Splotch

by Kenneth Hicks

Alice’s parents refuse to let her have a dog, so when Alice sees a paint stain on the sidewalk that looks like a dog, she decides that she will make him a virtual pet. She calls him Splotch and downloads a picture of him to her computer. To her surprise, he escapes from the computer and begins to act as Alice’s self-appointed protector. Unfortunately, he sees most people as potential enemies of Alice, including her teacher and the principal, and he is not shy about giving those various enemies a bite. When Splotch starts to attack Alice’s best friend, Alice knows there is a big problem. But how will she get Splotch to stop being a guard dog and back into the computer?

Genres: Middle Grade

53 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Kenneth Hicks writes all of his books with his wife, Anne Rothman-Hicks. Anne and Kenneth have been married for a little over forty-three years and have produced about twenty books and exactly three children so far. At press-time, they still love their children more.

Most of their novels have been set in New York City, where they have lived for most of their married lives. Anne is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College where, in nineteen sixty-nine, as the fabled Sixties were drawing to a close, she met Ken, who was a student at Haverford College. They don't like to admit that they met at a college mixer, but there it is!

Their latest novel is a mystery called Killer Soul Mate, published by Melange Books. It is the fourth in the Jane Larson series, all set on New York's Upper East Side. Previous Jane Larson mystery/thrillers include Weave a Murderous Web, Mind Me, Milady, and Praise Her, Praise Diana, all published by Melange Books; Kate And The Kid, mainstream, Wings ePress (2014); and Things Are Not What They Seem and Remembering Thomas, 'tween fantasy/adventure, MuseitUp Publishing (2014). Other books include Theft of the Shroud, thriller, Banbury Books (1984); Starfinder, a non-fiction book about the stars for children, Banbury Books (1984); and a series of books on individual names for children (for example Michael's Book, Elizabeth's Book, John's Book, Jennifer's Book, David's Book, Amy's Book).

Ken and Anne have a website with the address www.randh71productions.com and a blog at www.randh71productions.com\Blog. There they have links to some of their books and display images that they hope will be used in future efforts. In case you were wondering about the website address, "R" is for Rothman, "H" is for Hicks, and 71 is the year of their marriage. No secret codes or numerology anywhere. Sorry.

Reviews

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice wants a dog but her mother refuses saying that between Alice in school and her working all day the poor dog would be locked inside all day. But Alice really wants a dog to help protect her from those that picked on her during school last year. On the way home, Alice and her friend Hannah find a pain spot on the sidewalk that looks just like a dog. Alice gets the idea to take a picture of it and post it online to try to get her friends to like it and convince her parents to let her get a dog.

But when she tries to upload the picture it disappears. When Hannah and her are on their way to the first day of school they find the paint spot has moved to a wall and is now barking and moving. It seems Alice may just have gotten her wish. Splotch does a good job of protecting her but then starts to keep Hannah away from her. Alice is going to have to do something about Splotch.

This is a wonderful story. I felt for Alice but I also understood why her mother didn’t want a dog. Of course high jinks ensue as Splotch goes a little over board when protecting her. I love how Alice had to make a tough decision but make’s the best of it in the end.

If you have kids, especially those that want a pet, I think that they would enjoy this story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in a middle-grade series of books. It is a chapter book with no pictures. For some reason, I thought originally it was a simple picture book but glad that it was not. It is a stand-alone book which was great since I have not read the other two books prior to this one.

Alice is a middle-grade girl with a big imagination, a whole lot of wants, and seemingly a whole lot of enemies. Splotch is truly from her imagination but is also very real in the protection of her from her "enemies". Having this guard dog gets her into a whole lot of trouble too.

Through the various issues Alice deals with, she becomes to understand that maybe the things she thought were true are not exactly as they seem. Just maybe all the people who she sees as enemies are actually people who are truly on her side.

I could see kids who are trying to figure out this thing we call life. working through many of the same issues Alice has. All kids want to be like, smart, and confident in their abilities. Often we adults tend to squelch those things or expect kids to be growing up fast in a fast-paced world. This is not easy for anyone and kids need to feel in control.

I enjoyed following along to see what Splotch may have looked like. I could put myself in the place of Alice and how she felt about different situations. Ultimately, I could see through Alice's eyes, how friends are everything and having even more than one is the best. Imagination is awesome and something kids can control, even if it happens to be a dog that bites.

I liked this cute book. 3 stars.

Disclosure: I received a Kindle copy of this book from the author. I chose to review as part of a virtual tour. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle aka Naila Moon

[Samantha Turley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very character driven novel and I love the fact that Hicks & Hicks gave us characters to root for.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters both primary and secondary. They all felt like they had their own purpose and had depth that made me care about them.
My favorite part of this novel was the fact that along the way you don’t know what is going to come next. There were many surprises and the way that the authors were able to keep the pacing just right really helps everything flow naturally.

[R.K. Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to find a book in which the characters can relate so much to every day life. It's even more rare to find those characters in which you can think of them like friends while you read. I think that is how young readers will relate to the characters in SPLOTCH.

This is just an overall well balanced and fun novel. It's full of light moments and adventure for younger readers.

[Gina Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a feel good read for younger readers. I like the fact that there is plenty going on to keep them interested and yet they also learn values and lessons along the way.
The cast of characters was full of such a variety of personalities. The authors did a great job of making sure each one shone through.
A fun and quirky plot and read altogether.