The best of intentions…

Well, I had every intention of writing a book review of my friend Chris Grabenstein’s new middle grade novel collaboration with James Patterson, I Funny.  Because I liked it very much.  

 And I’ve always been interested in the collaborative process.  I’ve only had one successful poetry collaboration, although I tried it with a number of people.

I was very curious to see if I could tell which parts of the book were my friend Chris and which were Mr. Patterson, as I feel like I’ve read enough of Chris’s work to have a handle on his voice.  But it felt like a pretty seamless mesh of styles, and except for a few phrases that were definitely Chris’s, the voice seemed different from either of theirs alone.

But I digress.  

As I said, I was just getting ready to sit down and write a review when Chris posted a review from a young man who has his own blog.  And after reading his review I felt anyone who wanted a sense of the novel I Funny would be far better served to simply follow this link.  http://sammwak.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/jgb-2-0-i-funny/

 This kid is amazing.  I can’t wait to read his first novel, which I’m sure he will complete before finishing high school.

So maybe instead of reading and reviewing middle readers and young adult books I’ll just stick to books about islands, the ocean, and things of that sort, where I’m less likely to be one upped by a thirteen-year-old.

And don’t worry folks, this will count as my book review post, and the next post will be a recipe.  Honest.

Here is a totally random picture that has nothing to do with middle school, really.  Except it's a school. The Cuttyhunk schoolhouse, to be exact.