Have I got a treat for you! Not only do I have a review of a great superhero book, but I also have videos of the author, John David Anderson, reading aloud from it!
MINION
By John David Anderson
288 pages – ages 9+
Published by Walden Pond Press on June 24, 2014
My Summary – New Liberty. The city that nobody’s ever heard of. The town with two rival crime bosses (Tony Romano and Mickey “Six Fingers” Maloney). The town with no Super. The town that Michael Marion Magdalene Morn lives in, with his adoptive father, Professor Benjamin Edson. They make electronic boxes with unique powers, and sell them to the highest buyer. They do small crimes, only stealing what they need. It may help that Michael has a hypnotizing “gift”. Surprisingly, the town’s crime rate isn’t out of hand (a few banks robbed, a couple of houses broken into, etc.). That is, until a supervillain calling himself The Dictator shows up, with henchmen in bullet-proof outfits and silver masks. And, as most things happen, when a supervillain comes, a superhero soon follows. The Comet. A bullet-proof, super-strength, flying superhero who leaves a blue streak in the air when he blasts off. The Comet may ruin everything that Michael and his dad have built (literally and figuratively). And it doesn’t help that The Dictator has taken an interest in the Edson family…
THIS IS AN AWESOME STORY!!! Mr. Anderson is an awesome author of superhero stories! At first, reading the summary for Minion, and seeing that it is a companion to Mr. Anderson’s book, Sidekicked, I thought the superhero would be The Sensationalist (Sidekicked’s Main Character), but I was pleasantly surprised to see a new superhero. Michael Morn is a great character. I like how this book isn’t about good or evil. It’s about doing what you believe in. It’s about being true to yourself. Michael and his dad aren’t bad, but they aren’t completely good either. They’re… neutral-ish. Mr. Anderson handles these subjects very well. New Liberty is actually nice. The crime bosses aren’t tyrants to the people – in fact, I think that most people don’t really know that they exist (except from what they read in newspapers). They’re just rivals to each other. This is an extremely well-written story, especially for us Middle Graders. I really like the world Mr. Anderson has created. The book is pretty much everything I want in a story. I can’t wait until his next book comes out!
I give this book 5 out of 5 bookworms!
Now, onto the fun stuff!
I asked Mr. Anderson if he’d read an excerpt from Minon for my wonderful blog readers as part of the blog tour! He agreed to do it! 🙂 Plus he sent a hysterical version of it in which he has a “chipmunk voice.” 🙂
Check them out!
Normal Voice:
Chipmunk voice. (Mr. Anderson wanted me to share this too, for “people with not a lot of time on their hands” 😉 )
Who is this John David Anderson?!?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, IN HIS OWN WORDS:
John David Anderson writes novels for young people and then, occasionally, gets them published. Besides Minion, he is the author of Sidekicked, and Standard Hero Behavior. He lives with his patient wife and brilliant twins in Indianapolis, Indiana, right next to a State park and a Walmart. He enjoys hiking, reading, chocolate, spending time with his family, playing the piano, chocolate, making board games, chocolate, not putting away his laundry, watching movies, and chocolate. Those aren’t his real teeth.
To find out more: www.johndavidanderson.org
Check out the book’s trailer too!
Follow Walden Pond Press on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
Check out the other stops in the blog tour!
June 23 Maria’s Melange
June 24 The Library Fanatic
June 25 The Next Best Book
June 26 Jean Book Nerd
June 27 Book Egg
June 28 Word Spelunking Book Blog
June 30 Ms. Yingling Reads
July 1 The Book Monsters
July 2 The Book Monsters
July 3 Read Now, Sleep Later
July 6 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
July 7 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
July 8 Candace’s Book Blog
July 9 Middle Grade Mafioso
July10 Librarian’s Quest
July 11 Unleashing Readers
July 12 Trisha Perry
July 14 This Kid Reviews Books
July 16 Charlotte’s Library
July 17 Literacy Toolbox
Go to Mr. Anderson’s website HERE!
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Categories: Age 9+
That sounds a whole bag of fun Erik. It’s so cool to see readings and the trailer too. Thanks!
It is an awesome book, Ms. Johnson! 😀
Paw-some! Love the videos.. we know someone who will love this book. :0)
I think she’ll love it! 😉
OMG! Robbing and Loitering! He is obviously a good guy. Looks great.
Ha! Michael and his dad “get by”. The hypnotizing “gift” helps. 😉
Sometimes being a superhero isn’t about the bold lines set between black and white, good or bad, but rather the human ability to exist in the gray of in-between. This books sounds like it does a good job of showing the importance of doing what’s right.
You are so right! I didn’t realize that! 😀
Bwahahaha! Chipmunk voice!
Minion sounds like a lot of fun. Loved the part about robbing banks and robbing people and robbing people standing outside of banks. Great humor.
That line in the book is hilarious, but it’s only one of the lines! You should hear some of the others! 😉
Ah, you do love your superheroes, Erik. Congrats to Mr. Anderson. He has obviously won over his target audience. 🙂
Mr. Anderson has a great writing style, and he is a great superhero-writer! 😀
This one sounds amazing. Mr. Anderson is a great writer.
He is great at writing superhero novels! 🙂
Fun review, SuperKid! Glad to see you are not “neutralish” about the book. I love that Mr. Anderson read an excerpt from his book! Great stuff!
Mr. Anderson is a great guy! 😀
Sounds like the types of petty crimes my son could get into. 😀 It looks like David Anderson is into Edgar Allen Poe, too. Who knows what he’ll write next!!?
Love the chipmunk voice. 😀
If I had the Star Wars Force, I may be tempted to go to the Dark Side… 😉 Mr. Anderson writes awesome books! 😀
I love the double-time video reading. That was super nice of the author to read for us. How cool. The book seems awesome. Might like to give this one a try.
I think you would like it! 😀
Thanks, Erik. Loved the authorly reading, both serious and with a touch of chipmunk. It gives potential readers more insight into the book and its creator, and it’s a simple-yet-powerful way to enhance your reviews.
Thank you Ms. Michaels! 🙂 Mr. Anderson is a great guy. 🙂
This Mr Anderson is hilarious! I am rolling on the floor!! Arf! I know some superhero fans who would really like these books! Thanks Erik!
This is a great book, Rhythm! 🙂
I think I’ve seen this title in our library quite recently. Looks very promising.
You would like it. Does it fit in with your theme? 🙂
I enjoyed his readings. The second one I think is sped up to as fast as you read, Erik. 🙂
Why, NO… Not at all… 😉 Well, if anything, Mr. Anderson is awesome! 😀