Skip to main content

Stuck in the Stone Age

Image
By
Stuck in the Stone Age
Written by Geoff Rodkey
Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Rodale Kids, 2018. Fiction, 268 p.

This book is presented by "The Story Pirates" who believe that children have the best ideas. They decided to have a contest for children to submit ideas that Rodkey would turn into a full-length story. Vince Boberski won the contest! An illustrated Pirate Captain and Vince Boberski  appear throughout the story referring to writing tips with page references that guide the reader to a writing handbook in the back. Kids everywhere are encouraged to use the tips and turn their own awesome ideas into stories to share with others.

The main story follows Tom Edison (not the inventor of the light bulb!) who loves science, as he tries to get a job at CEASE (the Center for Extremely Advanced Science Experiments). Not really gifted in the area of science at all, he is promised if he takes the job of janitor (which has been impossible to fill due to its dangerous nature) he will be able to become a scientist with time. He meets Dr. Marisa Morice, and together, in a strange turn of events, they end up in 10,000 B. C. in a time machine created by another scientist. After the time machine disappears, without them in it, they go on the the adventure of figuring out how they will get back to the present time alive!

A fun little adventure with great tips for kids who want to be writers. It inspires everyone that a simple idea can be turned into a story, it doesn't matter how old you are or how much experience you have.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

By Anonymous
There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Super Boba Cafe

By
Super Boba Café By Nidhi Chanani New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 215 pages. 14-year-old Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time with her Nainai. She loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Café. But she can't help but notice that her grandmother is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night without telling Aria where she goes. Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Café. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat, Bao, surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She knows this will help Nainai's shop, but she is apprehensive to get back on social media after a terrible cyberbullying experience she had back home. As the shop starts to get busier, Nainai is more and more anxious about her secret project. This prompts Aria to investigate with help from her Nainai's neighb...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Mixed-Up Owl

By
The Mixed-Up Owl  Written by Marzena Sowa Illustrated by Joanna Lorno New York : Hippo Park, 2025. Picture Book. When Owl can't sleep at night, he heads off to see if any forest animals can help him understand why, and even more so, how to fix it!  Unfortunately, all the animals Owl runs into at night are asleep and all the animals he meets during the day are too rude or too busy to answer him.  Will Owl give up or will a chance meeting with a grumpy hedgehog provide all the solutions Owl was looking for? The premise of an owl trying to stay awake during the day because all the other animals around him do is very fun. Kids who know that owls are nocturnal will get a kick out of Owl's confusion and be quick to try to tell him what's going on.  Readers who don't know many facts about owls (or nocturnal animals in general) will get a brief introduction to the different ways animals sleep. The illustrations are charming, especially cute Owl and his expressive body langua...
Post a Comment
Read more