Kerfuffle: Book 11

Aldo Zelnick #11

by Karla Oceanak, Kendra Spanjer (Illustrations)

Cue the trumpets! As the legendary 5th grade medieval banquet at Dana Elementary nears, 11-year-old Aldo Zelnick and his friends Jack and Bee develop knight fever, don homemade armor, and undertake quests as simple as cleaning up trash in the neighborhood park, as chivalrous as helping a family in a financial pinch, and as heroic as confronting a new kid with knavish intentions.

Meanwhile, Easter is also coming, and Aldo keeps catching glimpses of a fluffy white tail…

This eleventh installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series also includes a glossary of fun and challenging “K words,” such as klutz, kowtow, and keister.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

Karla Oceanak is the author of the Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series, which has been honored with a Colorado Book Award, a Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Regional Book Award, an IndieNext selection, and other accolades. She has worked as a writer and editor for more than twenty years and has authored more than 100 books, some of which have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Hebrew. Karla and her husband, Scott, live in Colorado with their three teenage boys in a house strewn with ping-pong balls, cell phone chargers, video games, books, and dirty socks.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nine-year-old has adored the audacious Aldo books for the past two years. Kerfuffle arrived Thursday and we devoured (most of) it together (before bedtime intervened). Luckily we were able to finish it before school started Friday morning! Neither of us wanted to put it down - it's entertaining for kids and adults alike.

This series is one of my son's favorites. It's inspiring how this series that started out hilarious and smart with "Artsy-Fartsy" just keeps getting better. Against a backdrop of a the Dana Elementary 5th-grader's medieval fair, our favorite characters decide to be the heroic knights of Jackalope Junction. In this Easter episode (with no Easter Bunny spoilers), they solve mysteries and explore the complexities of human nature. My 9-year-old son says "this is really awesome. I recommend it for anyone who likes suspense and mystery." As a parent, I love how the authors subtly sneak apt and amusing vocabulary into the stories, and how the characters are multi-dimensional.

We'll be sending this book to lots of family friends for Easter this year.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel compelled to say that I am the teensiest bit biased when it comes to this series as I work with its creators. But! I am also committed to keeping my review honest. So there you have it.

Kerfuffle is the 11th installment in the Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel series. Now that Aldo is a 5th grader, he gets to participate in the Dana Elementary Medieval Faire along with his friends, Jack and Bee. The three of them decided to adopt their own knights code in preparation for the coming festivities. Aldo finds his knightly qualities put to the test by his brother's knavish new friend.

As an adult reading a book way below their reading level, I can honestly say reading these books is never boring. They are smart and clever and the added vocabulary element sometimes makes me feel like a dolt ( I mean come on, who ever uses the word kvetching or kammererite?). I find the Aldo books are kind of like those movies that are supposed to be for kids but there are plenty of those adult jokes that kids won't really get for the right reason but adults love.

We see Aldo grow up through these books and Kerfuffle finds Aldo in a situation where he is definitely forced to grow up a bit. These books do a great job of touching on tough issues without shoving a moral down your throat or being too preachy one way or the other. They are a nice balance of fun and learning.

~Ren

[American Mensa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book’s title suits it well, it definitely is a great kerfuffle! A kerfuffle is a commotion and this book surely is one. With knights and Easter parties (and possibly a juvenile criminal!) it is written to be extremely funny (which it really, truly is). Aldo Zelnick’s grade, the fifth to be exact, hosts an annual medieval tournament. So, he and his two friends become knights. Amazing deeds, dragons, heroics, glory! But, there's a problem, where do you begin? And then there’s the Easter bunny thing. After a hilarious incident during Aldo’s childhood, the Easter bunny is the main character on “Easter’s most wanted”. This is a great book for kids and adults older than 7 years old. This great book has a funny plot and wonderful pictures to match.
Review by Masha, age 10, Boston Mensa

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun edition. As the cover says, "Knight or knave...sometimes the right choice takes medieval style courage." It is hard to know what to do as we're growing up... Courage and know what the right choice is. Tricky! I wonder if kids keep sketchbooks like this - or if these stories will inspire them to do it. Maybe I should give it a try.