Guys, imagine, this time I was able to finish a book for a blog tour!! After last time (see both posts here: ‘Song for a Lost Kingdom’ by Steve Moretti and BLOG TOUR: ‘Song For A Lost Kingdom’ by Steve Moretti – yeah, I had to double…and it took more time, than I’d thought it would) I tried really hard not to fall out of schedule, and I managed! Yay to me. So, this time this blog tour post contains everything possible: first of all, my review, and every available information on the book and the author!

I got this book via Digital Reads Blog Tours for the purpose of this blog tour!

Book Blurb:

The humming noise got louder. Adam willed himself to focus. He had to finish his math test.
Suddenly, the noise became unbearable. He glanced up.
Mrs Murphy was inches away, leaning over another kid’s desk. Was the noise coming from her?
***
Every child remembers a teacher who was a little bizarre, prickly or ill-tempered. Some teachers, though, are very odd indeed, and warrant some closer attention…
This quirky chapter book will thrill kids who are adventurous, brave, and a little bit cheeky!

My Review

Discovery:

I actually happened to learn about this book’s existence because of the blog tour itself. As you may already know, I don’t usually read children’s literature, because… well, I can’t really point out a reason. I just stopped it somewhere around the age of 11/12, and it has been staying that way ever since. (I know it sounds like a very young age, but I was already an avid reader back then, ever since I was 5, so I always tended to read a ‘level’ up to my age. So, young adult and occasionally adult when I was in middle grade, actual adult and way less YA when I was a teen…) I don’t say that I’ve never read a kid’s book later, but it’s not very typical of me. This one, though, with the cover and the description and the enthusiasm Shalini showed towards it somehow convinced me that I had to try it! Also, I have two cousins around the target age, and I thought they might be interested in it (well, at least I hope so – my ulterior motive is to get them to like learning English… don’t know if it’s possible to succeed though. Many have tried 😀 )

Brainstorm:

I am so glad that I was willing to give this book a chance! It was a very fast read, partly because it’s relatively short and partly because it’s written for kids, so obviously it’s not as complex as what I’m used to. What I loved is that the simpleness of the usage of words and expressions didn’t take away from how elaborate the language used was. It all felt so natural!

As for the story, I found it very creative, and even I, an adult couldn’t figure out what was the mystery! That’s something. I don’t want to say much because of spoilers, but I can state that I didn’t think about the solution, not even once, yet the truth seemed so logical when it turned out. The novel kept my attention right until the end. I also loved Adam, the main character, and Jennifer, his best friend and sidekick. They felt real, I think every kid their age could easily associate with them. I know I felt nostalgic reading about them and their adventure. It’s amazing how we’re all from different places from around the world, and go to school at different times, and yet we all have so similar experiences!

Let’s Give It a Grade!

1. Story: 5/5
2. Characters: 5/5
3. Style: 5/5
4. The Subjective Factor: 5/5

• GPA: 5

Uniqueness:

Hm, I’d say it’s the simplicity which all complicated things are expressed with. It’s sweet but not in a cheesy way. You just have to love it! It’s lightsome, but has depth, too.

Recommend to:

You! Seriously, I recommend this book basically for everyone. You say you don’t read kid’s lit? Well, I don’t either. Still loved it. It’s completely enjoyable for an adult, too, the author has a great sense of humor, and you may find some things hilarious that kids maybe don’t even notice. (Or the cleverer ones do. You know, the kind that reads a lot. …wait. Yeah. So they might notice.)

Drink tip:

Orange juice!

Music room:

‘School’s Out’ by Alice Cooper

Future:

As it turned out, I’m first to agree to participate in the next tour! So, yeah, I will read more Robbie Yates. And, well… I might start reading children’s lit regularly. Middle grade, at least.

Author Bio

(This is just cute, isn’t it?)

Robbie Yates is an author from Melbourne, Australia. He likes cocoa, cheeky poetry, and eating all of the red jellybeans before anybody else can get to them.
In his free time, Robbie likes to read ridiculous and wacky kids’ fiction. He also likes practical jokes and terrible puns.
Author Social Media Links

Amazon link:

• ebook: http://amazon.com/dp/B07HM5VNQT
• paperback: http://amazon.com/dp/1723464295

Amazon Author Central page: https://www.amazon.com/Robbie-Yates/e/B07DZ8FKDM

Author’s Website: http://www.robbieyates.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Robbie-Yates-410844732660426/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robbie_b_yates

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18157934.Robbie_Yates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robbie.b.yates/

Excerpt

After recess, Mrs Murphy handed out a math test. The day got immeasurably worse.
Adam dropped his head into his hands. He knew he was going to fail.
“During this test,” Mrs Murphy announced, “you’ll need to use the TrooCo pencils from your stationery packs. You aren’t allowed to help others, and you must keep your eyes on your own work. Anyone caught copying will get a zero on the test, and a visit to Principal Sharley.”
She moved closer to where Adam and Jennifer sat. She peered at Adam pointedly. “I don’t think I need to remind you that we will all be doing this silently.”
She handed out the tests and Adam searched in his pencil case for a TrooCo pencil. He found one just as the test slid onto his desk.
He glanced at the first page. It looked incomprehensible. He sighed, wrote his name at the top, and shot Jennifer a desperate look. She shrugged her shoulders, already a few questions in.
Adam stared at Question 1. It began with a picture of a donut.
A teacher needs to chop a donut into thirty pieces, the instructions said. Every child in the class should get the same-sized piece. Draw a diagram to show how it can be done.
Adam frowned. What sort of teacher gives each child one thirtieth of a donut? he thought.
He strummed his fingers on his chin, trying to figure out what he had to do, but a high-pitched hum was distracting him. Adam forced himself to ignore the noise and concentrate on his test.
Under Question 2, there were several identical cartoon socks. The question was about sorting them into groups of three. Who groups their socks in threes? Adam thought, rolling his eyes. They belong in pairs!
The high-pitched humming sound got louder. Adam willed himself to focus.
The answer to the sock problem was on the tip of his tongue when the humming became unbearable. He glanced up.
Mrs Murphy was inches away, leaning over another kid’s desk. Was the noise coming from her?
Adam frowned. Mrs Murphy shuffled over to another part of the room, and the humming faded. He looked over at Jennifer, trying to make eye contact. But Jennifer, diligent as always, was engrossed in the second page of the test.
He kept staring at Jennifer, hoping she’d feel his eyes on her and look up. All of a sudden, the humming sound became louder again, ringing in his ears like an angry mosquito.
Adam looked up. Mrs Murphy was standing right in front of him, her eyes fixed on his. The hum was deafening. “Keep your eyes on your own work, Adam,” she said. Adam nodded, gulped, and stared back down at his test, hoping she’d go away.
From that moment onwards, every time Adam glanced up from his test, Mrs Murphy was staring right at him. He tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes on his paper, but the noise was making it impossible to think. His score on this test was going to be abysmal.
Once the test was finally over, and Mrs Murphy had gathered up all the papers, he leant over to Jennifer. “Please tell me you heard that!” he whispered.
“Heard what?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. Her freckles jumped across her face.
“That noise, during the test. That weird humming.”
Jennifer shook her head. Melodramatically, she touched Adam’s forehead, checking for a fever. Adam rolled his eyes.
“I’m not going crazy,” he said. “I heard something. It was bizarre.”
“Sure you did,” said Jennifer, crossing her arms. “It’s lucky it’s nearly home time, kid. I think you need some rest.”

Please, stop by the other blogs in this tour! Also, I recommend a visit to Shalini‘s blog, she keeps a whole Robbie Yates/OVOT week, and posts about it everyday – and he agreed to write a poem every day about the tour and its participant blog(ger)s! They’re that awesome!

Hugs 🙂