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The Wiggins Weird #1
How To Curse In Hieroglyphics
Meet Cheryl and Tweed, two 12-year-old girls who are identical twins (just not with each other!), cousins, and best pals. After a mysterious "incident" involving a plane trip when they were very young left both girls orphaned and twin-less, they are raised by their grandfather, the owner/operator of the tumbledown Starlight Paradise Drive-In movie theatre in the middle-of-nowhere town of Wiggins Cross. The girls have bonded closer than sisters through a shared love of B movies and buttered popcorn, and they firmly believe that there must be something more out there in the world than meets the eye. Something … weird.
They're about to find out just how right they are.
When Dudley's World O'Wonders, a threadbare travelling carnival, rolls into town, the citizens of Wiggins welcome the distraction. But even "Colonel" Winchester P.Q. Dudley, the carnival's shady owner, doesn't realize that among the fake and fabricated "wonders" of his travelling sham-show rests the authentic mummified remains of a young Egyptian princess … bearing a shockingly real curse!
It's up to Cheryl and Tweed, with their encyclopaedic knowledge of monster movie lore, and their flyboy friend Yeager "Pilot" Armbruster to save the town-and themselves!
They're about to find out just how right they are.
When Dudley's World O'Wonders, a threadbare travelling carnival, rolls into town, the citizens of Wiggins welcome the distraction. But even "Colonel" Winchester P.Q. Dudley, the carnival's shady owner, doesn't realize that among the fake and fabricated "wonders" of his travelling sham-show rests the authentic mummified remains of a young Egyptian princess … bearing a shockingly real curse!
It's up to Cheryl and Tweed, with their encyclopaedic knowledge of monster movie lore, and their flyboy friend Yeager "Pilot" Armbruster to save the town-and themselves!
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2013
1 person is currently reading
209 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 18, 2013
Huge thank you to Penguin Canada / Puffin for sending me an ARC of this book.
How to Curse in Hieroglyphics may be perfect in every way.
Okay, it might not be perfect to every reader, but it was, in a sense, perfect for me. How to Curse in Hieroglyphics stars two twelve-going-on-thirteen year old cousins, who may have one of the most beautiful friendships I've ever seen. Reading about Cheryl and Tweed's adventures with B-Movies and ACTION! often reminded me a lot of how my childhood best friend and I played together. We were all about imagination, being creative, exploring the world around us, and adapting when things often didn't go our way. This is how Cheryl and Tweed deal considering the amount of loss they have had in their lives.
Lesley Livingston and Jonathan Llyr do a great job of creating a memorable cast of characters. While the girls are clearly the highlight, it's hard not to adore Pilot, Shrimpcake and Pops. Everyone, right down to the villains, are colourful, over-the-top and extreme in the best way possible. The town of Wiggins Cross is essentially Bizzaro-world, and yet no one seems to mind in the slightest. Crafting the world C+T inhabit must have been a lot of fun, as its completely evident in the writing. There's just so much to love about the cast and the world, that I found myself laughing along with a lot of the insanity that ensued. The ending equally had me in stitches!
One unique aspect of the novel is that parts of it are storyboarded. Whenever Cheryl and Tweed yell action, the readers are transported into their imagination and insanity, from badass commandos to super spies. They also have the power of their patented C+T hand shake, which is quite silly, yet adorkable nonetheless. The artwork is excellent in the storyboards, and having the script and dialog on the side really does make the reader feel as though they are in the middle of an action-packed scene.
The actual mystery in the novel is quite wonderfully drawn up with just enough B-movie cheese to make it work. In fact, the book provides a plethora of B-movie knowledge at the reader, and while this generation may not know a lot about some of the films in question, for old fogies like myself, it was welcomed and very much appreciated. I also loved our Egyptian princess, which I think how Livingston and Llyr wrote her character was, in fact, surprisingly clever.
How to Curse in Hieroglyphics struck all the right chords with me, and did it in such an honest and genuine way. It's been a long time since I found myself giggling my way through a very tongue-in-cheek middle grade novel. If you love middle grade and this book isn't on your radar, you may need to remedy that, because this book has so much charm and quirk, that I think it could get even the most stubborn of readers to laugh out loud. What can I say? I think Livingston and Llyr may have completely won me over, and I look forward to reading more of C+T's crazy adventures!
Also, I love Shrimpcake. He's a cutie pie.
How to Curse in Hieroglyphics may be perfect in every way.
Okay, it might not be perfect to every reader, but it was, in a sense, perfect for me. How to Curse in Hieroglyphics stars two twelve-going-on-thirteen year old cousins, who may have one of the most beautiful friendships I've ever seen. Reading about Cheryl and Tweed's adventures with B-Movies and ACTION! often reminded me a lot of how my childhood best friend and I played together. We were all about imagination, being creative, exploring the world around us, and adapting when things often didn't go our way. This is how Cheryl and Tweed deal considering the amount of loss they have had in their lives.
Lesley Livingston and Jonathan Llyr do a great job of creating a memorable cast of characters. While the girls are clearly the highlight, it's hard not to adore Pilot, Shrimpcake and Pops. Everyone, right down to the villains, are colourful, over-the-top and extreme in the best way possible. The town of Wiggins Cross is essentially Bizzaro-world, and yet no one seems to mind in the slightest. Crafting the world C+T inhabit must have been a lot of fun, as its completely evident in the writing. There's just so much to love about the cast and the world, that I found myself laughing along with a lot of the insanity that ensued. The ending equally had me in stitches!
One unique aspect of the novel is that parts of it are storyboarded. Whenever Cheryl and Tweed yell action, the readers are transported into their imagination and insanity, from badass commandos to super spies. They also have the power of their patented C+T hand shake, which is quite silly, yet adorkable nonetheless. The artwork is excellent in the storyboards, and having the script and dialog on the side really does make the reader feel as though they are in the middle of an action-packed scene.
The actual mystery in the novel is quite wonderfully drawn up with just enough B-movie cheese to make it work. In fact, the book provides a plethora of B-movie knowledge at the reader, and while this generation may not know a lot about some of the films in question, for old fogies like myself, it was welcomed and very much appreciated. I also loved our Egyptian princess, which I think how Livingston and Llyr wrote her character was, in fact, surprisingly clever.
How to Curse in Hieroglyphics struck all the right chords with me, and did it in such an honest and genuine way. It's been a long time since I found myself giggling my way through a very tongue-in-cheek middle grade novel. If you love middle grade and this book isn't on your radar, you may need to remedy that, because this book has so much charm and quirk, that I think it could get even the most stubborn of readers to laugh out loud. What can I say? I think Livingston and Llyr may have completely won me over, and I look forward to reading more of C+T's crazy adventures!
Also, I love Shrimpcake. He's a cutie pie.
September 16, 2023
Spooky time is coming up! It was time to jump into a wonderful read that brought out all the spooks and fears, and lucky enough... was from an author I used to love back in high school! Say hello again to Lesley Livingston! Wonderous Strange was one of my favourite series in high school, so I had a good chuckle when I noticed who wrote this book. Long time, no see!
How to Curse in Hieroglyphics was a seriously fun middle grade read following twins (with a big mystery behind them) get into trouble at a local fair that has a mummy on display. They are delightful, their friends are great supporting characters, and this book all around felt ridiculously fun. I will need the sequels ASAP! Who doesn't want a bundle of fun thrusted their way in book form?
I definitely recommend this book for middle graders or young adult readers who want something like Goosebumps with a little less serial feeling and a more concrete, ongoing series feel. There's spooks, film making, and friendship all wrapped in one delightful book.
Five out of five stars.
How to Curse in Hieroglyphics was a seriously fun middle grade read following twins (with a big mystery behind them) get into trouble at a local fair that has a mummy on display. They are delightful, their friends are great supporting characters, and this book all around felt ridiculously fun. I will need the sequels ASAP! Who doesn't want a bundle of fun thrusted their way in book form?
I definitely recommend this book for middle graders or young adult readers who want something like Goosebumps with a little less serial feeling and a more concrete, ongoing series feel. There's spooks, film making, and friendship all wrapped in one delightful book.
Five out of five stars.
December 9, 2013
I loved this book. I can't wait for more! This is what you want kids to read -- and they'll gobble it up, believe me!
The premise? Two young girls are growing up on the lot of a drive-in movie, one that shows B-movies. They love them. Being adventurous and inventive, they've rebuilt a car in which to enjoy their favourites. Being amazingly creative? When they go out to play -- I mean, hunt monsters and save the world -- the prose switches to storyboard. Brilliant artwork and great fun ensues with the call of ACTION!
Imagine what happens when these two encounter their first real monster! I won't spoil a thing. Buy this, enjoy it, make sure every kid you know reads it.
Because after they do? Don't be surprised if they start writing their own scripts and having a great time!
So highly recommended, I wish I could send up flares.
The premise? Two young girls are growing up on the lot of a drive-in movie, one that shows B-movies. They love them. Being adventurous and inventive, they've rebuilt a car in which to enjoy their favourites. Being amazingly creative? When they go out to play -- I mean, hunt monsters and save the world -- the prose switches to storyboard. Brilliant artwork and great fun ensues with the call of ACTION!
Imagine what happens when these two encounter their first real monster! I won't spoil a thing. Buy this, enjoy it, make sure every kid you know reads it.
Because after they do? Don't be surprised if they start writing their own scripts and having a great time!
So highly recommended, I wish I could send up flares.
July 17, 2013
What fun! A little slow in the set up but once you get to know Cee and Tee, things careen off at a crazy pace. Love the mix of text and graphic, and the use of movie scripts ... can't wait for book two!
December 19, 2013
How To Curse In Hieroglyphics and More Monster Mashing Makebelieve!
Cheryl and Tweed have very busy monster hunting lives. Zombies, vampires, and mummies are the stock in trade for these young heroines.
And they are the stars of the new young readers book series called The Wiggins Weird, written by Lesley Livingston and Jonathan Llyr, the esteemed Geek duo from Canada land.
This first part in the series is aptly called How To Curse In Hieroglyphics (and when you get to the section where this title makes sense you will giggle) and very quickly gets us up to speed on the who and the what of Cheryl and Tweed. These “twin” preteen girls live and party and work in the small town of Wiggins Cross, where they babysit ankle biters and help their grandfather with his Starlight Paradise Drive-In movie theatre. The specialty of this particular entertainment venue is good old fashioned, non CGI, firmly grade B horror movies, which the “twins” are totally enthralled with.
The tale of tension of the “twins” who are not “twins” but are really “twins” (or something like that) is rolled out before us early on in How To Curse In Hieroglyphics, and very neatly sets up future plot ideas for sequels. We also have the introduction of Cheryl and Tweed’s target of fun and games, a nice young fellow named Artie who is occasionally an unearthly creature, maybe. Also, a slightly older boy named Yeager whose family history is entwined with the “twins”, takes on the mantle of the sanest person in the room whenever he is with Cheryl and Tweed.
Into this slightly controlled insanity comes Dudley’s World-O-Wonders, a third rate carnival which sets up shop directly across from the “twins” beloved Drive-In. Feeling the vile evil of the carnivals very existence, Cheryl and Tweed set out to prove something is up with Dudley’s not so do right venture. Cue spooky music, scary creatures from time immortal, and the perils of a thrown baseball, all to start a rollicking hair raising adventure for the quartet of quirkiness.
Livingston and Llyr propel this story forward at lightspeed, packing more action, dialogue and exposition into each page than most books, young reader or not. In fact, sometimes they seem to be channeling the best tactics of Michael Chabon, all in order to make the lives and world of Cheryl and Tweed feel more vivid. Also, to help create the mood and give genre fans a thrill, the writers fill the story with genre references from obvious to obscure to just plain made up, and lovingly populate every part of this journey with them.
Some of the geeky part of this mission are illustrated by special sections interspersed throughout How To Cure In Hieroglyphics by artist Steven Burley. These parts, where the “twins” and occasionally their cohorts act out variations of movie adventures, are storyboarded cartoon versions of whatever Cheryl and Tweed are kinda sorta dering-doing.
The popping adventure feel, the zipping by references and in jokes, and the lurking danger of the “twins” mysterious backstory, add to the appeal of making this story into an animated feature of some sort. Hopefully Hollywood is noticing the goings on at Wiggins Cross.
If you are a young reader, you will love this fun book. If you are an adult reader, you will love this fun book. If you are a genre reader, you will love this book. And if you are a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri reader, you will love this book. But first ya gotta find a translation to Alpha Centaurion.
Cheryl and Tweed have very busy monster hunting lives. Zombies, vampires, and mummies are the stock in trade for these young heroines.
And they are the stars of the new young readers book series called The Wiggins Weird, written by Lesley Livingston and Jonathan Llyr, the esteemed Geek duo from Canada land.
This first part in the series is aptly called How To Curse In Hieroglyphics (and when you get to the section where this title makes sense you will giggle) and very quickly gets us up to speed on the who and the what of Cheryl and Tweed. These “twin” preteen girls live and party and work in the small town of Wiggins Cross, where they babysit ankle biters and help their grandfather with his Starlight Paradise Drive-In movie theatre. The specialty of this particular entertainment venue is good old fashioned, non CGI, firmly grade B horror movies, which the “twins” are totally enthralled with.
The tale of tension of the “twins” who are not “twins” but are really “twins” (or something like that) is rolled out before us early on in How To Curse In Hieroglyphics, and very neatly sets up future plot ideas for sequels. We also have the introduction of Cheryl and Tweed’s target of fun and games, a nice young fellow named Artie who is occasionally an unearthly creature, maybe. Also, a slightly older boy named Yeager whose family history is entwined with the “twins”, takes on the mantle of the sanest person in the room whenever he is with Cheryl and Tweed.
Into this slightly controlled insanity comes Dudley’s World-O-Wonders, a third rate carnival which sets up shop directly across from the “twins” beloved Drive-In. Feeling the vile evil of the carnivals very existence, Cheryl and Tweed set out to prove something is up with Dudley’s not so do right venture. Cue spooky music, scary creatures from time immortal, and the perils of a thrown baseball, all to start a rollicking hair raising adventure for the quartet of quirkiness.
Livingston and Llyr propel this story forward at lightspeed, packing more action, dialogue and exposition into each page than most books, young reader or not. In fact, sometimes they seem to be channeling the best tactics of Michael Chabon, all in order to make the lives and world of Cheryl and Tweed feel more vivid. Also, to help create the mood and give genre fans a thrill, the writers fill the story with genre references from obvious to obscure to just plain made up, and lovingly populate every part of this journey with them.
Some of the geeky part of this mission are illustrated by special sections interspersed throughout How To Cure In Hieroglyphics by artist Steven Burley. These parts, where the “twins” and occasionally their cohorts act out variations of movie adventures, are storyboarded cartoon versions of whatever Cheryl and Tweed are kinda sorta dering-doing.
The popping adventure feel, the zipping by references and in jokes, and the lurking danger of the “twins” mysterious backstory, add to the appeal of making this story into an animated feature of some sort. Hopefully Hollywood is noticing the goings on at Wiggins Cross.
If you are a young reader, you will love this fun book. If you are an adult reader, you will love this fun book. If you are a genre reader, you will love this book. And if you are a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri reader, you will love this book. But first ya gotta find a translation to Alpha Centaurion.
October 15, 2013
Thanks to Penguin Canada / Puffin for sending me an ARC of this book! Thanks to Goodreads for hosting the opportunity that led me to getting this book.
This is definitely a fun read, and I highly recommend it for people interested in middle grade fiction, B horror movies, and strong female characters.
Cheryl (Cee) and Tweed (Tee) are cousins who live with their grandfather. They love B horror movies and now everything there is to know about the genre. I loved how well the developed the cousins were, as well as their friend Yeager, and their grandfather (Pops). Despite having their parents (and their twins) disappear under mysterious circumstances and being considered as weird by the people of Wiggins, Cee and Tee have strong senses of who they are and what they love. They are confident in their abilities as babysitters and they have stellar imaginations. Of course, their imaginations contribute to them being considered weird. They have elaborate imagination (or ACTION!) sequences which are storyboarded. I loved this format – it really added to the movie vibe of the novel. It also allowed me to see things through the eyes of Cee and Tee, whereas without the storyboarding, I would have seen things through my own imagination.
It was fitting that the first “While-O-Wait” mystery involved a mummy and a traveling carnival. The typical B horror movie elements (scarab beetles, reptilian minions) were front and centre, but Cee and Tee couldn’t rely only on their knowledge of B movies because there are a few twists that change their perspective on what is happening, as well as how they treat Shrimpcake. I won’t elaborate on the twists here because I don’t want to spoil the novel. They really do need to be experienced in the context of the story.
I have to admit, I was concerned that Cee and Tee bullied Artie, aka Shrimpcake. Flawed characters are better than perfect characters, yet I expected better from Cee and Tee. They know what it is like to be on the outside of things, and they treat Artie like an outsider at the start of the novel. The bullying does get resolved through the context of the story, thankfully.
This was a quick, fun read and I can’t wait to find out which B horror movie monster Cee and Tee get to face next!
This is definitely a fun read, and I highly recommend it for people interested in middle grade fiction, B horror movies, and strong female characters.
Cheryl (Cee) and Tweed (Tee) are cousins who live with their grandfather. They love B horror movies and now everything there is to know about the genre. I loved how well the developed the cousins were, as well as their friend Yeager, and their grandfather (Pops). Despite having their parents (and their twins) disappear under mysterious circumstances and being considered as weird by the people of Wiggins, Cee and Tee have strong senses of who they are and what they love. They are confident in their abilities as babysitters and they have stellar imaginations. Of course, their imaginations contribute to them being considered weird. They have elaborate imagination (or ACTION!) sequences which are storyboarded. I loved this format – it really added to the movie vibe of the novel. It also allowed me to see things through the eyes of Cee and Tee, whereas without the storyboarding, I would have seen things through my own imagination.
It was fitting that the first “While-O-Wait” mystery involved a mummy and a traveling carnival. The typical B horror movie elements (scarab beetles, reptilian minions) were front and centre, but Cee and Tee couldn’t rely only on their knowledge of B movies because there are a few twists that change their perspective on what is happening, as well as how they treat Shrimpcake. I won’t elaborate on the twists here because I don’t want to spoil the novel. They really do need to be experienced in the context of the story.
I have to admit, I was concerned that Cee and Tee bullied Artie, aka Shrimpcake. Flawed characters are better than perfect characters, yet I expected better from Cee and Tee. They know what it is like to be on the outside of things, and they treat Artie like an outsider at the start of the novel. The bullying does get resolved through the context of the story, thankfully.
This was a quick, fun read and I can’t wait to find out which B horror movie monster Cee and Tee get to face next!
August 15, 2015
Many thanks to Penguin Canada and/or Puffin for sending me a review copy of this wonderful book and Goodreads for giving members the opportunity to obtain review copies!
Yes, this book is for youth readers and the like. No, this doesn't make it a cardinal sin for some dude in university to happen upon this novel to cleanse my soul of any traces of City of Bones. Why? I'll try to explain it in the best fashion I can muster.
The two stars of this novel are Cheryl and Tweed, two cousins whose parents mysteriously disappeared, which indirectly results in them forming a tightly-knit kinship stronger than that between siblings. This kinship is formed on a oceanic passion for B-movies, which is consistently and pleasantly referenced and utilized throughout the course of this novel to pacify the big sp00ky villain. Although these two girls are the stars of the show, their interactions only cross into girly territory in some occasions, which makes it more bearable for an average youth and not just a girl.
What is also used is a storyboard-like portrayal, formally(?) called ACTION!, of some important scenes throughout the novel, which is both very entertaining coming from City of Bones and is consistent with the nature of the protagonists. What is somewhat disappointing is that the big action sequence in the very entertaining latter half of the plot has no ACTION! I... I don't know why this is the case, since a lot of the action could be portrayed to the young readers more clearly and be more entertaining than reading words.
That doesn't mean that the rest of the book is a paralytic agent injected into your retinas. The other characters, ranging from Pilot, the best buddy of the girls, to the nerdy Arty, do have entertaining interactions. They are archetypical and somewhat flat in nature, but the dialogue does compensate somewhat for that. The only exception is the big sp00ky villain, who is still a bit archetypical, but infinitely more interesting than even the two stars.
In conclusion How to Curse in Hieroglyphics is a very entertaining, if slightly flawed, read for Halloween, and scary enough for a kid these days to handle. Infinitely better than City of Bones.
Yes, this book is for youth readers and the like. No, this doesn't make it a cardinal sin for some dude in university to happen upon this novel to cleanse my soul of any traces of City of Bones. Why? I'll try to explain it in the best fashion I can muster.
The two stars of this novel are Cheryl and Tweed, two cousins whose parents mysteriously disappeared, which indirectly results in them forming a tightly-knit kinship stronger than that between siblings. This kinship is formed on a oceanic passion for B-movies, which is consistently and pleasantly referenced and utilized throughout the course of this novel to pacify the big sp00ky villain. Although these two girls are the stars of the show, their interactions only cross into girly territory in some occasions, which makes it more bearable for an average youth and not just a girl.
What is also used is a storyboard-like portrayal, formally(?) called ACTION!, of some important scenes throughout the novel, which is both very entertaining coming from City of Bones and is consistent with the nature of the protagonists. What is somewhat disappointing is that the big action sequence in the very entertaining latter half of the plot has no ACTION! I... I don't know why this is the case, since a lot of the action could be portrayed to the young readers more clearly and be more entertaining than reading words.
That doesn't mean that the rest of the book is a paralytic agent injected into your retinas. The other characters, ranging from Pilot, the best buddy of the girls, to the nerdy Arty, do have entertaining interactions. They are archetypical and somewhat flat in nature, but the dialogue does compensate somewhat for that. The only exception is the big sp00ky villain, who is still a bit archetypical, but infinitely more interesting than even the two stars.
In conclusion How to Curse in Hieroglyphics is a very entertaining, if slightly flawed, read for Halloween, and scary enough for a kid these days to handle. Infinitely better than City of Bones.
November 12, 2013
will review later today - truly delightful middle grade read
The Good Stuff
Perfect middle grade read for those girls who would rather read adventure stories than love stories
Cheryl, Tweed and all of the characters are positively adorable and you cannot help but love them
Will appeal to both middle graders and adults (especially us geeky ones)
The "Action" scenes are hilarious!
Fast paced story that will keep even the most reluctant reader entertained
The Egyptian Princess reminded me of something that Whedon would have created (That is a compliment)
Great dialogue
Quirky and funny
Setting reminded me of Madoc where I spent most summers visiting my cousin Dee - sort of like a place out of time where things were more innocent and carefree
The Not so Good Stuff
May not appeal to some of the more jaded middle graders as there is a sweetness to the tale (not a bad thing, just more of an FYI for booksellers)
Kind of wish these kids were real, because I think they would be tough enough to deal with my two boys
Librarian has to be an old lady with a bunch of cats -- hmm can you say "stereotype" - than again I know you have been to quite a few OLA conferences and imagine you met quite a few of those type of Librarians : ) Love ya Lesley
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Neither of the twins were particularly fond of newfangled digital technology. It seemed somehow untrustworthy. Computers and cellphones struck them as much too easy for nefarious government agencies to track. Or space aliens."
"Yeah," agreed Artie. "We men gotta stick together and look out for the little ladies."
Pilot looked down at his companion."Art-Bart, do me a favor-- don't say that when they're in earshot."
"I did it again!" Cheryl shook her head, her pigtails bouncing furiously. "You quipped effortlessly and all I could come up with was "Got them!"
4.75 Dewey's
I received this from Penguin in exchange for an honest review
The Good Stuff
Perfect middle grade read for those girls who would rather read adventure stories than love stories
Cheryl, Tweed and all of the characters are positively adorable and you cannot help but love them
Will appeal to both middle graders and adults (especially us geeky ones)
The "Action" scenes are hilarious!
Fast paced story that will keep even the most reluctant reader entertained
The Egyptian Princess reminded me of something that Whedon would have created (That is a compliment)
Great dialogue
Quirky and funny
Setting reminded me of Madoc where I spent most summers visiting my cousin Dee - sort of like a place out of time where things were more innocent and carefree
The Not so Good Stuff
May not appeal to some of the more jaded middle graders as there is a sweetness to the tale (not a bad thing, just more of an FYI for booksellers)
Kind of wish these kids were real, because I think they would be tough enough to deal with my two boys
Librarian has to be an old lady with a bunch of cats -- hmm can you say "stereotype" - than again I know you have been to quite a few OLA conferences and imagine you met quite a few of those type of Librarians : ) Love ya Lesley
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Neither of the twins were particularly fond of newfangled digital technology. It seemed somehow untrustworthy. Computers and cellphones struck them as much too easy for nefarious government agencies to track. Or space aliens."
"Yeah," agreed Artie. "We men gotta stick together and look out for the little ladies."
Pilot looked down at his companion."Art-Bart, do me a favor-- don't say that when they're in earshot."
"I did it again!" Cheryl shook her head, her pigtails bouncing furiously. "You quipped effortlessly and all I could come up with was "Got them!"
4.75 Dewey's
I received this from Penguin in exchange for an honest review
October 3, 2013
An Egyptian mummy princess is on the loose from a traveling carnival and it's up to twelve year old cousins Cheryl and Tweed to save the day, fortunately they love schlocky horror flicks, so they're experts on this stuff. Actually, the pair see themselves as experts on most everything, which makes for great humor, and confidence you wish every girl possessed in real life.
Goth girl Tweed (minus, to her chagrin, the requisite eyeliner) and aspiring stunt gal Cheryl have lost their families in a plane disappearance, but they have their grandpa, his drive-in movies and their best friend Pilot (his name says all you need to know about him), and well, the girls are just plain fun to be around. They have wild imaginations, boundless courage, and ingenious solutions for everything, whether it's their floundering babysitting business or dealing with evil-doers.
If you have a girl tired of princesses and eager for rough and tumble adventures like book boys experience, they'll love Cheryl and Tweed, and probably spend hours and hours drawing storyboards for their own monster movies, just like the illustrations lightly sprinkled through the book, I know they would have inspired me at middle-grade age.
I hope boys try this one as well, and don't let girl leads turn them off, the "twins" aren't just fantastic heroines, they're fantastic characters, ideal for befriending during pumpkin carving season.
With plenty of laughs on every page (particularly from the girls' frenemy Artie a.k.a. Shrimpcake), the funny very much undercuts any scariness, if your kid can handle Scooby Doo, they can handle the spooky goodness here as well.
I received an arc of this book for free though the Goodreads first-reads program.
Goth girl Tweed (minus, to her chagrin, the requisite eyeliner) and aspiring stunt gal Cheryl have lost their families in a plane disappearance, but they have their grandpa, his drive-in movies and their best friend Pilot (his name says all you need to know about him), and well, the girls are just plain fun to be around. They have wild imaginations, boundless courage, and ingenious solutions for everything, whether it's their floundering babysitting business or dealing with evil-doers.
If you have a girl tired of princesses and eager for rough and tumble adventures like book boys experience, they'll love Cheryl and Tweed, and probably spend hours and hours drawing storyboards for their own monster movies, just like the illustrations lightly sprinkled through the book, I know they would have inspired me at middle-grade age.
I hope boys try this one as well, and don't let girl leads turn them off, the "twins" aren't just fantastic heroines, they're fantastic characters, ideal for befriending during pumpkin carving season.
With plenty of laughs on every page (particularly from the girls' frenemy Artie a.k.a. Shrimpcake), the funny very much undercuts any scariness, if your kid can handle Scooby Doo, they can handle the spooky goodness here as well.
I received an arc of this book for free though the Goodreads first-reads program.
October 2, 2013
I received this book through the First Reads program. I entered on behalf of my daughter, but thought I should read the book as well!
I enjoyed the book and found the second half to be much more interesting and fast paced than the first half. I really liked the combination of story and graphics in the one book, just those few pages might encourage those reluctant readers to keep pressing on. I particularly loved the scene capturing the Bottoms children, it gave me a few hints for rounding up my own kids!
I think it will be interesting to continue with the series to discover the answer to the underlying parents and sisters mystery.
I am hoping to be able to add to this review when my daughter has read the book and she can add her 10 year old perspective to it.
I enjoyed the book and found the second half to be much more interesting and fast paced than the first half. I really liked the combination of story and graphics in the one book, just those few pages might encourage those reluctant readers to keep pressing on. I particularly loved the scene capturing the Bottoms children, it gave me a few hints for rounding up my own kids!
I think it will be interesting to continue with the series to discover the answer to the underlying parents and sisters mystery.
I am hoping to be able to add to this review when my daughter has read the book and she can add her 10 year old perspective to it.
February 28, 2015
A really great read, super amazing climax, and an exhilarating adventure about two kids Cheryl and Tweed, twelve year old cousins who live with there grandfather Pops. Pops owns a drive-in movie theatre. When a moving carnival steals the spotlight Cheryl and Tweed with their friends (tag alongside) Pilot & Arthur decide to investigate, and find some WIERD and SPOOKY things, read How to Curse in Hieroglyphics to find out what happens.
I give How to Curse in Hieroglyphics 4 & 1/2 bats
Review by Cole Hale
I give How to Curse in Hieroglyphics 4 & 1/2 bats
Review by Cole Hale
October 1, 2013
3.5 STARS!
I won this advanced copy through Goodreads (that doesn't influence my rating).
If I was a 9-12 year old, I would think this was a pretty great adventure story! The main characters, Tweed, Cheryl, Pilot and Artie, are all great fun. The dialogue is inventive, the language and sentence structure are excellent and the plot is pretty good. I realize this story is the set-up for further books and the first half was a little long; the Mummy action could have started earlier, but it was still enjoyable.
I won this advanced copy through Goodreads (that doesn't influence my rating).
If I was a 9-12 year old, I would think this was a pretty great adventure story! The main characters, Tweed, Cheryl, Pilot and Artie, are all great fun. The dialogue is inventive, the language and sentence structure are excellent and the plot is pretty good. I realize this story is the set-up for further books and the first half was a little long; the Mummy action could have started earlier, but it was still enjoyable.
October 24, 2013
[I won an ARC via Goodreads First Reads giveaways. Thanks!]
I immediately knew from the cover alone that I'd want to read this book, so of course I entered to win a copy. Upon picking it up was when I realized that it's actually from one of my favourite Canadian authors (Livingston) so that was a pleasant surprise.
This is a fun and adventurous middle-grade offering, and although it seems to suggest being part of a larger series it does stand-alone.
I liked the comic/script cut-ins, but thought those could've been implemented better. We'll see in the official release I guess.
I immediately knew from the cover alone that I'd want to read this book, so of course I entered to win a copy. Upon picking it up was when I realized that it's actually from one of my favourite Canadian authors (Livingston) so that was a pleasant surprise.
This is a fun and adventurous middle-grade offering, and although it seems to suggest being part of a larger series it does stand-alone.
I liked the comic/script cut-ins, but thought those could've been implemented better. We'll see in the official release I guess.
May 14, 2014
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series. It does start out a bit confusing and the characters/writing can be annoying but it gets better. The story is very amusing and nicely paced. I want to go dig up some old monster movies to watch now. I think any kid with an active imagination and a love of the strange will enjoy this book. I did now and I would have at that age too.
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