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Shortcuts
"Powered by equal parts mystery, magic and humour, SHORTCUTS is fantasy grounded in emotional reality. It surprises and transports the way all effective entertainments should."
-- Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist, The Killing Circle and The Guardians
Simon Trekker has been raised by his aunt and uncle as his parents went on a trip when he was a baby and never returned. While walking to his first day of middle school, Simon starts to notice various messages written on street signs and graffiti telling him to follow them. He does and finds out that there are shortcuts to anywhere in the world and only he seems to know about them. “It’s like folding a map” he says, “Two places that were on either side of the map are now side by side”.
Simon finds out that he, like his parents before him, is part of a very small group of people who know about the shortcuts. He takes his friends to various places using his newly discovered shortcuts but when he starts showing up in various photos online taken by people from all over the world, the government and some others take notice and they want to know his secret.
-- Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist, The Killing Circle and The Guardians
Simon Trekker has been raised by his aunt and uncle as his parents went on a trip when he was a baby and never returned. While walking to his first day of middle school, Simon starts to notice various messages written on street signs and graffiti telling him to follow them. He does and finds out that there are shortcuts to anywhere in the world and only he seems to know about them. “It’s like folding a map” he says, “Two places that were on either side of the map are now side by side”.
Simon finds out that he, like his parents before him, is part of a very small group of people who know about the shortcuts. He takes his friends to various places using his newly discovered shortcuts but when he starts showing up in various photos online taken by people from all over the world, the government and some others take notice and they want to know his secret.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2011
3 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 15, 2022
If you've read any of my reviews over the last few years, you know that I typically share how a book came onto my radar at the start. Some are straightforward, some are a bit funny and some are an odd amalgamation of random occurrences that all line up.
This is one such book that came onto my radar just that way.
Brittlestar. For many of you in Canada, who frequent Twitter, you may have seen his comedic, This Hour Has 22 Minutes style videos and tweets. A sarcastic take on everyday life. He also has poignant, introspective moments and all of that has led to him being a daily source of laughs and conversation.
A few weeks back, I came across one of his videos and thought it was hilarious. Knowing he may find it hilarious, I sent it to Andrew Pyper. He replied; "Oh yeah, he's funny. I actually went to high school with him!." Huh, that's crazy right?
Well... if you've also followed me, you may very well know that I'm a massive super fan of Mr. Andrew Pyper and in my ongoing quest to have the most complete printed collection (DANG YOU ORACLE AND YOUR AUDIBLE ONLY RELEASE!!) I frequent Abebooks weekly, seeking out missing pieces. And on one such search, a blurb from Andrew about 'Shortcuts' popped up. I messaged Andrew, he said it was a really fun book, and liking the synopsis, snagged it.
BOOM! See? A random amalgamation of seemingly completely unrelated events that led me to reading this book and - it turns out - having a really run time with it.
Alright enough about that - let's get to the goods.
What I liked: 'Shortcuts' follows our young main character, Simon Trekker, as he lives a seemingly normal life. That is, other than living with his aunt and uncle after his parents disappeared on a trip when he was a small child. One day, as Simon heads off to school, he randomly is transported somewhere else while taking a shortcut. Once this happens, he shares it with his two best friends and they have fun, going to different places around the world.
That is, until a rich bully from his school discovers this and things go sideways and escalate.
From here, our author gives us a really fun, action-packed middle-grade adventure story. We get thrills galore and a really intriguing backstory where we learn more about these portals, their discover and what had been originally planned for them.
I thought the characters were all fun, even a few of the stereotypical variety (but hey, this is a middle grade book) and the story played out at a really great pace.
The ending was great and the set up for a potential sequel was really well done.
What I didn't like: I'm not going to pick apart some of the cheese in this book. The reality is, I'm a 40 year old male. This book wasn't written for me as the target demographic, so I can let those parts slide. What I will say - this came out in 2011, so it was a bit frustrating seeing such an intriguing ending and understanding that there most likely won't be a sequel, or if there is, those kids who loved this a decade ago, will most likely not care when it is finally released.
Why you should buy this: If you're the parent of an early reader (say aged 7-12) and you're either now starting to read them chapter books, or they're reading on their own and you want a safe read; think no swear words, no sex, no deaths, no animal peril - this is a spot on perfect read for them.
The pacing is crisp, the story opens up really nicely and when all is said and done, this does finish with a great conclusion. It's the epilogue that may give parents headaches as they beg for book 2!
This is one such book that came onto my radar just that way.
Brittlestar. For many of you in Canada, who frequent Twitter, you may have seen his comedic, This Hour Has 22 Minutes style videos and tweets. A sarcastic take on everyday life. He also has poignant, introspective moments and all of that has led to him being a daily source of laughs and conversation.
A few weeks back, I came across one of his videos and thought it was hilarious. Knowing he may find it hilarious, I sent it to Andrew Pyper. He replied; "Oh yeah, he's funny. I actually went to high school with him!." Huh, that's crazy right?
Well... if you've also followed me, you may very well know that I'm a massive super fan of Mr. Andrew Pyper and in my ongoing quest to have the most complete printed collection (DANG YOU ORACLE AND YOUR AUDIBLE ONLY RELEASE!!) I frequent Abebooks weekly, seeking out missing pieces. And on one such search, a blurb from Andrew about 'Shortcuts' popped up. I messaged Andrew, he said it was a really fun book, and liking the synopsis, snagged it.
BOOM! See? A random amalgamation of seemingly completely unrelated events that led me to reading this book and - it turns out - having a really run time with it.
Alright enough about that - let's get to the goods.
What I liked: 'Shortcuts' follows our young main character, Simon Trekker, as he lives a seemingly normal life. That is, other than living with his aunt and uncle after his parents disappeared on a trip when he was a small child. One day, as Simon heads off to school, he randomly is transported somewhere else while taking a shortcut. Once this happens, he shares it with his two best friends and they have fun, going to different places around the world.
That is, until a rich bully from his school discovers this and things go sideways and escalate.
From here, our author gives us a really fun, action-packed middle-grade adventure story. We get thrills galore and a really intriguing backstory where we learn more about these portals, their discover and what had been originally planned for them.
I thought the characters were all fun, even a few of the stereotypical variety (but hey, this is a middle grade book) and the story played out at a really great pace.
The ending was great and the set up for a potential sequel was really well done.
What I didn't like: I'm not going to pick apart some of the cheese in this book. The reality is, I'm a 40 year old male. This book wasn't written for me as the target demographic, so I can let those parts slide. What I will say - this came out in 2011, so it was a bit frustrating seeing such an intriguing ending and understanding that there most likely won't be a sequel, or if there is, those kids who loved this a decade ago, will most likely not care when it is finally released.
Why you should buy this: If you're the parent of an early reader (say aged 7-12) and you're either now starting to read them chapter books, or they're reading on their own and you want a safe read; think no swear words, no sex, no deaths, no animal peril - this is a spot on perfect read for them.
The pacing is crisp, the story opens up really nicely and when all is said and done, this does finish with a great conclusion. It's the epilogue that may give parents headaches as they beg for book 2!
September 24, 2016
A Clever and Well Constructed Middle Grade Magic-Portal Adventure
Sometimes you have a great premise; sometimes great kid characters; sometimes nicely paced action; sometimes higher end quality in the writing. But it's the rare book that hits all of those notes with confidence. This book does all that, and ended up as a happy and engaging discovery.
Our hero and his pals are perfectly engaging companions as the reader joins their adventure. The map/portal angle has been done before, but so what? It is done very nicely and convincingly here.
Sometimes the author is so excited about his premise that he dashes us into it before we're ready. Not so here. There is a bit of a slow build up, with hints and portents. That lends the book an air of gravity and mystery that's often lacking in such middle grade adventures.
The plot itself is rather predictable, with bad people trying to take the cool whatchamacallit from the good people, but since that plot predates the Greeks, I'm not going to complain.
There is humor, loyal companions, derring do, action, some lurking, a bully who isn't too tiresome, and clever twists. The energy level is high. The tone is generally upbeat. The writing is effective, with some nice throwaway lines here and there, and never stumbles over itself trying to make the book more than it is.
That was all fine by me, and I count this an excellent find. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Sometimes you have a great premise; sometimes great kid characters; sometimes nicely paced action; sometimes higher end quality in the writing. But it's the rare book that hits all of those notes with confidence. This book does all that, and ended up as a happy and engaging discovery.
Our hero and his pals are perfectly engaging companions as the reader joins their adventure. The map/portal angle has been done before, but so what? It is done very nicely and convincingly here.
Sometimes the author is so excited about his premise that he dashes us into it before we're ready. Not so here. There is a bit of a slow build up, with hints and portents. That lends the book an air of gravity and mystery that's often lacking in such middle grade adventures.
The plot itself is rather predictable, with bad people trying to take the cool whatchamacallit from the good people, but since that plot predates the Greeks, I'm not going to complain.
There is humor, loyal companions, derring do, action, some lurking, a bully who isn't too tiresome, and clever twists. The energy level is high. The tone is generally upbeat. The writing is effective, with some nice throwaway lines here and there, and never stumbles over itself trying to make the book more than it is.
That was all fine by me, and I count this an excellent find. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
March 25, 2015
AWESOME ADVENTURE
They say nothing is impossible, but putting down this fabulous story is one way to refute that line of thought. Shortcuts is a fast-paced story that hits the ground running and never stops. The story line is interesting and held my attention the entire time. The characters are both funny and believable. If you are looking for a story with adventure, action, and just a touch of magic, you want to pick this book up. I read this straight through without stopping!! Bravo Brittlestar!! I cannot wait for Book 2!!! ENCORE!!!!
They say nothing is impossible, but putting down this fabulous story is one way to refute that line of thought. Shortcuts is a fast-paced story that hits the ground running and never stops. The story line is interesting and held my attention the entire time. The characters are both funny and believable. If you are looking for a story with adventure, action, and just a touch of magic, you want to pick this book up. I read this straight through without stopping!! Bravo Brittlestar!! I cannot wait for Book 2!!! ENCORE!!!!
August 29, 2017
It's obviously aimed for a younger and had few typing errors, but it enjoyed it. I definitely found it to start pretty slowly, but then it follows the good ol' formula of long build up, climax, quick resolution, enticing surprise at the very end. I did have this book for a while and kind of just left it unread on my Kindle, but with the somewhat unexpected addition of mild violence it was enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews