Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (A Pals in Peril Tale) Book

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

If you are a fan of M. T. Anderson, you've got to read JASPER DASH AND THE FLAME-PITS OF DELAWARE. Mr. Anderson writes such gripping historical fiction such as the OCTAVIAN NOTHING titles, unforgettable young adult fiction in FEED, and now, another PALS IN PERIL TALE - entertaining, exciting, and yet thought-provoking material for our younger readers. There is a sense of authorial glee in this book that's almost palpable.

Jasper Dash is once again off to solve a dastardly mystery. This time it's the Stare-Eyes team from Delaware that has tricks that neither Jasper nor his teammates can beat. One by one, they are left beaten and slack-jawed. Shaken, Jasper meets his opponent. Just as he thinks he may have him beat, a voice from his past calls out for help. Before the day is out, Jasper and his friends are in route to Delaware aboard their Gyroscopic Sky Suite.

Let me warn you. When you enter this world...when you enter the mind of the author, nothing will be as expected. Bugs crawl across pages. Spoons stick out of buildings, and indeed, even provide transport. Mountains appear out of nowhere, flying dinosaurs hovering nearby. You'll meet characters without vowels; no one is as they seem. Except, of course, our amazing, dashing young hero, Jasper Dash: Boy Technonaut, and his friends, Lily and Katie.

The narrator tells his story in an off-handish, by-the-way, and did-I-remember-to-tell-you style. His amusing footnotes provide additional entertainment for the advanced reader. That reader who can totally see himself fighting the tentacled monster right alongside Jasper. That reader who fancies himself as the monk, crouched in the closet with the hungry tiger, looking for a board game to help him escape. Only a reader with vision, imagination, and a hunger for adventure will venture into this wacky, fun, yet dangerous world. And yes, I think so, I believe it to be true...that reader is you!

For moms and dads out there who like to read what their child is reading, there's humor here for you, as well. Innuendos that will quite go over the head of most children. JASPER DASH AND THE FLAME-PITS OF DELAWARE reminds me of other iconic reads, such as ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll, and perhaps even more so, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer. This book is loads of fun, a regular romp in the world of make-believe. Every child's fantasy.

Take a load off from the stress of school, pull out your flashlight, burrow in under your tent of sheets and blankets and take a trip into the extraordinary. Into the Flame-Pits of Delaware. You'll be glad you did.