Review: Bizarre, creative fantasy adventure for youngsters - or adults trying to be...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 27, 2014
Visit George Traikovich's site on the Internet and discover just how talented he is. The image lead-in for the ads for this book lead the reader to think that the wonderfully grotesque illustrations will be part of this eBook, but alas, they are not. However, the way Traikovich manipulates words and ideas without his visual content proves he his not dependent on his rather extraordinary talents in developing content for use on the internet: his `Urban fantasy for age 10+' stands solidly on its own as what appears to be the first in a series of tales about kids adapting to the funky world as it exists at present.The author sets the tone with saying `Bixby Elementary was an estate before it was an asylum, and an asylum before it was a school, though the order was a matter of dispute among students and faculty.' The story starts with a homemade go-cart race between the kids, which introduces us to some of the characters - Drew, who is the leader, Spider, a bit dimwitted, Grady and Newton, loyal and persevering, and Clementine, the requisite girl - the group is the `zero avenue gang' because they live on zero avenue, the neighborhood with zero jobs and zero (aside: for this reader to find a character bearing the seldom shared name 'Grady' is a fun jolt!). Then the author begins to give us little tidbits about the school itself. Gradually a new (and quite suspicious) vice principle is introduced. A sinister force is changing some of the kids at the school, but as a new fad called "Crypto-Punk" takes hold at the same time, only a few ten-year-olds notice any problem, and have to act to stop it. It is a mixture of science fiction and fantasy (which the author dishes up well), droll humor, at times silly dialogue, but all that matches the tried and true formula for kids adventure books: most of the adults are either evil, incompetent, or powerless and the kids have to save the day! But it is the momentum of Traikovich's writing style that makes this boat float. He has the lingo and the intuitive touch of what excites young readers down pat. Sure, it's loony, but it is solid entertainment. Grady Harp, January 14