A Whole Nother Story

A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup was amusing and entertaining from the first page to the last page.

To start with, the author of this book (which I am pretty sure is setting itself up to be a series) is listed as the President, National Center for Unsolicited Advice. Dr. Soup makes a great narrator, stepping out of the story from time to time to add his commentary (reminds me a little of Lemony Snicket). In addition, throughout the book, there are pages of unsolicited advice. These advice pages are not to be missed because they are so darn funny. An example:

"Advice On Choosing A Dog -- ... I love animals. So much in fact that I have had the words 'I Love Animals' shaved into the side of my dog, Kevin."

Pure silliness and kids are going to love it.

The main characters in the story are the Cheeseman family: Dad (Ethan), Barton (the oldest), Crandall (the youngest), Steve (Crandall's boldly speaking sock puppet), and Saffron (the middle and the sister). The Cheeseman family tends to leave wherever they're living frequently in the middle of the night. Their dog, Pinky, has developed the ability to sense when the bad guys who want Mr. Cheeseman's invention are near, and when that happens, the Cheesemans pack up and take off. Mr. Cheeseman is trying to invent a time machine for many reasons, not the least being the ability to go back in time to right before Mrs. Cheeseman was killed.

The bad guys chasing the Cheesemans go by the names of Mr. 5, Mr. 29, Mr. 88, and Mr. 207. Their seniority within the bad guys is indicated by how close to the number 1 they are. In addition, Agents El Kyoo and Aitch Dee are trying to locate the Cheesemans as well. The final character in pursuit of the Cheesemans is international spy, Pavel Dushenko and his chimp, Leon.

Hilarity ensues as the Cheesemans manage to stay ahead of all these folks. Along the way, the Cheesemans meet and receive help from some very different and interesting characters. That only makes it more fun for the reader.

A Whole Nother Story had me laughing out loud at points. I was getting a pedicure at the time and got a few strange looks. :) I predict that this will be a book universally liked by almost all students. For that reason alone, I was actually thinking of purchasing 2 copies.

For more reviews of A Whole Nother Story, check out:

Library Pirates
Book Kids
Three Silly Chicks (interview with Dr. Soup)
Learn Me Sumthin' (includes a link to a connected website)