Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Kevin's Point of View by Del Shannon

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Flatiron View Books (October 26, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615401236 ISBN-13: 978-0615401232
Buy the book:Amazon
Visit the site: http://kevinspointofview.com/

Kevin Tobin is a relatively ordinary 12-year-old dealing with the aftermath of his father's death in a mountain biking accident near their home in Boulder, Colorado. To escape from his emotional turmoil, Kevin has developed his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes his sister through his superhero antics on an average Wednesday morning, his ability to escape inside a character's head become critical to his survival after his life is once-again turned upside down a year after his father's death. A mysterious package arrives in the mail, Kevin and his best friend are hunted down by a ruthless villain set upon world domination, and after enlisting Kevin's teenage sister and her pizza-delivery boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the secret of Kevin's whole existence is revealed to him by a source we never expected. Del Shannon's imaginative story, appreciation for the powers of family and the desire of young boys to both escape reality and prove themselves within it, and fast-paced, adventure-filled storytelling style make this a book with wide appeal for readers of all ages.

CHECKOUT MY GIVEAWAY OF THIS BOOK! TWO AWESOME COPIES DEL SHANNON SENT US! SIGN UP HERE! 

 

My Review

I would like to start with a big thank you to Mr. Del Shannon for sending me Kevin's Point of View and for writing such an awesome book.

This was actually sent to my little brother, Andrew, for a review but after reading the synopsis I was immediately interested. Knowing I had to act fast before he found out I had stolen it, I started reading it immediately. Luckily, Andrew isn't very observing so I wasn't so hard keeping the fact from him. Anyway, after starting the book I quickly found it to be a hugely enjoyable read. Filled with humor, action, and boyish tomfoolery, I was naturally entertained. I flew through the pages and, before I knew it, was three hundred pages in. Mr. Shannon really has a talent for catching a young boy's attention. Now, I'm probably a little above the age group for this book, but it was still an entertaining book for me.

The leading character, Kevin Toben, is a pretty average twelve-year-old boy. His primary concerns in life are cartoons, school, and his best friend, Tony. Well, Kevin has this mental thing where he thinks he's someone else. Okay, that might be a little bit short of an explanation. A year before the events taking place in the book, Kevin's father dies in a bike accident. Ever since, Kevin has used his imagination to, I guess you could say, get away from all of the bad stuff he's going through. He'll imagine himself as a super hero, athlete, etc. and pretend he's somewhere else doing other, awesomer things. Now, from my standpoint, this isn't such a bad idea. Kevin's imagination often got him into trouble, but he was a happier person when he is imagining himself as Captain Disaster, or some other guy who really knows what to do in just about any situation. Throughout the book, Kevin will change in his own mind, and suddenly know exactly how to get the job done. And it's pretty cool to read about.

Now even the greatest of books has a least a few bad things amongst the good. Even epics like Lord of the Rings is not perfect. You can't tell me it wouldn't be a better book without Tom Bombadil. But, I digress. Kevin's Point of View only had a few things that I didn't like. Character development for one thing. This book mainly revolves around one day, and it's hard to get to know and love characters in such little time. Don't get me wrong, the good guys were good, the bad guys, bad, but I just feel like there could have been a little more explaining or dialog to get to know the characters. I'm not saying it was bad, just not the best.

This book is definitely a boy's book. I doubt many girls would enjoy it, but in a way, that makes it all the better for boys who are interested. Kevin is twelve and I would say very relatable to most boys around his age. It's a very good book for said boys and I think many would really enjoy it. I know I did.



Hey to all you people who read for fun.

YOU ARE COOL.

A note to the parents -

This was a pretty clean book, with the only profanity being "Oh God", Oh my God", etc.

For full details of the book, read on Parental Book Reviews.com