The Doldrums
By Mary Eisenhart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Imaginative illustrated tale of quirky friends' adventures.
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What's the Story?
Growing up in Helmsley House, surrounded by exotic stuffed animals and other souvenirs of his explorer grandparents' travels, 11-year-old Archer B. Helmsley knows he's destined for similar adventures, but his parents are having none of it. When word comes that the grandparents have been carried off by an iceberg in Antarctica, Archer's mom seizes the excuse to confine him to the house lest he suffer the same fate. But adults are no match for what happens when he meets two other friendless kids: Oliver, mocked and ignored by his classmates, and wooden-legged Adélaïde, just arrived from Paris. Buoyed by mutual support, the three are soon determined to rescue Oliver's grandparents. What could go wrong?
Is It Any Good?
Suspense, slapstick, appealing characters, and wild situations abound in author-illustrator Nicholas Gannon's imaginative foray into tween angst and off-the-chart adventure. Plentiful color illustrations, in a retro sepia-tinged palette, set the scene and the tone, bringing Archer, Oliver, Adélaïde, and the notably strange Helmsley House to life. Some kids may be put off by such creepy elements as wooden legs, glass eyes, and the like or find the narration a bit self-consciously talky in places, but rarely have so many positive messages -- from the importance of friendship, perseverance, and confronting your demons to a shout-out to beleaguered parents trying to make the right choices for their kids -- been presented with such subversive glee. Take, for example, Adélaïde, who on the first day of school deals with the teacher who has her classmates terrorized:
"'In France,' said Adélaïde, facing Mrs. Murkley once more, 'they tell us to be mindful with those who dictate head placement because these could be the same people who someday tell you to stick it in a guillotine.'
"'You'll stick your head where I tell you to stick it!' Mrs. Murkley demanded. 'In a guillotine or wherever! If you don't, there will be consequences!'
"Adélaïde nodded. 'But,' she said slowly, 'what consequences would be worse than sticking my head in a guillotine?'"
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about explorers and stories about them. Do you have any favorites? Do you think it would be better to be an explorer now or sometime in the past?
If you were going on an expedition, how would you prepare? What do you think you'd need to take along? What if you forgot something?
Have you ever been in a situation where your friends wanted you to help with something and you did, even though you thought it was a bad idea? What happened?
Book Details
- Author: Nicholas Gannon
- Illustrator: Nicholas Gannon
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books
- Publication date: September 29, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 368
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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