Boom!

Here's an interesting factoid. There are 51 reviews for this book as of this writing, and 46 of them are from Vine reviewers, who get free books and are asked to submit reviews. The most recent review is 10 months old. So, I somehow suspect that Haddon is not going to be buying a new Porsche with his royalties. Which is a shame, because this is a very entertaining book. The plot is pretty standard, (my teacher is an alien), although the ending is zanier and more fun than I expected. The two lead characters are appealing. Granted, they are written to be older, wiser, funnier and more insightful than would be age appropriate, but I am willing to overlook that since it means they are wiser, funnier, and more insightful. The byplay between Jimbo and his sister is wonderfully done, which adds a nice amount of variety to the character interactions. I don't think British slang is a problem, since most of it can be figured out from context, and the rest doesn't matter. It's not like the book is written in some obscure dialect, there are just a few unfamiliar words. But at bottom bear this in mind - there are some truly funny lines and bits of dialogue in this book. There is some great deadpan humor, in a Greg Hefley "Diary..." kind of way. There are rewards to be found, and don't forget that someone besides me has to actually buy this book.

An entertaining adventure romp that is fast paced and quirky enough to appeal to the most reluctant readers. What does a kid do when he discovers his teachers are not who they seem to be? Who would believe him if he said aliens had taken over their bodies and were planning something terrible? Answer: Find out what they are up to himself.

I'm a fan of Mark Haddon. I loved "The Curious Incident..." especially, and thought "A Spot of Bother," while not as good, was still an enjoyable enough read. So, I was delighted to see a new Mark Haddon book pop up in the Vine newsletter and ordered it immediately. Of course, it wasn't until I received it that I realized it was really a juvenile fiction book aimed at ages 10+. Still, I remember fondly reading a lot of fiction as a kid, especially the works of fantastic writers like Roald Dahl and Gene Kemp, and though I don't have children myself, I certainly still recall what makes a good, memorable story.So... Boom. Well it's fun, I will say that. It rattles along at a fair old pace, it's an easy read, and it's funny too. I think youngsters will love it. There's quite a few rather British references in here, and as an ex-pat Brit, I had no problem with these, but some US-based readers may not 'get' them all. However, they do not detract from the story in any way. I think Mark Haddon writes well for his target audience with a style that is quirky and irreverent. There's some neat tricks in here -- the alien spider monkey's bastardization of the English language by picking up on pop-culture references is cute, for example -- and the novel does just enough to keep the imagination flowing throughout.What it lacks, for me, and why I knocked off a couple of stars, is that it didn't really move me emotionally or provide me with any kind of message. Now, that may sound like a silly criticism, after all, not every story needs to provide the depth that some of the great books by Roald Dahl did (and that sure is a hard act to follow), but I think that while Boom is certainly recommended and a fun read, it's just as likely to be forgotten quite quickly. I believe Boom needed a bit more of an emotional kick, and perhaps to have been a little more engaging, to thrust it from being merely good to truly great. It's worth noting, however, that this is a re-write of one of Haddon's very early books, so there's a good chance that much of his other children's literature is even better.

This was a very imaginary, creative story that engaged me immediately. I loved the perspective of the protagonist. The story built in a way that make even the wild twists to the story seem credible!

It was a fun and interesting book, written for a younger age but still fun to read. I think my 9 yr. old grand daughter will love it, and so will her dad as he reads it to her at bedtime--sometimes she reads to him, sometimes he reads to her. They'll both enjoy it.

Love this book! Was fun, easy and exciting to read. Will definitely recommend it to my friends and family :)

The plot idea was interesting but it was executed poorly. I think some elementary boys might find it entertaining, but I personally would not recommend this to any kid. It is probably also because I tend to look for books which is fun but also educational. This one doesn't seem to have many educational opportunities as I'd like -- not much character development, depth, themes, etc.

Boom by Mark Haddon is a great book with tons of action and suspense and it all starts with one word spudvitch.

Interesting little book. To me it's definitely a kid's story but entertaining. I am a big fan of Mark Haddon and so this completed my set... Book arrived in short time and perfect condition

Simply impossible to leave it until it's finished !!!Written for children but great for adults as wellVery good book

I read this with my ten year old son and he absolutely loved it ( as did I) it would make a great book for reading to a class of key stage two children. I actually purchased it by mistake but I'm so glad tat I did -humour, adventure, mystery, si -fi -it had everything.

This book has everything, a death metal Kung-fu biker getting a jam sandwich in the face, a puzzle, Scotland, teachers acting abnormally normal... Fardal, rifco ba neddritt tonz bis pan-pan a donk bassoo dit venter. Snekkit! A must read.

Boom! Boom is a thriller for young people. The heros, two friends, notice strange behaviour in two of their teachers and follow them. What starts out of curiosity turns into a life-threatening experience involving also other family members. For a moment everything seems lost, but true friendship can overcome the lethal obstacles and facilitate a happy ending.Fascinating is not only the description of family life before and during adolescence, the difficulties with parents and school, but also the landscapes involved: England and Scotland with the Isle of Skye as a crime scene, and outer space with a planet full of aliens as a kind of hypermodern prison.The language is full of unexpected humor, very entertaining not only for adolescents and aliens, but also for adults! Boom!