This review is gonna be a little different. I got some input from my son, who read Priscilla the Great, as well as the sequel. He was mighty chuffed to help me with this. His comments are in blue.
STORYLINE: Priscilla, a feisty twelve-year-old, finds out she has the ability to shoot fire out of her fingers. She also discovers that she inherited her powers from her mother, who’s on her own quest to stop an evil scientist from carrying out his plans to use genetically enhanced children to do his dirty-work. Priscilla must eventually rescue her friends, family and the mutant children from the evil Dr. Selliwood
PLAYERS:
Priscilla – a colorful, funny and endearing character, who takes creative thinking to another level.
Tai – Priscilla’s best friend, who happens to be a genius. Every girl needs a best friend and though they’re chalk and cheese, these two are the perfect fit for each other.
An assortment of lively characters – including Priss’ twin brothers, ‘who could scare the sin off of satan.’, an overprotective father, an older brother who’s really into Christina Aguilera and Priss' mom, who guides her twelve-year-old through shaky ground as she learns to control her firepower and other strengths.
I LIKED: the humor and funny scenes sprinkled throughout the story. Any book that can make me laugh will get a favourable review. Priss’ brand of humor was age appropriate and uniquely hers. The book was a quick, action-packed read, and though it is meant for middle grade kids, I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.
I asked my son what he liked about the book. In typical boy fashion, he said, ‘people got kidnapped, things got blown up and guards were thrown aside like toothpicks. Oh and I also liked the devil twins and that angelic Tai.' (I kid you not, these are his words).
I wasn’t sure he’d actually read the book, but was convinced when he challenged me to quiz him on it. Amazing, the depth of details kids remember when it suits them. I had to stop him from telling me EVERYTHING that happened in the book by reminding him that I'd just read it.
I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: might be redundant this trip. I asked him if there was anything he didn’t like about the book and he grinned and said ‘nope’. For an adult, Priss’ capers would be beyond incredible, so I buried my jaded adult persona and read like my ten-year-old. I was soon swept along by Priss jetting here and there doing her super-girl thing. There was some violence, but it wasn't graphic.
OVERALL COMMENTS: If you want to encourage your children to read, this is a fun series to start them with. The characters are hugely entertaining and each is easily identifiable by their own brand of quirkiness. I’m chuckling just thinking about the chapter with the twins snot wars. I’m now into book two, thanks to the cliff-hanger at the end of book one.
SOURCE: I bought Priscilla the Great through the Amazon Kindle store.
RATING: I listed the ratings and asked my son to tell me which one he’d give the book. He said Priscilla the Great was Out-of-this-World-Awesome.
Stay tuned for our joint review of book two – The Kiss of Life.
