Stop! Do Not Read This Book

by Robyn Opie Parnell

Sam hates to read. She hates books.

Unfortunately for Sam, her family are bookworms, her mom writes children's books and her teacher thinks reading is important.

Every day is a battle for Sam to avoid reading and to keep her secret. Life gets so bad, Sam is ready to move to Antarctica.
Instead, Sam is about to have the most embarrassing experience of her life. Will she survive?

Stop! Do not read this book -- and help Sam keep her secret.

103 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 23, 2012

About the author

Robyn Opie Parnell is the author of 94 books for children and adults, and 3 feature film screenplays. Robyn's credits include the Amazon number one best-sellers Dialogue: The Ultimate Writers' Guide, The Easy Way to Write Picture Books That Sell, Making Your Writing Sparkle: Self-editing for New Authors, and Show, Don't Tell: The Ultimate Writers' Guide.

Reviews

[Warren Thurston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam has two pet hates, books and having her mum call her Samantha. In fact everyone in Sam’s house loves books. They are devoted to the written word so much that even when the electricity is off they use candles to see to read. But worst of all her mum writes books.

Sam likes to watch DVD’s and play computer games. Reading is not for her, even at school. She always finds a way to escape to the sick bay. The school nurse is almost her best friend.

The family pet, Huckleberry the Dachshund, has a farting problem that young readers will enjoy. Sam thinks his gaseous explosions are chemical weapons of mass destruction. Finally the family takes Huckleberry to an Earth Therapist for treatment. To their relief his farting becomes less frequent and smelly.

Fate strikes a double blow at Sam. Her mum is about to launch her new book. Sam is distressed when her mum comes into the classroom to talk about the book. The class thinks that the girl in the story, who has a bed-wetting problem, is really Sam. Sam denies this but her denial reinforces her friends’ belief that the girl is her.

This misunderstanding leads to series of incidents, including a fight with her best friend Emma, which causes a lot of grief and embarrassment for Sam. She sinks into a world filled with frustration. Her mother’s effort to help Sam makes matters worse. Sam hates her lot in life and is desperate to find a solution to her own secret problem. The story has a twist that will delight readers and make them happy for Sam.

Robyn Opie Parnell has written a delightful tale of about the trials of growing up with a problem that is hard to share. Her choice of words make the story sparkle and builds a strong empathy between the reader and Sam.

This is a book I highly recommend for all middle grade readers.

[Vickianne Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is about a girl who comes from a family of readers, though she is not one of them. Her mother is an author and while some children would be proud, she finds it embarrassing. The book helps show the reader that just because they have a disability, it doesn't mean they need to be embarrassed. The story is well-written, humorous in many spots and in the point of view of the teenage character. Her dog Hound is also a huge delight and does a great job supporting her as comic relief with his affliction. There were some parts in the story that I did not see coming and they were hilarious! My daughter could not stop laughing throughout the book and it was hard to put the book down. We look forward to reading more of the author's stories and hope they are just as much of a delight as this one was.