Wand Paper Scissors Origin

The Amazing Adventures of Harry Moon

by Mark Andrew Poe

Harry Moon is up to his eyeballs in magic in the small town of Sleepy Hollow. His archenemy, Titus Kligore, has eyes on winning the Annual Scary Talent Show. Harry has a tough job ahead if he is going to steal the crown. He takes a chance on a magical rabbit who introduces him to magic. Harry decides that the best way forward is to DO NO EVIL and the struggle to defeat Titus, this battle turns epic.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic

206 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2017

About the author

Harry Moon author Mark Andrew Poe never thought about being a children’s writer growing up. His dream was to love and care for animals, specifically his friends in the rabbit community.

Along the way, Mark became successful in all sorts of interesting careers. He entered the print and publishing world as a young man and his company did really, really well.

Mark became a popular and nationally sought-after health care advocate for the care and well-being of rabbits.

Years ago, Mark came up with the idea of a story about a young man with a special connection to a world of magic, all revealed through a remarkable rabbit friend. Mark worked on his idea for several years
before building a collaborative creative team to help bring his idea to life. And Harry Moon was born.

In 2014, Mark began a multi-book print series project intended to launch Harry Moon into the youth marketplace as a hero defined by a love for a magic where love and ‘DO NO EVIL’ live. Today, Mark continues to work on the many stories of Harry Moon. He lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and his 25 rabbits.

Reviews

[Shai · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this first book in the Harry Moon series, I can't stop turning the page because the author, Mark Andrew Poe, did a good job on making this a page-turner. Harry Moon is an 8th grader who loves magic and he joined the annual talent show in their school. But it's not that easy to win if you are competing with Titus, the son of the Mayor of their town. Not to mentioned that Titus is always trying to bully Harry whenever he can just to scare him from no longer joining. But due to a turn of events, Harry and Titus made peace at each other in the end. I was able to finished this book within an hour and I'm really satisfied with what this book contains.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m conflicted about this book. I like the idea of living in a town where it’s perpetually Halloween. I’d previously read another book in this series, Harry’s Christmas Carol, and quite enjoyed that so I had fairly high hopes for this, the first book in the series.

Harry is performing his magic show at his school’s annual Scary Talent Show but Titus, school bully and the evil mayor’s son, has other ideas. Titus is desperate to win and is prepared to do whatever it takes to make Harry withdraw from the show. Add to that a strange mix of magic and Christianity, a talking rabbit and some questionable content.

Quite a few things had me scratching my head including:

* Why this quote was included in the first place and how it made it through the editing process.

Hao was the newbie when he moved to town in the third grade. “Are you black or Asian or Indian or what?” asked Bailey when Hao came into the third grade classroom.

* When Harry gets told he needs to rise above name calling after telling his parents about the school bully accosting him on his way home from a rehearsal, lifting him into the air and cutting off some of his hair with sheep shears.

* I’m not sure what 16 year old girl is going to be excited about being a magician’s assistant for a 13 year old boy she used to babysit at his middle school talent show. I’m also not sure how I feel about them kissing.

* There are multiple obvious Harry Potter parallels, the most obvious of which is the whole wizard in training called Harry thing. Harry also manages to walk past people undetected because he was able to make his cape and anything under it invisible.

* It’s mentioned that Harry is aware of another boy being physically abused by his father, which is then passed over with Harry thinking about how lucky he is that his father doesn’t hit him. Meanwhile this other kid is wandering around with welts.

Despite my problems with this book I quite liked the illustrations. My favourite was the row of pumpkins, with the one on the end winking.



Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this book. I am rounding up from 2.5 stars.

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This very easily could have gotten a one star rating from me, but when I'm reading children's books I try to think 'would I like this as a child' and then sometimes that bumps the rating up a bit. I still think you would have to be a VERY young child to enjoy this though. Usually I look at the age of the characters in the book - 13 in this case - and try to decide 'would I have liked this book at that age?' In this case the answer is a resounding no. Although if I remember correctly I was actually reading Lord of the Rings at that age so maybe I'm a poor example. But even if you compare it to other popular stories in the same age group like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter [and you're going to get comparisons to Harry Potter if you write a middle grade book with a wizard named Harry] it still falls incredibly short. I could maybe see a 7 or 8 year old enjoying this I guess, although there are certainly much better things they could be reading at the same level. I feel like this book definitely 'talks down' to children and that's not something I appreciate.

The premise is interesting at first glance but there aren't many details and the ones that are there seem to be liberally 'borrowed' from other big name franchises. There's also a bunch of weird stuff thrown in about God and church and Sunday School that I feel the author only put there because of Christian backlash to things like Harry Potter and seem completely out of place with the magical mood that the author is trying to convey. Also there's a ~token diversity character~ who is mentioned like twice by the name of Hao and at one point Harry remembers meeting him and how one of his friends asked 'are you black or Asian or Hispanic or what' and apparently this is just seen as a normal and polite way to phrase that question, despite the fact that it's literally none of their business and doesn't need to be asked in the first place. We understood that the character wasn't white from the name alone, that weird exchange didn't need to be added. Especially since he wasn't a real character anyway and really just made it more obvious how completely white the rest of the cast was.

If I was rating this solely for myself it would probably get a one star but like I said, I can conceivably see this as being enjoyable to a VERY young child so I decided to be 'nice' and give it a two.

[D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoa, buddy, are there some serious issues with this book. Like deeply troubling issues.

So to start, I’m not sure who the target audience is. On Goodreads it’s listed under children’s but Harry’s in 8th grade and is 13 years old. I would probably peg this as being for someone in the 7/8/9 age range and while it’s not uncommon for kids to read up the age of the protag and style of writing don’t seem to fit.

Combatting bullying is the main theme of this book. Harry’s the one on the receiving end of said bullying. The thing is, the bullying in this book is a bit outdated. That’s not to say bullying isn’t still a physical problem, but it’s definitely moved more into the realm of the psychological and insidious, taking place online and outside of school where the bullied can’t escape. HARRY MOON doesn’t even touch on that. The bullying Harry received is taunting and then Titus, the bully, holds him down and shears his head with a pair of sheep shears.

So that’s assault and the police would be involved if that were to happen. That’s not something that you treat with kindness and you have a touchy-feely conversation with your kid over a sundae about. That’s press charges territory. And electronics are a thing in this world. The kids have cell phones and laptops and everything but cyber bullying doesn’t exist, apparently.

That was my first thought when I read that scene but I’m like okay. This book is obviously not going there. It has a message to tell and it’s going to tell it. Fine. So I kept reading and it was going along okay. I was really afraid there was going to be some godly moralizing going on based on the marketing material I had for it, but that’s actually kept to a minimum. I just thought it’s kind of weird that magic and religion to that extent are co-existing in the same book. As an outsider they seem very antithetical to me. But whatever.

And then we get to Sarah, Harry’s former babysitter and assistant for his magic act. Initially I didn’t think anything about their relationship. They’re only three years apart and I imagine she just stopped babysitting for him and she’s just kind of humoring him in a big sister sort of way with being his assistant and being encouraging. Of course Harry’s crushing on her hardcore but for most of the time she’s very adamant that they’ll always have that age difference and nothing will come of his crush.

Until she kisses him. On the lips. To which I went



Why? Because she’s 16 and drives and is in high school and Harry’s 13. Of course he’s over the moon about this and she actually shows some intent there and I’m just like:


Because I’m pretty sure it’s illegal in most states. This should not be in a children’s book as being okay. At all. Because it’s pedophilia. Thing is you can age them up and it would be less of an issue (if they’re in their 20s). But he’s THIRTEEN. She’s SIXTEEN. This is what Lifetime movies are made of. No. This is not sweet and awww and how cute. This is fucking gross.

And then you have the effectively morally superior Harry talking about do no evil and only using his magic for good. And there’s this paragraph at the end where some of his friends got in trouble and he’s looking at one friend in particular standing with his very angry dad and he thinks about all the welts that the kid comes to school with and how he lies about them to cover them up. And Harry just kind of turns his back on it and thinks about how thankful he is that his parents don’t beat him and basically sucks for his friend but THAT’S not the kind of evil Harry’s going to be fighting.


This book does not fit in the current market. At all. Its message is antiquated at best, downright ignorant at worst. There are elements added effectively to add detail that just end up raising eyebrows. I mean yeah, show some “diversity” in characters in how not everyone has a great home life but dropping little tidbits about how one of Harry’s friends gets the shit beaten out of him by his dad and have Harry, who’s on a crusade against evil, just ignore that, is not the way to go about adding detail to flesh out characters.

And then the “love interest.”


No. That’s horrifying. People go to jail for shit like that.

Update your thinking, guy. This book is indicative of the author not understanding what kids these days are going through or how to address them. This is not a well-represented book on bullying for multiple reasons. It’s so out of touch and so whimsical with a serious issue while outright ignoring other very heinous problems that I just can’t take it seriously as any kind of lesson book. It teaches nothing that a kid can use that would be pertinent to their lives.

Missed the mark on this one. Big time.

1

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading a lot of children books and this one sounded interesting like the other Harry Moon book I read. And again, I felt disapointed. This series isn't for me! I didn't like it again and the Honey Moonseries isn't for me as well. The illustrations were good like the other book.

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Congratulations to Harry Moon: Wand-Paper-Scissors for being the most messed-up book I’ve ever read.

No seriously.

Issues:
-Harry is a wizard. Need I say more Potterheads?
-Harry’s hair is cut off by a bully and he magically grows it back in a few hours. (I can tell this author never read Harry Potter 🙄)
-What age is this written for? The illustrations and word choice suggest 8-12 years old yet there were jokes that educated me, someone a few years older than the age. Oh, and what book for young kids should be talking about ‘dog crap’?
-the Deep Magic. Recognize this Narnians?
-Harry starts going on about a kid’s race who really is not part of the book at all. There was a full page of Harry trying to figure it out. Really? I think the author just wanted diversity points.
-Harry knows that a classmate is regularly beaten at home and he just says ‘I’m glad my parents don’t do that.” Aghhh!!! NO NO NO. This is so wrong.
-Completely Random Bible References. I’m a Christian but this was all so forced and I’m not quite sure why it was there.
-was this edited? The writing is all hoppy-skippy
-Sarah. I have issues with everything about her. She used to be Harry’s babysitter. She is sixteen and a junior in high-school. She drives and kisses Harry? SHE KISSES HIM. Let me remind you, Harry is in 8th grade. She is a junior. Is this even legal?
-Harry acts like he’s in elementary school.

The one thing I liked was a joke that this age range wouldn’t even understand.

[Sofi Benitez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the first time I saw a Harry Moon book because the fun title immediately captured my attention. Wand - Paper - Scissors, is a coming out of age story of our hero, Harry Moon and his fun adventures in the spooky town of Sleeping Hollow, Massachusetts. The core values found in the book teaches readers about how to properly deal with bullies and how good friendships can mend any past mistakes. So, as a sister of a 10-year-old boy, I totally recommend this book not only for entertaining purposes but for an excellent lesson on proper principles and values.

[Jennie Geiman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that the concept of this book was excellent. Harry is a strong role model of kindness in compassion so I would recommend this to my 3rd graders. However, Harry is an 8th grader but his voice sounded much younger. I think the author wrote the children how he thinks they should sound not how they actually do. As a result Harry’s character was more fitting of a 3rd grader than an eighth grader.

[ChrisGA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first-in-a-series book about a boy named Harry should appeal to its target audience of middle-grade readers. The cover and illustrations throughout are humorous and likely to attract a child’s initial attention to the book. My thirty years of teaching 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds lead me to suspect that this aged reader will be able to relate to Harry and his life: being bullied, being picked last for sports, being too short, being annoyed by a know-it-all little sister and having a name that provokes teasing. Even the potty-mouth, trash talking seems authentic. So when you add to the mix the allure of magic, you have a book that should engage the reader. What kid hasn’t wished for the ability to wave a wand and make rabbits fly, get the best of a bully, or be hailed as a hero?

There is the issue of magic in a Christian book. Harry’s mother is concerned with his magic as dabbling in the occult. This reminds me of the beloved Narnia series by C.S. Lewis which is filled with magic and mythical creatures but still delivers a powerful Christian message in each adventure. Harry is taught to Do No Evil and that there is a deeper magic embodying the fruit of the spirit, especially self-control. The preface explains that “a sly and evil mayor found the powers of darkness helpful” in building their town into a money-making tourist attraction and that “a young, eighth-grade wizard, Harry Moon, is chosen by the powers of light to do battle against the mayor and his evil consorts.” As this is only the first book in the series, this struggle is only hinted at and presumably will be further developed in the later books. Much attention is given to the fact that Harry’s wand is made of almond wood just as the staff Moses used in the miracles of Exodus. Harry himself describes his magic this way: “It’s strange being visitors to this world. As hard as we try, we don’t quite get it. We still see glimpses of something more—a deeper magic. I see it in my little brother’s eyes. I see it in the beauty of the sunrise. But as hard as any of us try, we don’t ever have all the answers. So tonight. . . . I hope to take you through a doorway into that wonder that lies behind that sunrise.” I think C.S. Lewis would have enjoyed this book.

I received the book through The Book Club Network, but the opinions expressed are solely mine.

[Nicole M. Hewitt]

Honestly, I found this book disturbing in a few different ways. There's a kiss between an eighth-grader and his ex-babysitter (who is a junior in high school), an instance of micro-aggressive racism, and a random reference to child abuse that's brushed aside. Oh, and the main character is "bullied" by having his hair cut off with shears, resulting in multiple cuts on his head--Harry tells no one because he doesn't want to be a snitch, there are no consequences for the bully, and the two eventually become friends.

All of this is paired with Christian messaging, which (as a Christian) made me even more uncomfortable. The book lifts up some laudable values, but it does it in a way that seems like it could possibly do more harm than good. Normally I donate books I don't want to keep, but in this case, I found myself thinking I wouldn't want this book to end up in the hands of a random middle grade reader. With that in mind, I can't give this book any more than one star.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the author for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was given.***

[Anne Rightler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amazing Adventures of Harry Moon is a delightful story of Sleepy Hollow, Massachusetts, not the Headless Horseman New York town, and its annual Halloween Scary Talent Show. Harry Moon, an 8th grade would be magician has a lot to learn about magic and getting the right wand from the old man at the magic shop is just the beginning. Bullied and threatened by ginormous Titus, wielding hair snipping sheep shears, just may keep Harry and his magic tricks from the competition. Will his ex-babysitter, hopefully, future girlfriend, Sarah and Rabbit be able to save the day? Lessons of forgiveness, friendship and doing what is right no matter what are strong themes throughout the story and the tale will entertain children of all ages and perhaps their parents too! This book is definitely going to my grandchildren and I can't wait for the next adventure in the proposed series.
I received a copy of this book through The Book Club Network (bookfun.org) in exchange for my honest review. I have posted reviews on Amazon, Bookfun.org and GoodReads.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Amazing Adventure of Harry Moon was a delightful read that I think many children will enjoy and be able to relate to. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this and would recommend it to my children, their friends, and more. I think this is a great solution to encouraging strong morals and values that parents can be proud to support while still providing an entertaining and riveting story that will draw children in.

I received this book for free from the author and The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review. I have posted my review on Amazon, Goodreads, Deeper Shopping and Barnes and Noble.

[Eileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the most disappointing books I've read in a long time. Not only did it not contain a single original idea, it was just poor literature, as if it had been written by an 8th grader. Granted, there were some "life lessons" in the plot, but they could not offset some of the distasteful, even offensive language. The references made to Sunday school seemed awkward and contrived, as if the author simply included them in order to appeal to the Christian market. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

[Ethan · Rating 1 out of 5]

A completely horrible book. This book seems to be full of stuff beyond this age group.
1.) I cannot track this plot
2.) High schoolers speaking like kindergartners
3.) This is a cheap knockoff of Harry Potter
I am embarrassed I read this book. Therefore I give this book a one-star out of 5

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will not let my children read this book

[Constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I am trying to improve my Spanish through reading. Lucky for me, Mark Andrew Poe has successfully written and published in English "Wand, Paper, Scissors and in Spanish "Varita Papel Tijeras". Then our library discovered the Spanish version has gone missing. What a shame. If anyone has a copy collecting dust somewhere, please consider donating. I saw a truck today inscribed with the encouragement "Your books are bored. Donate them." So I am taking that as a 'sign' that this could happen. Forgive me if you can, for this is not really a review except in a round about way.

Así que estoy tratando de mejorar mi español a través de la lectura. Por suerte para mí, Mark Andrew Poe ha escrito y publicado con éxito en inglés "Wand, Paper, Scissors y en español" Varita Papel Tijeras ". Luego nuestra biblioteca descubrió que la versión en español se ha perdido. Qué pena. Si alguien tiene una copia que recolecta polvo en alguna parte, por favor considere donar. Vi un camión hoy inscrito con el aliento "Tus libros están aburridos. Donelas. "Así que lo tomo como una 'señal' de que esto podría suceder. Perdóname si puedes, porque esto no es realmente una reseña, excepto en una ronda de ida y vuelta.~Google Translate

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story about Harry Moon, an 8th grader who wants to be a magician. He lives in Sleepy Hollow, Ma - not the "real" Sleepy Hollow in New York. To take advantage of the confusion, the town's Mayor, who is also the father of the school bully, has changed the town to reflect spookiness, Halloween, and scary sights.
Each year there is a talent contest at school. Harry wants to win. The school bully, Titus, also wants to win. Harry has some real magic on his side - but will it be enough?
The story deals with bullies, friends, faith, and family. It is the first in a series. It will appeal to many middle grade students.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful and refreshing easy read about the main character, Harry Moon, who will star in a series about him and his magic. He's got a sister named Harvest and another named Honey and together his family lives in (the other) Sleepy Hollow we're he's learning about his magic from the local shop.

The adventures are easy and the characters are fun additions to Harry's own story. As explained by the publisher, these books are meant to teach lessons and I can appreciate the tidbits of life lessons imparted from our young protagonist.

[Sean L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had a nice plot because the bully always wanted to win and the main character got disqualified for using a rabbit for his magic act because of the bully so it was a great plot.
All the people at the magic show were displeased because the magic act was the best in Sleepy Hollow ever and it was actually magic.

It was a very inspiring book because he stood up to his bully and everyone was on his side including the teacher who had to disqualify him. I like how the bully got deserted by himself in the end with nobody on his side. And in the end all his support was gone.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to fall madly in love with this book. It had everything I wanted in a book for my daughter - an interesting world with a strong moral center. Unfortunately the writing was really awkward - the characters were mostly two-dimensional, and it seemed that sometimes information would be added out of order, as if forgotten in an earlier paragraph. I think this could have been something special, but as it stands it reads like a first draft in search of a rewrite and a really good editor.

[Steve Goerth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wand-Paper-Scissors is my absolute favorite kid's book. Although I loved the classics like "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" and "Where the Wild Things Are", the Harry Moon series and this book in particular has a ton of heart, is a good read and teaches life-lessons along the way. It is destined to be a classic of it's own!

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a story about good versus evil in a town where it is Halloween every day. Being the first in a series, it has background of the main character and his family. References to the Bible are thinly veiled although the lesson about "loving your enemy" is a good one. I am confused about who the audience would be for this book/series.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book odd. There were Biblical references mixed in with magic. I think the ending tied everything together with the fact that we should "Do No Evil". I am going to put this in my classroom library and I wouldn't say no to trying another book in this series or by this author.

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a series like this for a long time. Thoughtful funny story upholding the values we try to teach. Harry Moon is a must buy for kids.

[Snazzy Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 bow ties!

[Kajsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story about Harry and his adventures. This is a book that I would read for my children if I had any. :)

[Dan Hendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute elementary age book. It was great for reading as a family.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I personally did not enjoy this series (read 2-3 of the books). Read them with Sam at age 8, who thought they were just okay.

[Nora St Laurent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how Harry and his family were open with one another. They discuss all kinds of topics like “power”, “Power? Harry’s mom says. “The only “True Power comes from heaven above,” his mom, shakes her head and looks at Harry.

“Mom, you know that, and I know that. Elvis Gold doesn’t have real power. He is an illusionist. He is an expert at the sleight of hand.”….”He’s my hero.”

“Hero? Elvis Gold. The only hero you need is the good God above, Harry…”She left his room like she always did. Shaking her head. Of course, Mary loved Harry and likewise, Harry loved his Mom. They simply frustrated one another at times.”

I liked how the author talks about this aspect of family relationships and how family works. This is a coming of age story I enjoyed. Harry starts to look at the world around him with new eyes as he prepares to participate in the talent show. Harry has a close encounter of the magical kind inside the magic store. He talks about magic with his mom. She tells him to be careful magic could be a, “Darkness to turn young heads away from the truth..”…”Don’t you know that nothing is what it seems?”

I liked Harry and how he can talk to his parents about anything including the different kinds of magic. He has some fun adventures. I look forward to reading more. The town he lives in has been transformed to be “Spooky Town” in order to attract more tourists to their “Halloween-Sleep Hollow-“ The Garden tour has become “Spooky Tours”, The Harvest Hayrides are not “Haunted Hayrides”; Failing toy store is now Ghost Busters; They even renamed the street to Magic Row – Where spells, incantations and magic tricks are purchased. Harry loves magic. Harry wonders, “Was all magic an illusion? Were all the stories, video games and movies phony? Or was magic true? Mom tolerated magic. But she also knew that it was his destiny.”

Harry begins to listen to the rabbit the old man in the magic store gave him. He talks to Harry about many things like, “Forgiveness, loving neighbors as self-how to handle bullies, disappointments – Love and respect – Best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him your friend.” Harry struggles with these topics and wants to do the right thing.

The author states, “I was never the most popular kids in school. I spent a lot of my time in a barn when I was in middle school taking care of my rabbits. I think I was also a little bit on the outside. Maybe that’s why I relate to Harry so much. He has what it takes to stand up for what is right and isn’t afraid to do the hard thing, even as an outside. That’s pretty cool.”

“In life, we need a real friend like rabbit. There is a lot of value in knowing someone who is wise, who can help you through the tough times. That’s the point, I think, of these amazing adventures – life is better when you’ve got a friend who can help point the way..”…”Hero defined by a love for a magic where love and ‘Do No Evil’ live.”

Harry’s adventures remind me of Diary of a Wimpy kid except this story has a faith-based message. It opens up dialogue between parents and children that is important as they giggle and admire Harry has he faces hard things in school and life. That’s a win-win for everyone. I look forward to reading the next installment. Can’t wait to share this to my grandson.

Disclosure of Material Connection: #AD Sponsor
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF HARRY MOON: WAND-PAPER-SCISSORS

Series: The Amazing Adventures of Harry Moon - Book One

Author: Mark Andrew Poe

Type of Book: Hardcover

Length: 212 pages

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

ISBN: 978-1-943785-00-1

Price: $14.99

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story is great for it's target audience. Kids will enjoy this book.

I mean ... the lead character's name is "Harry Moon" and everyone knows that readers of a certain age will find his name absolutely hilarious. Who names their child "Hairy Moon" oops, I mean "Harry Moon". 'Potty humour' is always a hit with the target age group and the fact that Harry's sister's name is "Honey Moon" should also elicit fits of giggles. Well, it will if the kids reading it even know what a honeymoon is.

The illustrations throughout the book add to the overall enjoyment of a tale well told. They are just detailed enough to give the reader a sense of familiarity with the story and its characters.

Harry lives in the town of Sleepy Hollow. The town's mayor has used the name of the town to draw in tourists, half of whom are completely oblivious to the fact that "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was actually set in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Harry has always loved magic tricks and he really wants to enter and win the town's Spooky Talent Show.

However, Harry's arch-enemy and bully-extraordinaire, Titus Kilgore, is also planning to enter (and win) the talent show and, being the son of the town's mayor, Titus almost always gets what he wants.

Harry knows that he will have to put on the best magic show that the town's residents have ever seen if he is going to be able to convince them to vote for him rather than for the Mayor's son.

Meanwhile, Sleepy Hollow's mayor is up to no good and it looks like Harry Moon may be the only one who can stop him.

But, what exactly can a twelve year old hope to do to stop an evil and powerful man from destroying his hometown?

I guess you will just have to read: "The Amazing Adventures of Harry Moon: Wand-Paper-Scissors" to find out.

One of the things that bothered me about this book was the proof-reading/editing errors. There were way too many typos for my liking and because of this it is difficult for me to take author Mark Andrew Poe seriously. There are quite a few "Harry Moon" books and because of that fact I would expect that the first book would be perfect by now, but this is not the case.

An interesting thing about the Harry Moon series is that there is a "Harry Moon Fan Club" and there are various 'levels' of memberships available. More information can be obtained at: www.HarryMoon.com

I think that Mark Andrew Poe is an extremely shrewd businessman. "For the low price of $99, readers can purchase a 12 month subscription to the fan club."Along with that subscription comes copies of more books in the series as well as some Harry Moon swag.

I'm not sure what other people think, but I do not think that $99 is a "low" price. Of course, as parents we want our kids to read. We know that kids who love reading tend to do better in school than those who don't. We know that we need to find books they will love to try to foster a lifelong love of reading. But, we also know that kids are expensive and I do not think that $99 is a "deal" and I think that many families would love to join the fan club but would not be able to afford it. This will discourage the child whose parents have to say no to signing up.

I rate this book as 3 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story was great but I just cannot forgive the typos and the bad editing.