Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/01/2013 After following the adventures of Max-Ernest and Cass in Bosch’s Secret Series, it is now time for readers become authors themselves. And Bosch promises that this step-by-step guide will help them create their own “do-it-yourself mystery.” Banter between Bosch and Quiche, his long-eared sidekick bunny, gives rise to Bosch agreeing to write the first three chapters and provide skeletons for remaining chapters. He constructs the basics for “The Case of the Missing Author” by identifying the two protagonists, A___ and Z___, and assigning them the mission to find the author, I. B. Though the sorta-narrative classifies this as fiction, the educational element is strong: guiding questions, suggestions, and myriad footnotes (some humorous, some informational) encourage the creativity of budding writers. Although Bosch’s characteristic humor permeates the book, in actuality, it could serve as an excellent guide for middle-grade students who struggle with writing fiction. Dedicated Bosch readers might stay with the book to the end, but it likely will find a better audience in teachers who instruct students in the creative writing process. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2013 Gr 4–7—The author has taken it upon himself to teach his readers everything there is to know about the art of writing. He sets forth his proposition early on: "You, the reader of this book, shall be the author of this book." After he shares the basic premise of the plot-two siblings, A - - - and Z - - -, stumble on a mystery involving a missing author-he goes on to provide plenty of substance about the main elements of a story. Through his reluctant and snarky narration, readers learn about all the parts of a book, from the copyright page to "About the Author." An "official character assessment form" allows readers/authors to figure out what kind of person the main character is going to be before proceeding with the story, and a plot map literally shows the way from the inciting incident to the quest to the climax to the denouement. "Write This" directives followed by blank pages allow inspired readers an opportunity to jump in with their own ideas (librarians, beware!). The result is a marvelous tutorial, covering everything from how to write effective dialogue to choosing perspective to genre to world-building. As with other books in the series, PB's long-eared sidekick, Quiche, jumps in from time to time. Ford's whimsical spot art adds to the humor. Writing a book has never been so much fun. A must-have where the "Secret" series is popular.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Loading...