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The Adventures of Dod #1
The Adventures of Dod, Book 1
Years ago, a father went missing. Recently, a grandfather died. Now, fourteen-year-old Cole finds himself inexplicably transported to the world of Green, a place where he must use his special ablilities and unique friendships to solve mysteries and, ultimately, try to stop an evil villain named The Dread.
This is the first in a seven book series wherein Cole races to save millions of people, and eventually, all of us, too! Who can Cole trust? Loyal friendships will be pushed to their limits and bitter betrayals will abound. Can Cole discover the secrets in time? Read this fun-filled, riveting series and find out!
This is the first in a seven book series wherein Cole races to save millions of people, and eventually, all of us, too! Who can Cole trust? Loyal friendships will be pushed to their limits and bitter betrayals will abound. Can Cole discover the secrets in time? Read this fun-filled, riveting series and find out!
507 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 29, 2011
18 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 4, 2012
The Adventures of Dod, by author Thomas R. Williams is simply put, the worst book I've ever read in my whole entire freaking life. Well, I guess I can't say that. I actually couldn't finish reading it.
If you're at all familiar with the Harry Potter series there's something just for you in this book, like the confused young hero thrust into a magical world he's unfamiliar with, Dod (Harry Potter). Or the brainy and organized girl who keeps the rascally boys in line, Dilly (Hermione). Or the lovable doofussy twins that just want to have a good ol' time, Boot and Buck (Fred and George). And of course the ever-wise school headmaster that knows more than he lets on, Bonboo (Dumbledore). Yes, this story even has a mysterious villain that killed Dod's grandpa but seems to have disappeared, The Dread (Voldemort). This book rips off the Harry Potter series so badly that I kept waiting for the author to invent a school-yard game that involved the students trying to capture something called the "Golden Swat". Oh wait, he did.
I was reading this book to my 5th grade students and we couldn't finish it before the school year ended, so I invented my own ending. I had Dod find a magical red button and push it. It blew up the entire world killing everyone. My students all cheered. True story.
I will pay you to not read this book.
If you're at all familiar with the Harry Potter series there's something just for you in this book, like the confused young hero thrust into a magical world he's unfamiliar with, Dod (Harry Potter). Or the brainy and organized girl who keeps the rascally boys in line, Dilly (Hermione). Or the lovable doofussy twins that just want to have a good ol' time, Boot and Buck (Fred and George). And of course the ever-wise school headmaster that knows more than he lets on, Bonboo (Dumbledore). Yes, this story even has a mysterious villain that killed Dod's grandpa but seems to have disappeared, The Dread (Voldemort). This book rips off the Harry Potter series so badly that I kept waiting for the author to invent a school-yard game that involved the students trying to capture something called the "Golden Swat". Oh wait, he did.
I was reading this book to my 5th grade students and we couldn't finish it before the school year ended, so I invented my own ending. I had Dod find a magical red button and push it. It blew up the entire world killing everyone. My students all cheered. True story.
I will pay you to not read this book.
October 19, 2011
I enjoyed this book. Those who felt a loss at the end of the Potter series should give this a try. It is in the same vein as the Harry Potter books; action, adventure, suspense, and a "magical" element. Yes, it did have a lot of strange character names and new "vocabulary", but when we first read Harry Potter "quidditch", "Dumbledore", and "muggle" were fairly absurd words too! I let my son read this book (he is an avid reader and despite the length, he burned right through it in only a couple days and really loved it) and my daughter is currently reading it. She will occasionally need help with figuring out a word or name during her reading but is keeping up just fine. Also, as a side note, we found a web page for this book and it actually has an audio pronunciation guide which we found kind of neat. This book does have some strong has action, but nothing too violent. I didn't find any offensive language which was refreshing. The book has elements that I'm assuming will be addressed in Book Two. My son and I are looking forward to getting the second book when it comes out. My daughter's goal is to have finished the book in time for the release of Book Two.I would say it's most appropriate for children aged nine and up, however if you have a slightly younger avid reader they would do fine.
October 10, 2011
My 4th-grader got this book from school. We've taken turns reading it. My 15-year-old son loved it! My 12-year-old daughter thought it was pretty cool. My 10-year-old is still reading it with his class. I loved it! I liked that I had to use my brain to connect the clues. I like mystery and adventure, and this book had both.
After reading half the book, I re-read the first few pages of chapter one and it clicked!--brilliant!--Even the picture was a symbolic clue of sorts: The boy struck out at baseball and his grandfather struck out with The Dread because his medallion was taken off.
I appreciated that the book didn't have any swear words or gore, and it brought up moral issues in a positive light. I hope my boys will treat women with respect as Dod did in the book.
My kids and I are still finding clues as we talk about the book together. I'm sure we'll enjoy the series.
After reading half the book, I re-read the first few pages of chapter one and it clicked!--brilliant!--Even the picture was a symbolic clue of sorts: The boy struck out at baseball and his grandfather struck out with The Dread because his medallion was taken off.
I appreciated that the book didn't have any swear words or gore, and it brought up moral issues in a positive light. I hope my boys will treat women with respect as Dod did in the book.
My kids and I are still finding clues as we talk about the book together. I'm sure we'll enjoy the series.
December 15, 2011
This book was given to all of the 4th-6th graders at my children's school.
The basic plot of the book is really creative and interesting, but I found myself confused and not sure what was going on most of the time. The characters weren't very well developed and I really didn't connect to any of them in any way at all. Some very important characters were only mentioned in passing early in the book, but then were very important at the end.
I'm going to try to read it again and see if maybe I just wasn't paying attention to some parts of the book, or got distracted at some point. I really hate to give any book a lukewarm review.
Okay, I read this book a second time and I have to say it was better. I caught all the clues that I missed during my uninterested, distracted read the first time. The story made better sense and I actually understood what was happening this time.
But I do still have some of the same problems with the book as I did before. There are so many characters that it was hard to keep track of them and remember who they are and how they relate to the other characters. A glossary of characters would have helped a lot!
But my main issue is that I really don't care about Dod. He is interesting, but I don't feel like his character was developed enough for me to care what happens to him. The story doesn't give me any reason to be emotionally invested in the characters.
The basic plot of the book is really creative and interesting, but I found myself confused and not sure what was going on most of the time. The characters weren't very well developed and I really didn't connect to any of them in any way at all. Some very important characters were only mentioned in passing early in the book, but then were very important at the end.
I'm going to try to read it again and see if maybe I just wasn't paying attention to some parts of the book, or got distracted at some point. I really hate to give any book a lukewarm review.
Okay, I read this book a second time and I have to say it was better. I caught all the clues that I missed during my uninterested, distracted read the first time. The story made better sense and I actually understood what was happening this time.
But I do still have some of the same problems with the book as I did before. There are so many characters that it was hard to keep track of them and remember who they are and how they relate to the other characters. A glossary of characters would have helped a lot!
But my main issue is that I really don't care about Dod. He is interesting, but I don't feel like his character was developed enough for me to care what happens to him. The story doesn't give me any reason to be emotionally invested in the characters.
October 19, 2011
I enjoyed this book. Those who felt a loss at the end of the Potter series should give this a try. It is in the same vein as the Harry Potter books; action, adventure, suspense, and a "magical" element. Yes, it did have a lot of strange character names and new "vocabulary", but when we first read Harry Potter "quidditch", "Dumbledore", and "muggle" were fairly absurd words too! I let my son read this book (he is an avid reader and despite the length, he burned right through it in only a couple days and really loved it) and my daughter is currently reading it. She will occasionally need help with figuring out a word or name during her reading but is keeping up just fine. Also, as a side note, we found a web page for this book and it actually has an audio pronunciation guide which we found kind of neat. This book does have some strong has action, but nothing too violent. I didn't find any offensive language which was refreshing. The book has elements that I'm assuming will be addressed in Book Two. My son and I are looking forward to getting the second book when it comes out. My daughter's goal is to have finished the book in time for the release of Book Two.I would say it's most appropriate for children aged nine and up, however if you have a slightly younger avid reader they would do fine.
November 7, 2011
There's a reason why they gave every kid in my little brother's 5th Grade class this book for free...
It has been said not to judge a book by it's cover but...a cover should be an ideal representation of the book.
Sadly, for this book, a photo-shopped badly taken picture of a 21 year old wearing clothes from the 90's, while standing in front of a cliche castle-at-twilight backdrop is an exact representation of this book's contents.
The Plus side? There's one more thing to make fun of in the world...
It has been said not to judge a book by it's cover but...a cover should be an ideal representation of the book.
Sadly, for this book, a photo-shopped badly taken picture of a 21 year old wearing clothes from the 90's, while standing in front of a cliche castle-at-twilight backdrop is an exact representation of this book's contents.
The Plus side? There's one more thing to make fun of in the world...
October 18, 2011
I really liked this book! I read it wih my classmates at school and we all thought it was super awsome and can't wait until the next book comes out. I really liked the characters Boot,Buck,Dungo,Bowlure,and Dod.But my favorite is Boot because he is a joker most of the time but he is a good leader and is nice to all his friends.
October 18, 2011
This book is AWSOME! I loved the characters and the way they react together. It seems as though i'm really watching the people talk to each other. One thing I like about the book is that everyone has a true reason for what they do. Other books just dont have that. Im totally hooked on the searies!
October 11, 2011
I like this book. It was really good.
October 14, 2011
I loved it!!!
November 23, 2011
It was interesting and the story immediately caught my attention in the first chapter and kept me itching my fingers for more pages to turn.
January 4, 2012
This book is very long and very hard to follow. I even wonder if the good reviews come from the publisher. It is one of the most boring books I have read.
October 23, 2017
I liked this book a lot and think it is fun. I like the beginning where Dod is suddenly on a rope climbing up a cliff and how Bowlure is really nice to Dod when everyone else gets mad at him. Something cool that happens is he flips a carriage that his friend and his mentor are in pretty much right after recovering from an injury! The book even has a bit of a Harry Potter feel to it too, Unknowing kid gets shoved into a magical world, a kind old person helps him get used to it, he has someone that keeps him in line and another friend that encourages him to jump across. Even though it is similar to Harry Potter it has a different feel to it, and it is a really great book. I would recommend this book to people that like the Harry Potter series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2011
This book is the first of seven?! Don't waste your time! I admire the authors desire to write a big fantasy book like this, but seriously? He either needs some advice or serious revision. It seems like commas are overused and in the wrong places, scene and chapter transitions are odd and sometimes unnecessary, too many random exclamation points, the names and made up words started getting on my nerves. The only reason I finished the whole book was to be able to critique it more fully, actually. Some things make sense, but many of their mini adventures within adventures simply drop and are never fulfilled, let alone mentioned again. (what of searching for possible locations the dread could have struck? It suddenly fell forgotten). Many of the things they do seem odd and serve no purpose to the plot of the story.
Also I found many things similar to J K Rowling's Harry Potter. 1. There are going to be seven books. 2. Cole/Dod suddenly finds this secret world he never knew about before (could arguably be related to the world of magic in Harry Potter) 3. Dod, Boot, Dilly. Two boys and a girl were the main characters. (Buck and Sawny seemed like third and fourth wheels and were just overkill.) 4. They have one main sport that is between the groups of coosings: Bollirse. (much like houses in Hogwarts and the game Quidditch.) 5. Bonboo could be somewhat of a headmaster. They have teachers/professors. Granted, Hogwarts doesn't have horses or sword fighting, but it is a very large castle with spacious grounds, secret passages, a lake, and various outbuildings. Much like Twistyard.
All of this, rather than making an intriguing story almost as good as Harry Potter, made it seem unoriginal and boring.
This book was very confusing. In many books, when there is somewhat of mystery involved, the reader often finds the answer long before the character does. But no, this book has both the characters and readers confused the whole time. Still, at the end when the culprit is caught and sentenced and everything is hunky-dory again, there are many loose ends not tied up. I suppose that's what the next books are for?
And it ended very suddenly, obviously with Dod making it back to earth, but how? There is no explanation or aha moment of realization. He simply is there. It makes no sense.
The second is out, but I'm not going to read it. I just feel like he could have put a little more thought into it before putting it on the market. It also seems self published? The characters act and speak in ways normal people wouldn't. All in all very odd, I'm not sure it will do that well. Never as popular as Fablehaven or Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, that's for sure.
Also I found many things similar to J K Rowling's Harry Potter. 1. There are going to be seven books. 2. Cole/Dod suddenly finds this secret world he never knew about before (could arguably be related to the world of magic in Harry Potter) 3. Dod, Boot, Dilly. Two boys and a girl were the main characters. (Buck and Sawny seemed like third and fourth wheels and were just overkill.) 4. They have one main sport that is between the groups of coosings: Bollirse. (much like houses in Hogwarts and the game Quidditch.) 5. Bonboo could be somewhat of a headmaster. They have teachers/professors. Granted, Hogwarts doesn't have horses or sword fighting, but it is a very large castle with spacious grounds, secret passages, a lake, and various outbuildings. Much like Twistyard.
All of this, rather than making an intriguing story almost as good as Harry Potter, made it seem unoriginal and boring.
This book was very confusing. In many books, when there is somewhat of mystery involved, the reader often finds the answer long before the character does. But no, this book has both the characters and readers confused the whole time. Still, at the end when the culprit is caught and sentenced and everything is hunky-dory again, there are many loose ends not tied up. I suppose that's what the next books are for?
And it ended very suddenly, obviously with Dod making it back to earth, but how? There is no explanation or aha moment of realization. He simply is there. It makes no sense.
The second is out, but I'm not going to read it. I just feel like he could have put a little more thought into it before putting it on the market. It also seems self published? The characters act and speak in ways normal people wouldn't. All in all very odd, I'm not sure it will do that well. Never as popular as Fablehaven or Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, that's for sure.
May 15, 2013
My family LOVES this series! Book 1 does have a lot of info to take in. There are some details that may seem at first to be unimportant, but become more important as the book (& especially the series)moves forward. I imagine that it must be tuff creating a foundation for a deep plotted series in the first book ---without being completely obvious. Book 1 is great. Book 2 is even better--- you come to know and love the characters SO much more, and develop/deepen your theories about the plot in a fulfilling way. Book 3 is EXCELLENT! I don't know if I can even talk about book 3 right now without throwing in spoilers about exciting twists. (It came out recently, & we just finished reading it.)I finished determined to leave reviews for these books. BOOK 3 makes it SO worth reading book 1 & 2. This series is definitely not for readers that enjoy a simple plot that is resolved quickly & predictably in 1 book. This series is complicated and gets deeper and more clear (as you create theories about the characters and plot) as well as raise more questions to be answered in the books that follow. ISN'T that the fun of reading a series?!? I have been impressed to see all the things that my kids have picked up on --- details about the characters and where the plot is headed. HOWEVER, there are certainly a lot of twists in the plot that keeps everyone on their toes. It is a fun read. Be persistent with book 1. ASK questions as you go --- if you aren't wondering & questioning characters and details you are MISSING ALL THE FUN, as some readers obviously have. Your effort put into book 1 is quickly repaid with book 2 and repaid many fold with book 3. READ THEM!
February 19, 2016
I enjoyed this book. Those who felt a loss at the end of the Potter series should give this a try. It is in the same vein as the Harry Potter books; action, adventure, suspense, and a "magical" element. Yes, it did have a lot of strange character names and new "vocabulary", but when we first read Harry Potter "quidditch", "Dumbledore", and "muggle" were fairly absurd words too! I let my son read this book (he is an avid reader and despite the length, he burned right through it in only a couple days and really loved it) and my daughter is currently reading it. She will occasionally need help with figuring out a word or name during her reading but is keeping up just fine. Also, as a side note, we found a web page for this book and it actually has an audio pronunciation guide which we found kind of neat. This book does have some strong has action, but nothing too violent. I didn't find any offensive language which was refreshing. The book has elements that I'm assuming will be addressed in Book Two. My son and I are looking forward to getting the second book when it comes out. My daughter's goal is to have finished the book in time for the release of Book Two.I would say it's most appropriate for children aged nine and up, however if you have a slightly younger avid reader they would
May 31, 2017
The Adventures of Dod book one is personally a good read if you liked the Harry Potter series, because there are quite a few similar styles. I personally really enjoyed the way the author used the medallion in conjunction with the character's Mysterious family members.
The plot is very imaginative, because the character swaps between two worlds with a medallion that stops time on the world he's not on, but it only works while he's wearing it, and if he loses the medallion, he can't return to the other world. This unique plot style makes a very interesting story when coupled with the characters and the antagonist.
The characters are great in this book with the way they tie into the plot because the main character Cole/Dod's grandpa and father were both very famous figures in Green, the world that Cole/Dod goes to with the medallion, and nobody knows how they were defeated, which leaves Cole/Dod with the curiosity of what they did and who they were in Green, while a mysterious villain named The Dread is hunting Cole/Dod, because The Dread hates his grandfather for unknown reasons.
I completely recommend The Adventures of Dod, because in my opinion, it's a very good read for anyone of any age, and has a lot of discoveries and plot twists for the reader to discover when enjoying this book.
The plot is very imaginative, because the character swaps between two worlds with a medallion that stops time on the world he's not on, but it only works while he's wearing it, and if he loses the medallion, he can't return to the other world. This unique plot style makes a very interesting story when coupled with the characters and the antagonist.
The characters are great in this book with the way they tie into the plot because the main character Cole/Dod's grandpa and father were both very famous figures in Green, the world that Cole/Dod goes to with the medallion, and nobody knows how they were defeated, which leaves Cole/Dod with the curiosity of what they did and who they were in Green, while a mysterious villain named The Dread is hunting Cole/Dod, because The Dread hates his grandfather for unknown reasons.
I completely recommend The Adventures of Dod, because in my opinion, it's a very good read for anyone of any age, and has a lot of discoveries and plot twists for the reader to discover when enjoying this book.
January 28, 2012
This is a great book! My 4th grader got this book from school and our family has taken turns reading it. My 15-year-old son loved it, my 12-year-old daughter thought it was pretty cool, and my 10-year-old son is still reading it with his class and loving it. I loved this book! I liked that I had to exercise my brain to follow the clues throughout the book. It has a really deep plot. After reading half of the book I went back and re-read the first few pages of the first chapter and it clicked!--Brilliant!--Even the picture seemed to fit together as a clue. The boy struck out at baseball and his grandfather struck out with The Dread because his medallion was taken off. I appreciated that there weren't any swear words, there wasn't any gore, and moral issues were brought up in a good light. I would like my sons to respect women the way that Dod does in the book. My kids and I are still finding more clues as we talk about the book together (and my husband is even asking for his turn to read the book now). I'm sure our family is going to enjoy this series.
October 14, 2011
I loved this book. It was awsome! I read the whole thing, cover to cover, and can't wait till book two comes out! The cliffhanger at the beginning of the book left me with several questions, which led me into reading deeper into the story in order to find out what happened. To my surprise, the author left clues throughout the book that told what happened in the seen at the beginning where Pap and The Dread fought. I'm beginning to think that what the author said in the proloug has more meaning to it,though I can't quite understand what he truly means yet. Perhaps it will make more sence in future books. It truly is a tale to be told and retold until the clues fit snugly together.
October 4, 2011
I had a very hard time liking this book. Melanie got it in class and wanted me to read it. It has a lot of ties to Utah. It was confusing. They didn't explain very much, and when they did, it was like an afterthought. The character development was lacking as well. I didn't care much about DOD. The plot was really cool though. He could have done so much better with the plot. I did like, that at end, I was guessing "whodunit". I like those type of books. This could have done so much better.
January 29, 2016
The adventures of Dod has a deceiving cover. I started this book because my mom made me, but I hated the cover. I LOVE this book so much. I was so giddy to find out more in the story that I couldn't put it down. When i finished I was almost sad that I had already finished the first part of my adventure and I could see the end nearing. There is such an amazingly and dreadfully slow leak of information that it kept me so excited and reading because I just had to know everything! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Just simply amazing.
May 30, 2012
My daughter gave me book one and two. It took me a while to catch on to the the different world type names and group titles but by the end of book one I'm now ready to jump into book two! Fun read about a 14 year old boy and his adventures outside of his normal life, the life and places his adored Grandfather lived in. I also enjoyed the discussion questions at the end of book one. Would be great for any middle school child to read and discuss with a parent.
February 3, 2012
I would actually give this book a 2.5 if that were an option. The first 100 pages were confusing. The middles was a great fun story. The end seemed to just wrap everything up in a hurry. I don't love fantasy. I was reading this for my 9 year old. I would be interested to hear the opinon of someone who likes fantasy more.
August 17, 2016
No. Absolutely not.
October 5, 2024
I'm gonna start by saying, it's not a bad book. The main characters were well developed, and reminded me of other characters in other books. There were a lot of plot points that got hit. However, it was a very long book, and somewhat confusing. It took a very long time for Dod to figure out why he is suddenly transported into another realm, which could have propelled the reader on. It did not for me. I just had a hard time getting this one read. And I do not understand their flag football, dodgeball, baseball(?) team sport game. It felt like it was supposed to be some type of Quidditch action just added in there. Now, thinking about it. I do not know what the school was even for, or if it was a school they were at. It felt more like a midieval apprenticeship - maybe. I'm still debating if I'm gonna slough through the second book, as it appears the same length.
September 22, 2017
Some of the book was seemed like it was just to take up pages, but the important parts were really good.
October 28, 2020
great book if you liked the harry potter books this book is for you.
January 16, 2021
Don't judge this book by its cover. Read this entire series to my son and we both really enjoyed!
January 15, 2026
surprisingly I actually enjoyed this book. I bought it at the library bookstore cause I thought the cover looked funny. I'm looking forward to the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews