When I saw this book on Jorge’s desk, I had to pick it up to see what he was reading. From the very first page I knew it was a book I, too, would have to read:
Warning! Do not read beyond this page.
The next page read:
Good. Now I know I can trust you. You’re curious. You’re brave. And you’re not afraid to lead a life of crime.
I love books like this! Give me all your sarcasm, give me all your wit, give me all the intrigue I can find within the first ten lines. The kids in my class loved it, too.
Never mind the mystery. Never mind the backflashes to the Bergamo Brothers, two Italian boys who joined the circus. Never mind the concept of synesthesia. They were so absorbed in the story that none of this was too complicated for them to follow.
It is a book for any age. It is marvelous as a read-aloud, or, if you want to read it faster, for your own silent reading.
Two more books conclude the trilogy:
This Book Is Not Good For You and If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.
That sounds like a book I would have loved as a kid!
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Oooh, I'm intrigued!
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Oh, FUN! I think I'd have liked this as a kid 🙂 I am glad there is a trilogy!
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This sounds like an absolutely fantastic book for kids! And of course I would like it too 😉
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Sounds riveting! And clicking on your link for synesthesia, I've discovered that I'm a grapheme – numbers and letters all have an assigned colour in my mind! I'm definitely going to check this out.
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My mom and I met the author at the Texas Book Festival in Austin in October. He was pretty neat. My mom bought his books but was a bit disappointed. I'm going to have to get her to hand them over.
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I think these are especially appealing to kids (age 9-12 is the target audience) but I really enjoyed it as a read aloud. Although, probably not enough to read the second and third books of the trilogy myself.
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I gave my class the test on synesthesia, as they wanted to see if they had it, but no one did. Imagine that you do! That's so interesting! I'd love to know what numbers and letters you have assigned which colors…the book went on with characters who heard a note and smelled a fragrance. It was a totally new concept to me.
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Well that tells me everything I need to know. I love the cover art on each one – they look so fun!
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Sounds interesting! And a little similar to Italo Calvino's 'If on a winter's night a traveller'.
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Can you believe that I've not read anything by Italo Calvino?! I can't! I need to pick him up, and you've given me a good place to start.
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That sounds like a fun book! I'm sure I would have enjoyed it too!
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Looks like something for me and the boys. 😀
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The first words I saw on the cover were Pseudonymous Bosch, and that's all it took to intrigue me. Do you know the work of Hieronymus Bosch? I may have to read this one just to find out if it's The Garden of Earthly Delights for nine-year-olds! I'll bet this is what I call a lasagne of a book – layer after delicious layer of treats that can be taken in one big bite or pulled apart for examination ;-)I know a couple of folks who experience synesthesia. I can't remember all the details, but I did get an email from a fellow who sees letters as different colors and "hears" certain words as sounds. Wacky and wonderful, for sure.
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Linda, I just ran across the name Hieronymus Bosch this week! Could it have been in the novel I'm reading, The Creation of Eve? I'll have to check, but it's so interesting that you should mention it here. You always know the most interesting connections to literature, whether it's via other titles or other people you know. Imagine, two people (your friend and the mention from Chasing Bawa) having synethesia.
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That is actually the only Calvino I've read and I only got through half way. It's very…bizarre but I loved it. It's so mind bending! I'm going to have to go back to it.
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I think I'm still a kid.. but then who am I fooling? Nevertheless, these books are so attention grabbing I wouldn't mind buying it!
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I wonder if I'm correct in thinking I first saw his name when someone read his work for Carl's Once Upon A Time Challenge…now I really have to look into it.
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