Customer Reviews

Puddlejumpers

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Among the more wondrous aspects of PUDDLEJUMPERS is its storytelling versatility; the narrative deftly catapults a reader from urban landscape to rural farmland, from hardscrabble orphanage to quotidian domesticity, and -- most imaginatively -- from tactile realism to otherworldly (and metaphorically-rich) fantasy. Highly recommended. Suggestion : If you can read the opening chapter of PUDDLEJUMPERS and fail to be compelled to continue, sign up at the nearest I Wouldn't Know Quality Literature If It Hit Me In The Face seminar!

Ernie Banks was left on the doorstep of the Lakeside Home for Boys when he was just three years old. Now, ten years later, he's thirteen and well on his way to spending his life running from the law.

The one thing that irks him is that he knows he used to belong to someone. See, he came to Lakeside with a baseball card, an unusual crystal acorn necklace, and a weird spiral-shaped birthmark on his right foot. Out of desperation, Ernie is sent out to a farm in the middle of Nowhere, Illinois, in hopes that he will come back as a kid with a new attitude.

Here he meets an interesting mix of people. There's Russ Frazier, the owner; Joey, the girl who lives on the neighboring farm; and then there are the Holsapples. The Holsapples are a mean bunch of money-guzzling oil hordes who are trying to buy out all the farms in order to drill for oil. The Holsapples are pretty much ruining the small town. Then there's the horrendous drought that is causing everyone to lose hope... If only there was some way that everything could be fixed.

As Ernie learns more about the people of the small town, he also finds out that Russ' son was kidnapped ten years ago and was never found. What's even weirder is that Ernie feels familiar in Russ' house. A coincidence? Maybe! When Ernie is exploring one day he finds two Puddlejumpers, small people that live beneath puddles, and learns that he is their rainmaker. It is even prophesied that he will save them from their greatest enemy, the Troggs.

Will Ernie help save the Puddlejumpers? Will he find out about himself along the way?

This was a great book! I was absorbed into the action from the very beginning. While the book is geared more for middle grade readers, I definitely think anyone would get a kick out of it. I thought that the characters, especially Ernie, were well-developed and really had a sense of being. I also liked the premise of the story. I thought it was original and cute, plus the adventure in it was great.

At the beginning of the book there is what I would describe as a mini-story within the story. It tells the origins of the Puddlejumpers and about the kidnapping of Russ' son. I thought this section may have explained too much, since I found that a lot of the events in the book following this beginning were predictable, but there were definitely still a couple of things that took me by surprise. Overall, I really liked PUDDLEJUMPERS and think it would be a great book for readers of all levels. I think this book would be especially great for reluctant readers, as it incorporates a little bit of action, adventure, fantasy, and sports!! What more could you ask for?

Reviewed by: Tasha

I was reviewing this book before my grandson read it. I was expecting to scan it quickly but became engrossed and caught up in the story and couldn't put it down. There is sadness, happiness, real and mysterious goings on. It's fast paced with unique characters that hold your interest and the story has unexpected twists and turns.
My grandson needs lot of encouragement to read but he was really excited about this book. I'll have to let him wrtie his own review.
I would love to see a movie or TV program of this book.

I must ditto many of terrific comments written about Puddlejumpers. But for the sensitive child, parents may want to read it first, at least the opening chapters. The mother dies early on, leaving Russ in despair. Then the baby is stolen from him, and he is devastated once more. Naturally this makes the reunion at the end that much sweeter, but just to be aware that death and baby napping and sadness play a large role in the first few chapters.

The action really picks up in the second half, and, by the end, the author ties all the plots together wonderfully.

Thirteen-year-old Ernie Banks has lived in a Chicago orphanage ever since he was discovered on its doorstep at age three. His origins are a mystery; all he has of his former life is an old baseball card, a strange spiral mark on his heel and an unusual crystal blue acorn that he wears on a string around his neck. As for his current situation, he seems to have taken it upon himself to personally torment Mrs. McGinty, the matron of the Lakeside Home for Boys. As a result, he's been in some sort of trouble ever since he arrived. Mrs. McGinty has finally had enough and suggests handing him over to the Youth Authorities, but the director gives Ernie one more chance to prove himself. He boards a bus to spend three weeks at an Illinois farm.

The first person he meets in the small town of Circle, Illinois, is Joey, the zesty, horseback-riding, next-door-neighbor gal. She gives him a lift on her horse to the home of Russ Frazier, his host for the next three weeks. Joey also fills him in on some of the local news, like how Russ had a son who was kidnapped years earlier. The town calls him the Quilt Baby, because all the authorities could find was his quilt laying next to a puddle in the woods. Intrigued, Ernie convinces Joey to help him solve the mystery of the missing child. Unfortunately, Ernie starts getting into trouble all over again and this time drags Joey with him. But all the trouble is worth it; Ernie can hardly believe the amazing creatures he discovers living right below his feet.

Puddlejumpers are tiny, magical creatures that stand about 11 inches tall. They dwell below ground, living in harmony with the earth. Sometimes they come to the surface by way of puddles, but not very often. They have to be careful of their enemies, the nasty, evil Troggs, who hunt down and enslave Puddlejumpers. But times are hard, with very few free Puddlejumpers left, and the land is drying up with so little rain. They turn to their ancient prophecy promising help from the Rainmaker to save their lives.

PUDDLEJUMPERS is a magical story woven together by Mark Jean and Christopher C. Carlson. They have ignited their imaginations full force, creating a fast-paced tale with an intriguing plot, incredible creatures and memorable characters. Their colorful descriptions bring the story to life, spiced up even more with their bizarre sense of humor ("Even from a distance, Chop could see their bloodshot eyes, scaly faces with puss-filled warts, and coarse hair covering their misshapen bodies. They were so ugly that as he stared at them, his eyes started to burn...Troggs had ten-foot-long tails with a big hairy nostril at the tip, enabling them to smell Puddlejumpers from a great distance.").

Jean and Carlson have worked together before, but this is their first middle grade novel. Their quickly growing fan base will be impatiently demanding more collaborative efforts from this talented pair.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

Puddlejumpers is a first-rate fantasy adventure that is on a par with the Spiderwick and Harry Potter series. The plot centers around a kidnapping mystery that leads the two main characters, orphan Ernie and pal Joey, a feisty tomboy, into the secret, watery world of the Puddlejumpers. There are secret caverns, dangerous morphing Troggs, and the hidden world of the Most Dark. And then there are the Puddlejumpers themselves; 11 inch tall water beings that are a completely new "creature creation" in literature. I don't want to be a spoiler; let's just say that you will never look at a puddle the same way again. Both kids in my family loved the pace and the excitement of this book---and the Puddlejumpers!

Ernie Banks is the name of an orphan who has a strange circular birthmark on his foot and a crystal necklace shaped as an acorn. Ernie is known as a huge troublemaker in his orphanage. When he was told he couldn't attend a baseball game, he went anyway. The police found him, he was sent to Russ Frazier's farm. This was the last stop before going to the detention center for troubled youths.


Once there, Ernie finds out Russ had a son who was kidnapped when he was a baby. Russ's wife died giving birth, so he has no one left. Joey, a tomboy who helps Russ with his farm work, and Ernie decide to investigate. Ernie soon discovers his mysterious past and it has something to do with Russ's missing son.

My favorite part of this book was it was unpredictable. As soon as I was sure what was to happen next, the character surprised me by doing something different.

Thoroughly engaging from the first chapter...I could not put it down until finished. It captured my imagination as only reading a book can do. I would recommend to any age group above 10 years old....even us adults! It gives the ultimate hope in the end......home, at last...Hooty-hoooo!

Wow! When I first picked up the book, my interest was piqued but I wasn't sold. Even after the first few pages - I still wasn't sold but by the end of the first chapter I kept saying out loud - this is a really good book! It is well written, creative and original. I don't think I've read a book similar to this. Magical, touches the heart, and strong characters. It is just such an amazing story. I won't be surprised if they don't turn this book into a movie!

This was an engaging fantasy novel about a misunderstood boy who thinks he is lost, but then finds is true home and his true calling. This book also has an environmental angle because Ernie must save the world from the horrible Troggs that want to use up all the natural resourses. I hope there is a sequel!