Helpful Score: 1
Children's Literature - Donna Freedman
This frequently hilarious fantasy-adventure has a serious underpinning: that "truth" is a situational ethic. Sixth-grader and compulsive liar Charlie Eggleston obtains a human skull that dooms its owners to compulsive truthfulness. Amusingly, the skull is a compulsive chatterbox fond of terrible jokes. Readers will laugh at Charlie's new inability to squirm out of homework or family dinners, but Coville takes a serious turn when a classmate returns from cancer treatment and Charlie says exactly what he thinks - something that is on everyone's mind, but that no one will admit. The ambitious author also provides a nice dollop of Shakespeare - the skull, alas, is Yorick's own.
This frequently hilarious fantasy-adventure has a serious underpinning: that "truth" is a situational ethic. Sixth-grader and compulsive liar Charlie Eggleston obtains a human skull that dooms its owners to compulsive truthfulness. Amusingly, the skull is a compulsive chatterbox fond of terrible jokes. Readers will laugh at Charlie's new inability to squirm out of homework or family dinners, but Coville takes a serious turn when a classmate returns from cancer treatment and Charlie says exactly what he thinks - something that is on everyone's mind, but that no one will admit. The ambitious author also provides a nice dollop of Shakespeare - the skull, alas, is Yorick's own.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
