Skip to main content

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea

By
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea
by Ellis Weiner, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes
Chronicle, 2012. 227 pgs. Fiction

     On the day John and Abigail Templeton were born their father, Professor Elton Templeton-- genius-but-scatterbrained inventor--has to cut short a confrontation with a failing student to attend his children's births. Twelve years later that student Dean D. Dean wreaks revenge when he and his evil twin Dan D. Dean kidnap the Templeton twins to force their father to sign over proprietary rights to his one-man helicopter invention (a work in progress). Ellis Weiner is an intrusive narrator, always barging in to instruct, but mostly to insult, the reader; sort of like Lemony Snicket only not so snarky and, dare I say it, funnier.  Questions for Review at the end of each chapter give the reader a chance to lavish compliments on the author and to answer ridiculous questions ("What is the difference between escaping and leaving?  Write your answer in the form of a poem.") Fortunately the Templeton Twins have lots of ideas, all of which are better than Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean's ideas and they are reunited with their father with the hope of even more escapades of inspired silliness in the (hopefully near) future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Library in the Woods

By
  The Library in the Woods Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, 2025. Picture Book. I am always intrigued by picture books that tell stories from the past in beautiful and meaningful ways, leaving the reader educated, and also hopeful and inspired. This book definitely did that for me! The cover is a beautiful peek into the story waiting on the pages. Junior and his family have lived on a farm that is having a hard time producing what it needs to for the family to survive economically. The parents make the hard decision to move away from the farm and into the city. Junior misses a lot of things about his life in the country. However, when Junior's friends tell him about a library in the woods, things change for him in the best way! He is amazed by the seemingly endless collection of books, and is eager to check some out for his family. Junior excitedly borrows a few books, including one about a farmer for his dad ...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Story Time: The Letter "F"

By
Preschool Time Frank and Bert By Chris Naylor-Ballesteros Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow, 2023. Picture Book. This laugh-out-loud picture book follows best friends Frank and Bert as they play hide-and-seek, but when Bert isn't so good at hiding (despite thinking he is), Frank must decide between winning or making Bert happy. --Editor Preschool Time All at Once Upon a Time Written by Mara Rockliff Illustrated by Gladys Jose New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. Fairy Tale land experiences a topsy-turvy transformation where classic stories become mixed up and makes Prince Charming climb a beanstalk, Cinderella kiss a frog, and Rapunzel's nose grow every time she tells a lie. --Editor Toddler Time Sometimes I Am Furious Written by Timothy Knapman Illustrated by Joe Berger New York: Penguin Workshop, 2023. Picture Book In rhyming text, a small girl admits she sometimes gets angry when she is frustrated, and her grandmother shows her how to cope. --Editor Book Babie...
Post a Comment
Read more