Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Adventure ho!: Sir Seth Thistlethwaite and the Soothsayer’s Shoes by Richard Thake

Hi there!
Welcome back to the site that aims to be the bookish break in your day…well, at least ONE of them, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we’re looking back at a title from my reading history last year (hey, it's only the 1st...there's still time for reflection!) that’ll get you tongue tied in a hurry, and have you reaching for the next installment before you can pronounce our leads knightly name.  Don’t believe me?  What?!  You doubt my honesty?  My integrity?  My very name?  Oh…wait…~listens~…not my name but the rest.  Well.  *humpf*  Read on, readers…READ ON.  (^_^) The book of choice for today, my fair lasses and lads, is…


By
Richard Thake
Illustrated by
Vince Chui
9781897349939
Owlkids Books, Inc


About the book…
How do you spend a lazy day?
For best buds Seth Thistlethwaite and Ollie Everghettz, it’s a chance to imagine themselves as none other than Sir Seth and Sir Ollie, the Mighty Knights of Right and Honor!

Hauntedly hidden within the bubbling bogs and craggy crevices of rain-soaked High Dudgeon, that poxy Prince Quincy of Poxley has secretly stolen the most magical soothsaying shoes of the wise wizard, Sir Shawn Shrood.

Can our knightly heroes, Sir Seth and Sir Ollie, turn this woeful wrong into a righteous right?  With the help of a saber-toothed sloth, a 3,000-year-old ghost king, fire-breathing bats, and some creatures called bog runners, they just might.

It truly is a marvelous time to be a knight!




Okay, let me just say that if you have a reluctant reader in your home particularly of the male variety (though trust me, females will be just as enchanted), this might just be the book you’ve been waiting for. 

Picture it…two ten-year-old lads plotting the course of their Saturday off with their trusty steed, I mean best ruff pal, Shasta.  Are you thinking pranks?  Are you thinking mischief?  Are you thinking dastardly deeds are afoot?  Wrong!  Think IMAGINATION. Think ADVENTURE.  Think a “magical” escape to a mystical land to save the day, raise a kingdom, and help a distressed damsel (note she’s not in distress, she’s more stressed out by the sitch but with a fairly cool head on her shoulders).  Sound good?  Oh, it gets better.  Add to that the awesome assortment of critters and creatures, both living and a step beyond post mortem (aka ghosts), and you’ve got a fun read for all ages.

To me, it was like a kiddy version of that old David Bowie movie…The Labyrinth.  Well, okay…so without the girl wishing away her brother to the goblin king, get-stuck-in-you-head songs and dancing, and more with the crazy kooky cast of unlikely friends, unusual trials and tribulations, and wordplay fun.  I mean, come on!  Imagining yourself as a knight?  No problem!  Bringing to life the kingdoms, customs, and people that surround…now that takes some talent; these boys DEFINITELY have talent.  I mean as far as I’m concerned, they totally went to Thatchwych Castle guided by Lady Sheri-Sue Shrood in search of the Soothsayer’s shoes because I mean without a little sooth, where would any of us be?  (Sooth = truth …case you were wondering.)  Anywho…

In closing, I shall pass along a few sooths, I mean truths, as I see them to all of you.  First, you can be the BEST soothsayer in the kingdom but without the support of those residing within, it matters not what you say in the least.  Second, be sure to remember the little guys and gals you meet along the way, they’ll be the ones that remember YOU when it counts.  Finally, and perhaps above all else, ALWAYS appreciate those that share your path in life…and let them know how much they count on your scorecard; one never knows how long we’ll be in each others lives to make an impression, make each second count.

Review copy received courtesy of the great folks at Owlkids.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their full catalog, be sure to stop by their official site.  This title is available now so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you or online retailer of your choice…and while YOU’RE doing that, I’LL be adding the other books to my wish list.  Kay?  Kay.  ^_^

Until next time…happy reading!



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