cbr16bingo Horses (see below)
Have you ever read a book where you thought, “This is an okay book. It’s not WOW, but not poor either.” Yet, you just can’t say that everyone should read it? That was how Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb was for me. I started reading via an online reader copy, then found an actual copy. This helped me see things a little better/able to read a bit easier, but still, since the book was physically stiff, I didn’t like how it felt in my hands and it made it still hard to read.
However, if you like stories about boys that are into superheroes and mystery, they love their great grandfather and art, plus want to be helpful, then this is for you. If you are looking for a book that could be set in “the past” or now (or has timeless themes and overall feeling), this is it. And though the two girl characters are a bit more modern than they would have been in a more historical setting, they have phones, and there is a computer website, it felt like something I would have read when I was a kid in the eighty’s. Therefore, I didn’t see the “modern” reading jumping at it. This is something you give to the child who can handle more text and even concepts, but content can be an issue.
And there were a few issues for me. There were several things that were “well isn’t that convenient” and the horses were one of those. At the end of things when (not-so-spoiler the characters who have become friends) come together to help another friend, the horses come into play. All the characters conveniently can ride horses, it doesn’t matter that Nick had issues riding earlier, he’s a regular John Wayne now. They think nothing of stealing the horses from the riding barn. They use the horses to ride in and save the day from not only the darkness and the potential for their other friend getting hurt, but a big-bad-coyote that just happens to show up, when there has barely been mention of it.
Up to that point, things were not too bad. Nick is a young, goofy kid who loves drawing, superheroes, and misses his great grandfather. The way he tries to connect to him after his death is to help his “old people ” (friends of his grandfathers) and do rescues that Superman would have done. That is, when he was a pre-teen boy without superpowers, which are things like saving a raccoon from being “taken care of,” stopping a neighbor’s dog from barking and cleaning the roof of one of the older people in the town.
But then there is Nick’s parents and the potential move. Nick doesn’t want to move, but if a mystery isn’t solved, Nick’s father will lose his job and they will have to. And of course, Nick gets in the middle of it and helps save the day. However, instead of directly stopping the crooks, there is a more “smart route” he uses.
The idea is quaint, and I most enjoyed it, but I wasn’t feeling OMG BEST BOOK. Each chapter has some interesting comic-like artwork, but I would have liked to have a few other things illustrated as well. Overall, it is a nice book that might not be for everyone, but has a place in the right reader’s hands. There are some possible triggers such as there is some light bullying and two characters are in a car accident (before the book starts) and due to that, one loses her leg. But overall it is tame and “family friendly.”