Pictureland

Matthew and Mason Adventures #2

by Alan Cook

Matthew and Mason are intrigued by the painting on their wall, and with the help of Amy,a girl in the picture, they enter the land behind the painting. What they find there is
a dystopian world far different from the idyllic picture, where people have chips in their heads and thought control is practiced. The three must attempt to destroy the
people who are in control of the tyranny before they are thrown into the Bloody Towerwhere dissidents are imprisoned, or, in the case of the boys, executed.

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2014

About the author

Alan Cook is an author of mystery/suspense novels and young adult/Children's books. However, his latest novel is a comedy, ROCKY ROAD TO DENVER, set in 1968. His novella, DEATH AT MONKSREST, takes place in England in the 1960s and is the third book of the Charlie and Liz series. EAST OF THE WALL takes places in East Germany in 1963 when the Berlin Wall was up. It is the second book in the Charlie and Liz series. TRUST ME IF YOU DARE, the first Charlie and Liz novel, takes place in 1962 in the U.S. and Cuba. YOUR MOVE is the seventh Carol Golden book. A serial killer is on the loose. FOOL ME TWICE is the sixth Carol Golden book. It deals with scams, and we've all been fooled. GOOD TO THE LAST DEATH is the fifth Carol Golden novel. It deals with junk science. HIT THAT BLOT, with a backgammon theme, is the fourth Carol Golden novel. DANGEROUS WIND is the third Carol Golden novel. It takes place on all seven continents. RELATIVELY DEAD and FORGET TO REMEMBER, the first two, are about a young woman who loses her memory and calls herself Carol Golden. His short story, "Checkpoint Charlie," is in the anthology, MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PRESENTS ICE COLD: TALES OF INTRIGUE FROM THE COLD WAR, edited by Jeffery Deaver and Raymond Benson. PICTURELAND, is a Young Adult novel that takes place in a dystopian world. DANCING WITH BULLS, his first children's book, takes place at Knossos Palace on the island of Crete 4,000 years ago. YOUR MOVE is he seventh Carol Golden book, in which Carol is asked to help track down a serial killer. RUN INTO TROUBLE has won a Silver Quill award from the American Author's Association and was named best Pacific West book by Reader Views. It is about an ultra-marathon along the California coast in 1969, during the Cold War. But is the Cold War about to heat up? HONEYMOON FOR THREE, has received a Silver Quill award from the American Author's Association and was named best Mountain West book by Reader Views. WALKING THE WORLD: MEMORIES AND ADVENTURES has been named one of the "Top 10 Walking Memoirs and Tales of Long Walks" by walking.about.com

Reviews

[Anne-Marie McDonagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a more complex tale than the first in the series, and this book doesn't have a historical setting. It's very good, but it almost felt like a different set of brothers.

[Wildbriar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopian themes are the current rage in YA books, but usually the setting is make-believe and it's easy to buy into the world of the author without worrying that it could happen to us. Pictureland is a bit closer to home. Although most of us haven't had the experience of going into a painting much like Alice entered Wonderland, what Matthew and Mason find there (chips in the heads of the people collecting their thoughts) sounds similar enough to today's headlines to be jarring. However, this is a rollicking good adventure, and the only question is whether the boys will be equal to the challenge of righting this world with the help of their pretty companion from the picture, Amy.

[Ellen Piano · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pictureland" is absolutely delightful! Not only is it a fun read about two teens who "disappear" through a favorite picture on the living room wall, but it weaves in issues of freedom and the value of laws to create a civil society. A painless way, a fun way to experience what the Constitution means. Excellent for middle school and high school students. Social studies teachers would find this a very useful book for reluctant readers.