I've been REALLY looking forward to reviewing Doom & Gloom by Monica Shaughnessy, partly because it's a really terrific MG book and partly because I know the author and have had the pleasure of seeing scenes from it develop while she was writing it. The fun of seeing it all put together in one whizz-bang swash-buckle of a story (and I use the fencing term advisedly!) is hard to beat.
This is a book for the MG audience - the protagonist, Dane Winter, is twelve. He is hampered by a rare disease that prevents him from going out in the sunshine without risking fatal burns to his skin. His family is wealthy and were the original benefactors for the town in which he lives - Winterville. However, his parents have pretty much checked out and gone to do good works overseas while Dane and his band of misfit friends are left to battle crime in the town.
With the help of some cool robots and other technical surprises, Dane and his trusty friend, Jinx, set out to beat the Mad Dogs, a local gang hell bent on destroying the town. The dynamic duo's plans seem to be foiled at every turn and just when it looks like they're going to win out, there's a really great twist at the end that puts the two in even greater danger than anyone would have predicted. Zane learns to trust in who he is and play on his strengths as he comes to terms with where he belongs and who his friends really are. The story is written with action, adventure, and good humor throughout, and is a great read for children of any ages (including the middle-aged mom set ...).
This is a book for the MG audience - the protagonist, Dane Winter, is twelve. He is hampered by a rare disease that prevents him from going out in the sunshine without risking fatal burns to his skin. His family is wealthy and were the original benefactors for the town in which he lives - Winterville. However, his parents have pretty much checked out and gone to do good works overseas while Dane and his band of misfit friends are left to battle crime in the town.
With the help of some cool robots and other technical surprises, Dane and his trusty friend, Jinx, set out to beat the Mad Dogs, a local gang hell bent on destroying the town. The dynamic duo's plans seem to be foiled at every turn and just when it looks like they're going to win out, there's a really great twist at the end that puts the two in even greater danger than anyone would have predicted. Zane learns to trust in who he is and play on his strengths as he comes to terms with where he belongs and who his friends really are. The story is written with action, adventure, and good humor throughout, and is a great read for children of any ages (including the middle-aged mom set ...).
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