Sunday, April 22, 2012

Book Review - The Klampie Mystery


The Klampie Mystery

By: Luis Rodriguez
Publisher: Mascot Books
Publisher: May 2012
ISBN: 978-1620860311
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: April 21, 2012

Samantha Parker is going on a trip! Together with her mother and father, she is traveling to Australia to visit her aunt and uncle. This is going to be Samantha’s first trip outside of the United States and she is very excited.

To help Samantha prepare for the big trip, her dad buys her a life-size stuffed koala bear. Samantha names the koala “Klampie” because just like a real koala bear, his arms like to clamp on to things.

Soon, Samantha and her parents are on the plane, heading for Australia. They have a fun plane ride and are then met at the airport by Uncle Tim and Aunt Sophie. On the trip from the airport to their house, however, something happens…that transforms Klampie into a real koala.

While Samantha enjoys her trip, and the wonders of the world “down under,” she doesn’t notice that Klampie is now a real koala. It isn’t until the plane ride home that – eeek! – the truth is learned. But how did Klampie become a real koala? It’s a mystery to Samantha but the reader will surely say, “I know! I know!”

The Klampie Mystery is a sweet story that introduces young readers to the country of Australia. There are facts about Australia slipped into the story, as well as a half-page look at koalas. Because there is a fair amount of text in this story, it is best suited for older youngsters who will happily sit for a while. The text is a bit awkward in places and there are also a few spots where children may become confused, such as when the mother explains the meaning of ‘vice versa.’ Finally, editors may cringe to see the word ‘alright’ used repeatedly.

Quill says: A fun little story about Australia that would benefit from some editorial work.

2 comments:

  1. I have read the story. It is apparent that the reviewer did not read the story.

    There are no 'transformations' of plush koalas into real koalas in the story, as the reviewer indicates. This is false.

    The book is not about Australia, as the reviewer purports. Australia is simply a stage where some actions take place.


    Finally, the word 'alright' is not used in excess, to the point of shocking editors as the reviewer indicates. Ah! I just notice this comment was removed from the review.

    A book must be reviewed on its factual merits or lack thereof. The facts, never presumption of the facts.

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  2. This book sucks and is a waste of time and space. It's a shame there were a few trees that died to make this literary turd.

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