As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Aug.12, 2012, under Adventure, Humorous, Illustrated, Sam's Reviews, YRCA
Who would like this book? Readers, 7th grade and up, who enjoy funny stories in which everything goes wrong.
Why? Ry, 16, is on a train from Wisconsin to a summer camp in Montana while his parents rekindle their marriage in the Caribbean and his grandfather holds down the Wisconsin household with their two dogs. The first sign of trouble is with a letter from the camp. It has been cancelled because “a statistically improbable number of things have gone wrong.“ This reason sums up the rest of the book with hilarious precision. For instance, Ry needs to let his grandfather know that the camp has been cancelled, but he can’t get cell reception on the train. In the middle of nowhere, the train has a problem and stops. Ry thinks he has enough time to jump off and scramble up a hill to make the call. Of course, as he’s trying to make the call, the train pulls away, leaving Ry with only his dying phone. Soon, he is also without a boot. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong for Ry, his parents, his grandfather, and the dogs. Every mishap is funny and for every piece of bad luck, a gift of good luck (usually in the form of a well-drawn character) appears for the rescue. This book is not for people looking for a plausible plot, but for anyone willing to suspend disbelief and jump on for the ride, it’s a great one. I loved every minute!
The details: 352 pp. 2010 Review by Samrarian
