Book Review: Scumble by Ingrid Law

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Scumble by Ingrid Law
Publisher: Dial
Publication date: August 2010
ISBN: 9780803733077
Source: Library

Ledge is hoping that on his thirteenth birthday, he'll get a savvy that will make him the fastest runner in the world.  But, when he ends up destroying things instead, he is sorely disappointed.  And his dad must be too, since he was always hoping for a fast son.  When he and his sister are left behind at the ranch to try to scumble or learn to control his savvy, things go from bad to worse as Sarah Jane is desperately trying to discover the reasons behind his weird family.  Can he keep their secret, and his temper, before he destroys everything he holds dear?

Things I Liked:
This was another fun and romping adventure with another savvy family.  I simply love the style and humor that Law writes these books with.  They have such a unique voice, as you'll see from the excerpt below.  The characters are lovable and you feel their frustration and excitement during each episode of the story.  A hilarious and unique family story filled with old-fashioned good fun.

"I'd known for years that something in my blood and guts and brains and bones was poised to turn me tall-tale, gollywhopper weird." p 2

"The place looked Wyoming wild, but now it was crazily patterned and molded; like somehow Grandpa had mixed up the carved swards and jutting stones of Machu Pichu in South America with the curved, thickly sliced, stair-stepping terraces of the rice paddies in China, then colored it in sage green, sandstone red, and straw bale gold." p 31

Things I Didn't Like:
I admit it didn't quite have the charm of Savvy.  I found it quite a bit more predictable too, though I'm sure that's my adult sensibilities coming into play.  This will be a hit with fantasy and humor-with-adventure-loving kids.

Read-alikes:
Read Savvy by Ingrid Law first (though it stands pretty well alone)
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
some minor incidents, nothing too scary

Overall rating: ****

What kind of savvy would you want to have?

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