A Whole Nother Story by Cuthbert Soup

How I Heard About It:  I've actually had this book on my classroom shelf for quite some time.  It always intrigued me, but I never read it.  When I was getting audio books to start my commute back to work this fall, I saw this on the shelf and decided to finally give it a try.  

What It Is About:  This is hard for me because I'm not exactly sure?  I'm not sure if it was the narration or the plot, but I could not focus and follow this story.  Nathan Cheeseman is an inventor and has invented a time machine.  There are several people and organizations that want this time machine.  Because of this he and his three children must outrun them and are always changing locations and their names.  They have a strange dog and a "sock puppet" that accompany them.  The story follows them in their wacky adventure going from place to place, meeting new people in new towns, and staying one step ahead of the "bad guys".  The children would like to settle down, make friends, and live a normal life; but this is quite hard to do when their father and his time machine are wanted not only by the government, but others as well.  

What I Thought Of It:  As I mentioned above, for some reason I had a hard time following the story line.  It could be because it didn't interest me.  It could be because it was so silly and outlandish that I couldn't relate.  It could be because my mind was on the start up of the school year and I wasn't focusing as much as I needed to.  As I got toward the end of the audio, I actually would "skip" some tracks just so I could finish.  The premise of the story sounded great to me, but the names of characters and plot developments just didn't do it for me.  I know I'm in the minority because I've looked at other reviews and ratings and they are quite high.  As a reader, it always amazes me how the same book can be a 5-star story for one reader and a 3-star rating for another.  Shows you how personal the reading experience can be.  

Who Should Read It:  The novel is targeted toward readers in grades 3-6.  Because of the length and the story-line, I would say it is best suited for students in grades five and six.  I know there are young readers out there that will completely love the adventure, the silliness, and the "sock puppet"; falling in love with not only this first book in the series, but the others as well.  

Rating:  3 STARS out of 5 Stars