Kismet

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

 

When the good folks over at Mom Central asked me to review The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, I was excited because it is by one of my favorite pulp fiction authors, James Patterson. It is being billed as part of his 'page-turners' series. The book was written with the intent to interest boys in reading. Patterson has a 10-year old son. I quickly sat down and read the first couple of chapters and have to tell you it was easy to set it aside to focus on other things.

I picked it back up recently to finish it and to give you my unbiased opinion. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X is entertaining and up to date. Daniel X is a unique kid, he has telepathy and transformation abilities; he's never gone to school yet he is a walking encyclopedia. And he's out for revenge!  Daniel witnesses his parents' horrific death at the hands of a monstrous alien. Following his parents' death Daniel makes it his life's goal to hunt down The Prayer, the alien who murdered his parents. The story picks up twelve years later with Daniel now a true alien hunter, searching out not just The Prayer, a praying mantis who is the main protagonist,  but all aliens intent on destroying the Earth.

Readers can expect plenty of pop culture references such as ipods, Play-station 3s, Star Wars, the Simpsons, etc; all qualities one would expect from James Patterson.  But because the book is aimed at a younger audience, the writing is also noticeably lighthearted, clean, and often illogical.  Specifically, the book is plagued with numerous coincidences and inconsistencies. Since it is directed at younger readers the author can probably get away with these writing 'sins'.  But be aware that Daniel does watch his parents be murdered by aliens so some parts of the book may be too intense for sensitive readers.

In the end I found this book to be entertaining and think it will delight most boys and some girls. If your child likes SciFi or murder mysteries or just reading about kids solving problems using 'other worldly powers' then I think they will enjoy this book.

Give it a read.

~K!

Quirky

I've been tasked with coming up with 6 quirky things about myself and sharing them with you. Hopefully it won't fall under the TMI category.

1. When I vote in any election, whether county, state or national and I see a candidate running unopposed I ALWAYS write myself in. Apparently no one takes me seriously, but I still do it. I've voted for myself for city council, state senator, Supreme Court judge and even governor! 

2. I can't sleep without the window open. Even though our house has central air I still have to have a window open in the summer. And even when it is 32 or lower in the winter, the window has to be cracked. My husband loves his electric blanket!

3. I am never more than a glance away from a clock and a calendar. From where I am sitting right now I can see 3 calendars (not counting the one on my computer and the one right here in my purse at my elbow) and 3 clocks (again, not counting the one on my tv or laptop). I have a quirky thing about knowing the date and time. I also like to know the temp and my checking account balance but they aren't things I check every 2 minutes.

4.  I am trained to use 2 different versions of the home heart defibrillator. I am not  exactly why, unless it is to walk someone through it. But now the experts aren't even sure how helpful they are, but hey! I"m trained.

5.  I am in no way competitive but there are elements in my life where I like to be first. I like to have the first sip when I pour any drink, the first bite when I make a sandwich. I like to have the first to look at my magazine or newspaper or book. In fact I can't stand to have anyone even pick up my book, magazine or newspaper and flip through it if I haven't read it. Quirky.

6. I always celebrate Christmas in August! This weekend is the annual get-away weekend I spend with my 2 fabulous sisters. We are headed to Sunriver Resort for the long weekend. We always start with furious phones calls to one another lamenting that none of us has time to shop or get ready and 'I can hardly wait'. We spend the first night at my sister Tommi's and she and her teenaged son and my sister Shannon and I go to a movie together. I dunno why, quirky. Then we spend the night at Tommi's and load up my van in the morning and set out. When we reach our destination we set up the tree, string the lights and hang the stockings. And we place our gifts under the tree. We spend the next few hours taking turns handing out gifts to open-- "Ok, open this one from me and then no more til after lunch." But we never make it through the first day----they all get opened!

So if you need me, I'll be off caroling. And getting a pedi. And laughing so hard I have to cross my legs to keep from peeing. 

~K!

p.s. Happy Birthday on Thursday to 'my favorite nephew' Travis! I love you. 

(another quirk, I tell each of my nephews he is my favorite. They each believe they are)

Save Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

I am sad.

I just found out that kindly, sweater wearing Mr Rogers will soon be taken off the daily line up of some PBS stations. I am a big supporter of PBS and our local OPB. Our children weren't big fans of Mr Rogers but he was a calm voice in the storm of non stop Cartoon Network that most kids seem addicted to nowdays. I appreciated his cool handling of life's everyday problems. And though he may seem quaint and outdated now I believe his message is still sound.

If you agree with me check out Save Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and add your voice 'to our network of passionate supporters of this invaluable program.'

Rally the troops.

~K!

Life's little treasures

Happy August.

~K!