The Book of Nonsense (Sacred Books, Vol. I) [Hardcover]

David Michael Slater (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

The book is ancient, ravaged and full of utter nonsense. But the moment it enters Daphna and Dexter's lives, bizarre things begin to happen. Why is their father, who found the book, suddenly so distant? Is the old man who took it from him some kind of hypnotist? Why is a giant, red-eyed boy menancing them? And what does their thirteenth birthday have to do with all this? Daphna and Dexter can't stand each other, but they'll have to work together to learn the truth about the Book of Nonsense - before their lives come apart completely.

Editorial Reviews

Review

WITH HIS FIRST FORAY into young-adult fiction, Beaverton middle-school teacher David Michael Slater demonstrates genuine flair for the genre, and manages to avoid enough familiar YA fantasy tropes in THE BOOK OF NONSENSE (CBAY Publishing) to make it a respectable addition to any 12-year-old escapist s library. Slater s story follows the exploits of twin siblings Dexter and Daphne, who must decipher a thousand-year-old book of sorcery in order to save themselves and apparently the rest of the world from malevolent forces. Original touches lie not in Slater s plotline (heroes triumph, lessons are learned, and everyone makes it home before suppertime), but in his flawed and realistic protagonists: a pants-wetting, dyslexic boy and his shy, bookwormish sister....If your kids have already ripped through the Harry Potter series, The Golden Compass, and The Spiderwick Chronicles, then spending some time with the reluctant adventurers in The Book of Nonsense is most definitely a good idea. --Ben Hogan, Portland Monthly, September 2008

About the Author

David Michael Slater was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He teaches in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and son. David writes for children and adults.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Blooming Tree Books/CBAY; 1 edition (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933767006
• ISBN-13: 978-1933767000
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,160,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Michael Slater was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1970. He teaches high school in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and son. David writes for children, teens and adults.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling, October 14, 2008

By 

TrishNYC (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Book of Nonsense (Sacred Books, Vol. I) (Hardcover)

An absolutely delightful read!!! I was swept away into a world of wonder, mystery and danger as I followed Daphna and Dexter trying to navigate a suddenly perilous world. Daphna and Dexter are fraternal twins whose personalities are as different as their physical appearance. Whereas Daphna is a bookworm and fancies herself to be very social even if not necessarily popular, Dexter is somewhat of an outcast both at home and in school. A day before the twins turn thirteen, their father returns from a book buying trip in Turkey(he is a book scout) with a very strange book. The book is frayed and damaged on the outside, with the inside seeming to contain a jumble of words that have no meaning or order.

Daphna persuades her father that he would probably be able to offload this weird book at the new bookstore that was opened a few months back during his absence. She is horrified when she watches her father get hypnotized by the creepy shop keeper who takes the book away from him and tries to exact further payment in the form of Daphna going to work for him. Daphna sets out on a quest to reclaim the book and save herself, finding a surprising ally in her brother Dexter. So begins a very wild ride through town as the twins try to outsmart the villain and his minion.

This book is excellent in capturing the personalities of its characters and displaying them in a realistic way that rings true. Daphna and Dexter's relationship is a perfect picture of sibling rivalry and petty jealousies. Each has a tendency to misunderstand even the best intentions of the other. I also thought it was very interesting the way that the author was able to show the attitude of youth to the aged without it being disrespectful or untrue.

This book is a true find and I think that everyone will enjoy it regardless of age. Keep an eye out for the little clues, they will come back and mean more than you thought.

This is book one in what I hope is going to be a very successful series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wide-Eyed Wonder, November 8, 2008

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Nonsense (Sacred Books, Vol. I) (Hardcover)

This is the kind of kids' fantasy that parents will enjoy as much as their children will. It has a lickety-split pace, dry humor, and engaging characters in a story that continues to build until the very final chapter. And unlike other series novels in recent years, which tend to end just as things are getting good, this one has a satisfying resolution that still leaves doors open for future volumes.

Daphna and Dexter Wax, twins on the verge of young adulthood, are like any other siblings at their age, full of hope and vigor but completely intolerant of each other. Daphna is bookish, but Dexter is at war with the world. When their widowed father, a speculator in antique books, comes home from abroad with an ancient and puzzling codex, sullen Dexter slinks off while Daphna helps Dad find a dealer to pick up that old book.

That means that Daphna is the only one to see it when the antiquarian book dealer, Asterius Rash, uses hypnotic powers to bilk Dad and try to turn the twins into pawns in a battle for control of a primal language from humanity's earliest days. The plot takes on themes that were previously addressed, in less family-friendly ways, in Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. But for all its appeal to wide-eyed youth, the youth characters aren't just innocent figures being acted on; their very youth, which makes everything new and wonderful to them, is what makes this story worth reading.

This book picks up one of the more interesting themes from recent youth fantasy, the idea that kids are aware of secrets that go right past their parents. Unlike writers like C.S. Lewis, whose child characters are simply rediscovering what the adults in their lives already knew, Slater and other authors of his type have latched onto the fact that young kids are capable of seeing the world with a kind of wonder which has been lost to us adults.

Nearly the entire book takes place on the twins' thirteenth birthday, a day that shoots them all over Portland, Oregon, trying to unlock the secrets of Asterius Rash and the Book of Nonsense before their father can give the whole game over into the old man's hands. As the twins descend into a Da Vinci Code-style labyrinth harkening back to the day after creation, more and more of the world they took for granted turns out to be freighted with significance. Secrets abound in this book, some of which will go right past young readers. Adults who have read well, however, will pick up subtle cues.

The plot rockets around, but never feels overstuffed, and allows the characters enough leeway to play as they need. And readers, one way or the other, will find themselves drawn along in a powerful, moving story that doesn't let up through the entire book. This is a stirring book full of wonder that will keep all ages entertained and guessing up to the final page.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tight plot with numerous twists and surprises, October 29, 2008

By 

Breeni Books "www.breenibooks.com" (Rockwell, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Book of Nonsense (Sacred Books, Vol. I) (Hardcover)

David Michael Slater's Sacred Books series is likely to be the next to reach Harry Potter notoriety. The intricate storyline of the first book in the young adult series is filled with twists and turns that will stimulate young minds from the outset. It weaves magic and mystery into a tightly packed plot.

We first meet Slater's adolescent protagonists, twins Daphna and Dexter, as they while away the summer months, preparing for their thirteenth birthday. Daphna, the book worm of the pair, has discovered a rare used book store, called the Antiquarian Book Center, to occupy her time. She's eager to share it with her book scout father, who can surely appreciate the magnitude of her discovery. As she guides him down the aisles of books on magic and the occult, she encounters some frightening revelations about the proprietors of the dusty shop.

Daphna's father has a book he wishes to sell to the owner, Asterius Rash, but what he doesn't realize is that he's just given the old man an important tool to add to his arsenal of world domination. What Daphna originally believed to be a book of nonsense is actually written in an ancient language that bestows the reader with amazing power. The problem is, the book's been enchanted to prevent Rash from being able to read it. Consider the fact that he's also blind, and he's going to need the services of someone connected to the book's history to decipher the spells. Daphna and Dexter unknowingly fit the bill.

Daphna and Dexter are two resourceful teens, as they soon find out. It seems everyone around them is hiding something, and they're going to have to put the pieces together and solve the mystery while saving their own lives. With the degree of subtle foreshadowing, the reader can stay one step ahead of the twins throughout most of the adventure. It's not so great that it spoils the element of surprise, however.

There are a few loose ends left that I suspect will be tied up in future installments. The twins discover a mysterious stash of money that is left unexplained, and I'm not quite sure of how large a role the father plays in the history of the book. It doesn't seem logical that he would be the unassuming participant he's made out to be.

Some alarmingly gruesome events transpire in the book. Daphna and Dexter are no stranger to death by the end of the novel. The two siblings are forced to face some serious truths about themselves and each other. But in the end, they're that much stronger for it.

The Book of Nonsense launches straight into action from page one and refuses to relent throughout the story. Slater leaves no room for boredom or even down time, which will keep the reader glued to the pages. This type of book demands to be read in one sitting. It should be a hit with even the most selective readers.