Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Collection of six wild stories is funny, playful, uneven.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Adam Rubin's THE HUMAN KABOOM is a collection of six stories, unrelated except for sharing the same name. A human cannonball takes things to another level of difficulty with his kaboom; a reclusive, mysterious writer seems to have exploded but no one can figure out the details. One kaboom is in space, during a school field trip inside a human anatomy museum, another when a trio of fighting siblings tries to survive a rock monster invasion on an island while looking for their parents. A mysterious pirate kaboom is in store for a young boy visiting his sister in a wintery fishing town, and a young boy with mysterious powers runs away to become a hermit in the Canadian wilderness. Each story has a human kaboom and plenty of mystery.
Is It Any Good?
Creativity and humor overflow each of the six stories, and while wordplay and crazy situations can capture readers' interest, the stories are a bit uneven and are best read with a break between each. The Human Kaboom is full of heart, compassion, humor, and ingenuity, and introduce memorable characters that are relatable despite their tendency to explode. The names and places are funny to read (especially if said out loud), and the premise of six stories with the same name inspires creativity for readers. The black-and-white illustrations bring life to words and Rubin's final story in the book, the one that hasn't been written yet, is a lovely request for readers to write and send him their own stories. He includes advice on revising and rereading, followed by a recipe for homemade popcorn.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the siblings behave toward each other on the island in The Human Kaboom. How do you react when you're mad at someone you care about?
Do you ever feel like you'd like to live alone in the woods like Henry? Why or why not?
What would your Human Kaboom story be about?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Pirates , STEM
- Character Strengths : Curiosity , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : February 21, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 416
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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