Stranger Things Have Happened

by Jeff Strand

At 15, Marcus Millian III, the great-grandson of the famous Zachary the Stupendous, is already a talented illusionist. But when Marcus chokes during a card trick and leaves the audience unimpressed, prideful Zachary promises that he and Marcus are working on an illusion that will shock, stun, and astonish. That night, Zachary dies in his sleep.

To uphold the honor of Marcus's beloved great-grandfather, the show must go on, and Marcus will need to make a shark disappear in front of everybody. It would take a sorcerer to pull this off, but, hey, Marcus is the next best thing…right?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Humor, Contemporary, Horror

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Bram Stoker Award-winning author of a bunch of demented books, including PRESSURE, DWELLER, CLOWNS VS. SPIDERS, AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER, MY PRETTIES, the official novelization of ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, and lots of others!

Reviews

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this - it came at the right time in my life.

YA has never been this much fun - Strand deserves wider recognition for these.
Go into this with the right attitude, and you will giggle like a kid at times.

Highly recommend this to anybody who enjoys their humor more than the horror, though both are there in abundance.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranger Things Have Happened
by Jeff Strand
Narration by Kyle McCarley
This is a hilarious story with plenty of crazy characters, great banter, nutty ideas, goofy plot, yet it all comes together perfectly for an exciting read! I giggled and smiled throughout the story!
What helped the story was the multiple voices of this talented narrator! The voices! Oh my! They were perfect! I giggled just listening to them!
This is a story for middle grade or teens but I got a kick out of it too! Clean, funny, and a blast! Who wouldn't like a young magician, a pretty assistant, a would-be superhero, a shark, and a real life villain? Plus the many side characters that are really odd! Do yourself a favor, or someone else, pick up this Audible book!

[Noigeloverlord · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this magic trick Jeff Strand is gonna turn a YA book into a book that any adult will enjoy too!


This just might be my favorite Jeff Strand YA Novel

[Elisheva Rina · Rating 2 out of 5]

One star for each time I laughed while reading this book (twice). Every single character behaves the same way! They ramble about random things at the most inappropriate times! Which is supposed to be funny, but it's not funny if every person seems to be brain damaged in the same way. Ex: Bully: "I'm going to beat you up... Wait, you can do magic tricks! Show me more!" Antagonist: "I am going to kill you. Aren't I evil? Do you think I'm evil? What does evil mean, anyway?" Protagonist: "I wish I could do a cool magic trick. Hey, I like that girl! Hi, girl! I like you! Wait, did I say that aloud? Did she hear me? Hey, girl, did you hear me?" [Sorry, I forgot the name of the crush.] The crush: "Let me help you because I'm a good friend. I like you. That's so awkward! I'm so awkward! Are you feeling awkward? I know I am! Don't change the subject to sharks! I'm still feeling awkward!"

I have just summarized the book and now you don't have to read it. You're welcome.

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Stranger Things Have Happened wears its name very nicely... this was a strange little story, that I rather enjoyed.
FRC

[Mika Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

See full review on https://poshtofu.wordpress.com/2017/0...

This story contains oppressive themes like bullying, death, and murder or threats. Although these are expressed in a very light manner, I think people who go to review sites need to know about this to be warned of theses unwanted triggers.

At first, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this book because I’m not a huge fan of magic but I did because the author is freaking talented and has successfully put everything together perfectly! This book is one of the most entertaining and comical books I’ve ever read. I enjoyed reading the side stories that I think improved the plot of the story to a greater extent.

I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the dialogue being unnatural to some, but this didn’t bother me at all. I think books like this call for dialogues like that. If you know what I mean. I enjoyed the hilarious exchange of words between the characters. I enjoyed the word sequence, writing style and everything related to that.

The characters, villain or not, are interesting even though there is only a few information revealed about them. They are young but very smart for their age. I adore their growth and progress in this story. Let me explain:

Our Marcus started out as a very anxious boy with a very low self-esteem but he turned out to be the opposite in the end. He’s easily one of my two favorite characters.

The other one is Peter. Peter is a huge but gentle teenager. He lets other kids bully him in school to protect his secret identity, which is very funny by the way, but at the very end of the story, he decided not to take craps from his bullies anymore.

And the best transformation of all is Seamus’s. He went from being Sinister Seamus to becoming Snuggly Seamus. Awww! (I was kidding when I said transformation because *spoiler alert* his story didn’t have a nice ending. But it’s for the good of everyone though.)

The only thing I didn’t like much in this story is that the entire planning for the magic trick thing was very long and the performance itself is short. Other than that, this story is almost flawless and simple yet unforgettable. Especially for me!

This is the first Jeff Strand book I’ve read and I think I’d like to read more of his works. I recommend this to anyone who’s interested in magic, looking for a good/easy read, and simply wants to read a book because I’m sure you won’t regret picking up this one. 😉

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are preoccupied with categories and labels. Jeff Strand is hard to pin down since he has written in many genres. Yet there is one label that fits practically everything he has written. Humorist. His humor and wit are evident in practically everything he has released and even more so in his most recent books. At the present, he seems to be writing mostly in the Young Adult market and his novels all feature young teenagers struggling with the normal challenges of adolescence in unusual ways. Stranger Things Have Happened is no exception.

Marcus Millian III is a 15 year old boy who is obsessed with magic tricks. His great grandfather Zachary the Stupendous was a professional magician and encourages Marcus to be a magician to the point of betting a local theater manager that Marcus will perform an amazing illusion. Unfortunately, Zachary passes away before the trick is created by them. That leaves Markus on his own to create an illusion that will be the greatest ever performed. He will make a killer shark vanish on stage! There are a few problems though. He doesn't have a shark or a shark tank , has no idea how he will pull off the stunt if he did, and he has a tendency to get stage fright.

So maybe the challenge of making a shark vanish in front of your eyes isn't a normal adolescent fear. However, anxiety in public venues is, living up to the expectations of your elders is, and certainly being the magic nerd , or any kind of nerd, in high school subject to bullies is. Marcus takes all this in stride and, graced by the author's wit and imagination, may actually get through it all somehow.

Stranger Things has Happened is a fun read. Marcus is likeable and just smart enough, even if he seems to have a bad habit of getting into bad situations. The rest of the characters serve their purpose. There is not much development here except for the main protagonist. But while Strand's other recent YA novels stayed in the realm of reality for the most part, this one seems to stretch the boundaries. A little too many weird situations happens. There is a ridiculously evil magician who is probably a close cousin to Count Olaf or Snidely Whiplash. Marcus' new friend Peter has a secret that he doesn't always use to the best advantage. Most annoying to me were three bullies who probably talked more than any bullies I've ever encountered. Finally, there is a climax that seems a bit over the top even for Strand. It is all in the best of fun but I preferred Strand's other YA novels., especially The Greatest Zombie Movie ever, where the fun and wit is centered on a more believable scenario.

Overall though, this is a fun and fast read and should have teenagers and slightly younger kids giggling on every page. There is no real violence aside from some bully payback of the mild kind. and no sex going farther than the first kiss so parents can choose this book with having any discomfort and feel comfortable reading it themselves.It is a good novel for younger teenagers and even adults will give some laughs out of it.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book.

As with all of Jeff Strand's books, I like this one. He has a crazy good way of writing snappy dialogue that begs to be read out loud. His books are also very good for reluctant readers. Be ready to giggle and get some feels. I also have to say, his books would make great movies!!! Super fun!

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this while choked with the cold. It cheered me up no end.

[Jarrod Scarbrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit that I'm a sucker for fun, quirky YA fiction from time to time. Stranger Things Have Happened fit that bill for me this week! If you enjoy magicians, evil villains, don't be teenagers, geeky teen romance, sharks, card tricks, and whitty banter, then run, don't walk to the nearest Kindle or Audible device (or bookstore if you are into tree murder) and get this book. Go on, you know you wanna...

[Jana|جنى · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, a children's book made me laugh so loud in the middle of a class.

[Ashrith Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sort of liked this book because at some points it was boring but some times it was very exciting and sometimes suspenseful. I think that there are two themes in this book. One theme is that bin life there are always going too be obstacles. The other them is that sometimes it is good to have someone doubting you cause it may push you to work harder and try to prove them wrong.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty flat

[D . · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny book with good characters.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Stranger Things Have Happened" is a light-hearted book with some very heavy themes. Marcus is a 15-year-old high school freshman, destined for greatness- if only not for his stage fright. His great-grandfather Zachary the Stupendous has been grooming him to follow his steps as a master magician/illusionist since he was a year old. At a charity event, Zachary volunteers Marcus to perform a trick, and he does a card trick that wows the audience. Afterwards, a competing old magician (Bernard) says he isn't that great and Zachary leaps to defend him and challenges him to a bet that Marcus can amaze and wow- in a couple months. Zachary tells Marcus that he will help him- but then that night he dies in his sleep.

At the funeral, Bernard offers to let Marcus out of the bet, but Marcus decides to continue on in Zachary's memory. Soon, Marcus is trapped in a difficult situation- he has a short amount of time to come up with an amazing illusion, without Zachary the Stupendous to help. To make it more complicated, Sinister Seamus (a murderer and 77-year-old magician) makes the bet more interesting by threatening to kill Marcus if he fails. This scene is weirdly comedic/surreal.

This was possibly one of the oddest books I have ever read (and I don't mean this as an insult), particularly in terms of dialogue, where the characters said things that I doubt such a character would say (e.g. a high school freshman female when seeing some bullies fighting with a weaker character just says, "Enjoy the rest of your conflict" before leaving and the boys continue to argue over the date at which they would be allowed to punch the kid again). Additionally, all the characters had the same odd dialogue style, so it didn't really vary from person to person (e.g. not just a couple odd characters but all of them). The whole book felt very surreal as a result.

There are some very heavy themes enclosed, including child neglect, murder/threats, mugging, bullying, and death of a loved one. However, the dialogue and descriptions are so odd/surreal that it doesn't carry the gravitas that you would expect. I still can't decide whether I enjoyed it or not, but it was certainly interesting, and I read all the way to the end to see whether Marcus would be able to pull off his trick! Aside from the surreal dialogue, the writing style flows very well and carries you quickly through the book- it's easy to read in one or two sittings.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Kyle Feuerbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Jeff Strand and his work (Very biased). This is another example of a very fun ride written by him. His stories tend to be a bit far fetched, but that is the point! This story was, like so many of his others, witty, fast paced, and a good time. As always, I really enjoyed my time reading Jeff Strand's Stranger Things Have Happened!

[Abby Boogie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book for people who like logic and details that make stories seem somewhat logical. The my brain kept screaming things like, "You can't just glue together a shark tank from scrap glass!" and "Why is no one making sure the water is salted so the shark doesn't die?" and it honestly ruined the book a bit. The parts I wanted to know more details about were totally glossed over, but then there would be tons of detail about random interactions with grumpy extraneous characters. This made for a distracting and dissatisfying read overall.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really torn between 3 and 4 stars. I went with 4 because I laughed out loud so many times. The story itself was really ridiculous. There was no way any of it would happen, but the way it's written just puts a smile on your face.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus Millian the III has been practicing all of his 15 years of life to be a magician. He longs to take after his Great Grandpa Zachary who gained fame as Zachary the Stupendous. However, he has a few problems…including his severe stage fright. He once threw up in elementary school when he had to give an oral book report.

Yet Great Grandpa Zachary has always encouraged Marcus to keep practicing his tricks. He’s so proud of Marcus that when he runs into his old nemesis, Bernard Pinther, Great Grandpa Zachary bets that in 8 weeks Marcus can perform “a bewildering illusion that will shock, stun, and astonish everybody.” The price of this bet…his Great Grandpa’s honor.

This story is told in great comedic fashion that reminds me of The Princess Bride. Marcus definitely doesn’t take himself too seriously, and how can he when everything always seems to go so wrong.

When Great Grandpa Zachary dies the next day, Marcus decides to honor his memory by fulfilling his promise. At his great grandpa’s funeral, Marcus encounters an elderly evil magician called Sinister Seamus who for the terror of it, decides that if Marcus fails to impress with his magic trick that he will kill Marcus.

As the date of the magic trick looms closer, Sinister Seamus ups the ante by creating posters for the event and moving up the date so Marcus now only has two weeks to prepare his trick.

What does Marcus choose to do for his illusion? Easy…make a shark vanish! Marcus figures with the right pool and using mirrors and a hidden hatch, he can make it seem like the shark has disappeared.

Lucky for Marcus he’s befriended the new kid Peter--a big guy who gets bullied and refuses to fight back. It turns out Peter has some building skills. Also, Marcus’s unrequited crush, Kimberly, promises to find him a shark. Unfortunately for Marcus, he’s also ticked off three senior bullies who walk around making threats in a Three Stooges kind of way.

In short, you have an evil elderly magician, Three Stooges who bully, and a humorous encounter with a shark afficiando…what could possibly go wrong? Oh, did I mention the crime-fighting witch that Marcus encounters? Or maybe, just maybe…Marcus can make his great grandpa proud despite of all the entertaining obstacles.

Give this to Swim the Fly fans or any kid looking for some underdog humor.

[Raygun ∆ Gothic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me assure you: if you assumed no one would be attacked by a shark in this book, have I got some news for you, my friends...

This book is almost too funny. My brain wasn't able to recover from one gag fast enough to deal with a new gag. I had to stop myself from writing down everything and just enjoy it. It's like an 8-hour comedy sketch. But then it sucker punches you right in chapter 3.

Though technically a ya book, it reads as if aimed at a specifically middle school aged audience....you know, like a Rick Riordan book full of old man humor.

I LOVE GRANDPA ZACHARY SO MUCH.

Grandpa can get a bit heated when challenged:

"Marcus, fetch me my machete!"

"This magic trick will melt your underused brain. The collective gasp from the audience will generate hurricane force winds! When my great-grandson takes his final bow, not one pair of pants in the entire auditorium will remain un-pooped!"

Even the villains are zany af:
"Don't let me die this way! It's memorable but undignified!"

Peter is super moe:

Marcus: "I won't even make fun of you in my mind."

Peter: "I'm not good at ending conversations, so I'm just going to go." Peter turned and walked away.

"I feel like I'm missing something," said Kimberly.

"I wore a witch mask to fight crime," said Peter.

This Is the kind of book where all of the adversaries are strangely cooperative. I mean, case in point, these are some weirdly reasonable bullies who are able to be dissuaded by you saying that your heart just wouldn't be in it if they beat you up.

This book reminds me of Better off Nate probably my favorite book series in the entire world, because every single conversation is a drawn-out improv gag. That sounds like it could easily be really painful, but it's pretty enjoyable.

I mean Get Smart is super predictable, but still fun. It's like that.

Everyone always jumps to the weirdest conclusions:

Marcus's Mom walks into his room and is like, "why is there a pillow on your desk?"

Marcus says, "I'm planning a trick."

Mom's like, "it's not a smothering trick, is it?"

[Shannon Everyday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranger Things Have Happened is a sweet, fun, heartfelt story about Marcus, who wants to be a Magician, following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather Zachary. During a fundraiser, Marcus gets pressed into going onto stage to perform a magic trick. Afterwards, an old rival of Zachary's, says that Marcus will never be a great magician, leading Zachary to make a bet that Marcuse will perform an astounding illusion. The book follows Marcus as he tries to come up and create his magic trick, and all the mayhem it entails. Jeff Strand always has a way with words and dialogue and this was no exception. For a fun read with hear, about growing up, and not letting people stand in the way of your dreams, this is a great read.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is meant to be a YA book, I’m more so a OA. But there is a part of my brain that still enjoys YA books. So I’m reviewing from that perspective.

First off, Many of the characters use similarly sarcastic dialog. Not that I don’t enjoy the repartee between characters, I just believe each character should have its own personality. The only character with a truly unique personality is Marcus’ overly concerned loving mom. Maybe the Dad too but he had maybe only two lines. Further, some of the characters’ personalities are way over the top, but I’m reasonably sure that is intentional.

The narration is Strand’s typically delightful wit, which I can’t get enough of.

This is not one of my favorite Strand books but it’s still a fun read, especially if you are a YA.

[Joannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were parts where I laughed at the dialogue, but mostly I couldn't connect with the story or the characters. I had a feeling of the story going nowhere.

It's not necessarily Strand's fault, but I wasn't sure what story he was trying to tell.

Right now I can't even tell if I Have A Bad Feeling About This, was badly written. I'll read a few reviews by others. Maybe that'll completely change my opinion about this book.

I'm sorry I didn't find this book as entertaining as How You Ruined My Life. I really want to like Strand's writing. I should like his writing based on descriptions of his writing style.

[mandyfujita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great grandpa Zachary was once the legendary Zachary the Stupendous. He has been teaching Marcus magic tricks all his life. At one fundraiser, a bet between Grandpa Zachary and his arch enemy Bernard Pinther was made. It was for Marcus to amaze the theater audience with a spectacular magic trick.
Honor was on the line. The problem was Marcus had 8 weeks to find or create this great event without the help of great grandpa since he died in his sleep a few days after the bet was made.

[Carla A · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of wait what? randomness in this title. Especially Sinister Seamus. I will not disagree with any of the negative comments because most of what they say is true but they were not deal breakers for me, because well witch mask wearing crime fighting gone so so wrong and the afore mentioned Sinister Seamus.

[Doug Lewars · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is classified as YA but frankly I think it should be classed as Juvenile Fiction. Children up to eight or nine might enjoy it but I think anyone older will likely walk away. The author created a reasonably good fifteen-year-old but the supporting cast is a bit too over-the-top for the YA group.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh- an ok book. I think it would be a fun audio to listen too, but too read- ugh. Marcus's inner dialog was annoying- and the backtracking. Also I do have a plot quibble they filled the shark tank with hose water- WHAT? Salt water not hose water. I can do better editing.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful middle-grade book to read. I adored how hilarious it was. I literally laugh out loud a few times. I would recommend it. Especially if you want to read or listen to a book as a family.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Either you get it, or you don't. I thought it was hysterical, middle school boy humor at its best! I will definitely be booktalking this on Monday!! If you didn't like it, I'm not sure we can be friends any more :)

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being focused on kids, I'm not sure how my daughter would feel about reading this one. I quite enjoyed it, but maybe knowing the depravities Strand's mind is capable of have added a sense of caution to my reading.