very vocal with her
frustrations. Kevin’s mother is
obviously trying to be patient with Kevin and his unique way of dealing with
grief. I really feel like I know all of
them, as if we’ve been friends for ages!
Tony is
Kevin’s best friend and fellow (reluctant) adventurer. I can really see the push and pull of Tony
and Kevin’s relationship… it’s easy to see how these two young boys are so
close. I do admire Tony’s high tolerance
of Kevin. It makes me happy that Kevin
has someone who cares enough to stick by him through everything. Kevin himself is so unique; I really don’t
think I can capture his character accurately enough to do him justice.
The Cover:
Well, as I said before, I find this cover HYSTERICAL. Seriously, anyone not finding this artwork funny
must be crazy! But, even if the cover
isn’t for everyone (for whatever reason) I would definitely recommend reading
the book anyway!
The cover still disturbs me! A naked butt >.<
ReplyDeleteBut good review and it sounds interesting! I just started a book that is sort of similar. It's about a 10 year old and he finds a "hole" in his curtain and makes it bigger and crawls inside and finds a little girl and discovers his parents are secret agents xD
Bri @ Kindling the Fire
HAHAHA, Oh Bri!
ReplyDeleteWow that sounds like a good book too! :)