The Flying Frog and the Kidnappers

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I don't like not liking books, but not liking a kid's book (and putting that online!) makes me feel like I kicked a puppy.

But . . .

This was just a mess – the grammar was inconsistent (I think this says more about the translator), there wasn't even a paragraph to help new readers to the series (like me) orient themselves into the nature of a talking frog (in a world that not every frog talks), why the frog is wrapped up in balloon strings when we first get to him, etc.

And then the story itself just made no sense – not in a good way, either. I really don't want to say that the characters are flat, because they're not really characters – they're names and genders, and that's about it. The kidnappers make Jasper and Horace seem like Ocean's Eleven.

This is supposed to be for readers 9-14 years of age. I can't imagine any self-respecting 6 year old liking this, much less a 14 year-old. Sure, I know we all read, and learn how to read, at our own pace. I don't want to say that it's bad for a 9 year-old to enjoy a book written at this level, but generally, at this age, readers should be reading about the Kings and Queens at Cair Paravel, the unlikely thief who went There and Back Again, or The Boy Who Lived, not this kind of thing.

If I came into this series at Book 1, would I like it better? Possibly. It could happen, it's possible that with more context this'd work. But I have a hard time believing it. I didn't dislike this book, I guess I pitied it, more than anything, really.

You and your kids can find better.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion, sorry it didn't work out better for him.