The Templeton Twins Have An Idea (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I grabbed this book as a last minute choice at the library without even reading the description (daring of me, I know :D), and I'm so glad I did. This book was awesome!! Why? Two words: the narrator. I don't think I've ever read a book that had a narrator quite like him. He is snooty in the best way and injects himself so much into the book that (as other people have been suggesting) he almost feels like the main character. I lost count of the times I just had to stop and laugh at some droll little line (especially the 'questions for review' at the end of each chapter) - and that's quite a surprise for me as I might find something funny in a book but don't usually laugh out loud. The characters were all fine, the villains appropriately ridiculous (I loved the WUH-HA-ha-ha villain laugh :P), and the plot fun. But even if all of the above listed things had been mediocre, I would have still loved the book because of the narrator. Seriously, he was awesome. I've seen several reviews compare him to the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and while I haven't had much interest in reading that series up until now, I suddenly have the urge to. :) This is one of those books that, to me, epitomizes the C.S. Lewis quote about how good children's books can be enjoyed by anyone. ;) It was a fun, quick read that was enormously refreshing after all the teen angst of YA. I'll certainly be picking up the next book in the series. :)Content: N/A I picked this book up after reading the first couple of pages. The narrator (who has his own bio on the back flap) immediately makes fun of the reader. He sometimes will digress, then blame his distraction on the reader. That was fun. The story itself was pretty good too.This was an entertaining book about two smart fraternal twins whose father is an inventor. They move to a new town and encounter new dangers with their Ridiculous Dog. The illustrations are nice. Even the questions for review at the end of each chapter were very entertaining. And, no, I did not try the meatloaf recipe. Sorry. :)
What do You think about The Templeton Twins Have An Idea (2012)?
Sentence Fragment Review:Ironic, winking fun for your clever elementary school student!
—saram
More narrator asides than plot, but I'm hoping that kids will enjoy it.
—MarkDefeo
Cute, quick read. I think my fifth grade students will enjoy it.
—imcrystalmanalo
The story wasn't the most interesting, but it was SOOO FUNNY!
—suzthurston
