Review: “May Finds a Way: Peril in Paris” – Is as Interesting for Adults as it is Fascinating for Children!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2013
So Much Fun You'll Wonder who Will Enjoy this Paris Adventure the Most: The kids or the adults?Friendship, Loyalty, Trust, Sacrifice, Courage and Love of Country.“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”  C. S. LewisThis is a book well worth reading. A good book is a good book at any age. Mark Twain wrote “Tom Sawyer” for adults. In it Twain talks about looking back in time to remind the adult reader of what it was like to be a child. Twain’s publisher wanted the book marketed to children. And, indeed, “Tom Sawyer”  has become one of the best loved children’s books of all time.This is exactly what C.S. Lewis was talking about in the quote cited above. It is also what makes “May Finds a Way"  (and each of May's K9 stories) such a good reading experience for both children and adults. This versatility is especially favored by senior adults who read stories to their grandchildren.There is some amazing writing going on in this book..  I want to point this out because the prose is so well written it most likely will go unnoticed by all but the most experienced adult readers.First the author does a very skillful job of writing in what she called ‘First Dog’ which is like ‘first person’  but a 'first person' as it is experienced by a dog. In "First Dog"  the senses of smell and hearing are primary.  When the pov is the dog, the reader 'sees' the world as a dog would -- by odors and sounds. I’ve been to Paris several times over the years and when I was reading May’s  "First Dog" travels on foot through the city it was like seeing Paris again for the first time. The writing is ingenious. This canine pov makes it easy to believe a dog actually was having these experiences.  (I was an Air Force K9 handler myself. Much of what the author writes dogs was also true for our dogs.)Even more  amazing is the  author's use of language. May speaks ‘critter’ so she can talk to other animals…even French animals. Then there are those select and very intuitive humans who can also speak ‘critter’ . May 'talks' to these 'critter' speaking humans in some telepathic way that goes unnoticed by the reader and seems totally natural. Of course, there are humans who cannot speak 'critter'. They cannot talk to the animals and to them communication is almost impossible. May, the K9, Spy has to improvise to 'speak' to these people. This takes great skill.As fanciful as the premise of this story is, a K9 Spy, the narrative still flows naturally.  I found myself as interested in finding out what was going to happen next in this book as I am when reading any other well written  adult novel. Nevertheless, May the K9 Spy, is for the kids. Children love May. It takes just one look at the dozens of pictures of adoring children loving May to appreciate how much these books are enjoyed by the kids.  Check it out for yourself on the author's website. There's no doubt about it. Kids love this book!"May the K9 Spy" books are also an educational reading experience.  Even writers can benefit from a study of the author’s magical writing techniques.The story is fun. A little dog, May. is taking an exam in K9 Spy school. She gets mixed up and winds up on a plane to Paris! She uncovers anarchists and has to somehow report what's happening to her superiors who don’t even know where she is. It is an adventure for the reader to follow May around the streets and sights of Paris.The story is about love, friendship, trust, loyalty, patriotism, courage and a genuine love of the values that made America great. All this is accomplished without preaching. The experience is fun for both the young and not so young.I think the 'May the K9 Spy Series'  features the best children's books that are at the same time great reads for adults.  I just loved them!