Kevin's Point of View by Del Shannon

Imagination can move mountains ... and the things that matter.

An adventure-science fiction book that will definitely appeal to middle school children! While I think it's perfectly written for its intended readers, I have to say right off that this would definitely appeal to a wider age group.

The premise of this book is bittersweet. To escape the pain of his father's death, Kevin Tobin switches from ordinary 12-year-old to a cool superhero to deal with his life, making for some alternately normal to hilarious and crazy antics. No, he's not schizophrenic, but I sure was feeling it after several chapters.

I got hooked in when the strange package mistakenly arrived on  Kevin's doorstep. Opening it up, he comes upon a strange device labelled "Influxitron." What follows is a rip-roaring adventure as Kevin and the Influxitron are pursued by the intended recipient of the package, a man bent on world domination!

An adventure lover's book through and through, the action is fast-paced, even exhausting, and at one point I was getting exasperated that the baddies just wouldn't die!

I hate to spoil this for anyone, so I won't go too much into the plot of this one. Let's just say that there is time travel involved and while the beginning revolved around the chase, you have a heartwarming surprise towards the end where you will understand Kevin, his family, and their family life so much better. This is what made the book extra-special in my mind - so be patient with the book, it will definitely deliver!

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One thing I really liked about this book is the characters and how likeable and realistic they are. Kevin is so much fun and his resourcefulness, his spunk and his eccentric imagination pulls him through one danger after another. Tony, Kevin's best friend, is a sober sidekick in comparison, but his smart, easygoing dynamic and his conversations with Kevin will get you laughing and thinking "boys will be boys!" For example:

[...] "but at least we can control our own density down here."

"Density? That's like the weight of something, Kev. You know, like metal has a big density. Don't you mean dystrophy?" ... offered Tony.

"Dystrophy? That's a disease, Tony," scolded Kevin.

"A disease sounds pretty good right now, Kev. [...] and why don't you go ahead and pick a really nasty disease to, like that eboboli virus they get in Africa."

"Isn't that a frozen pizza?" Kevin asked.

Ok, parent, snicker away ... But I am betting that any 12-year-old will look up the words density, dystrophy and Google "eboboli virus" after reading that! Yes, the talk is child-like but there is no "talking down" to the kids or a dumbing down of their conversations -- Del Shannon knows the minds of young boys!

I also grew to love Pudge, bad guy turned good; Betsy, Kevin's older sister and Scratch, her rather crazed pizza delivery boyfriend. All characters are eccentric in their own way, which keeps them interesting to say the least. I think the secret to their likeability is that you know that they're good people deep down.

Oh, and a note about the illustrations - I really enjoyed the feeling that I had stumbled upon Kevin's own doodlings in his notebook!

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Verdict: A smart, well-written sci-fi adventure that your 11 or 12 year-old (and you) will love! Kevin's Point of View will capture your imaginations ... and get you talking with your child about the value of family.

Read my Friday 56 for Kevin's Point of View!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.