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Drawing a Blank: Or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams
I don't know how this happened One day I'm snug in my loner existence at Carnegie Mansion School, and the next I'm tramping through the Scottish wilderness looking for my dad. Who's been kidnapped. Because of a feud that started in medieval times. Or something. Suffice it to say, I never paid too much attention because I thought the whole thing was some twisted figment of my dad's imagination. Now my only company is a wannabe cop who just might be my superhero dream girl. And if I don't deliver some piece of mysterious "proof" to the kidnappers, my dad is toast. I've got my fair share of issues with my dad, but I don't really want to see him burned to a crisp. Anyway, you in? This is not the first time I've been wrong about something.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Ehrenhaft
19 books57 followersDaniel Ehrenhaft is the author of several dozen books for children and young adults—so many books, in fact, that he has lost count. He has often written under the pseudonym Daniel Parker (his middle name, which is easier to spell and pronounce than his last), and occasionally Erin Haft. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Jessica, as well as a scruffy dog named Gibby and a psychotic cat named Bootsy. When he isn't writing, he tirelessly travels the globe on a doomed mission to achieve rock stardom. As of this date, his musical credits include the composition of bluegrass soundtrack numbers for the epic straight-to-video B movie The Grave, a brief stint playing live rap music to baffled Filipino audiences in Hong Kong, and scoring the still-picture montage Election Trip. He once worked in a cheese shop. He was fired.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 9, 2012
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
How does one describe Carlton Dunne IV? Here's how I think he would describe himself:
*Comic book geek
*Trust fund kid
*Loner
*Incapable of being attentive or focused
*Afraid of people
*VERY afraid of female people
*Non-adventurous
*Offspring of a nutcase
Unfortunately, his dad might not be crazy. Carlton's grown up hearing about some ridiculous, centuries-old feud with some guy in Scotland. He's always just assumed it was his father's insanity, but now his dad is missing, and Carlton's getting really weird phone calls. So, the guy who's scared of people is about to be forced to deal with a whole bunch of them that he's never met before. One of those people might be a dangerous lunatic who is holding his father hostage, one of them is definitely the prettiest girl Carlton's ever seen, and he's also about to have the adventure of a lifetime.
Let me start by confessing that I'm not a comic book fan. When I opened the book and I saw a comic strip, I groaned out loud. See, one of Carlton's quirks, of which there are quite a few, is that he draws comic strips when he's unhappy or uncomfortable. He kind of redraws his circumstances. But I made myself sit down and start reading. Carlton also makes random comments in footnote form. I like random comments, and that's what I always thought footnotes should be used for anyway, so the book started to grow on me. A lot of the footnotes actually contain useful and interesting information, as well. He also continuously gives birth and death dates, which I didn't quite get, but still found amusing. I really started to like Carlton, and his book. By the end I had laughed out loud, in public no less, quite a few times. I'm not saying I'm ready to go to ComicCon or anything, but I do have a newfound appreciation for comics.
How does one describe Carlton Dunne IV? Here's how I think he would describe himself:
*Comic book geek
*Trust fund kid
*Loner
*Incapable of being attentive or focused
*Afraid of people
*VERY afraid of female people
*Non-adventurous
*Offspring of a nutcase
Unfortunately, his dad might not be crazy. Carlton's grown up hearing about some ridiculous, centuries-old feud with some guy in Scotland. He's always just assumed it was his father's insanity, but now his dad is missing, and Carlton's getting really weird phone calls. So, the guy who's scared of people is about to be forced to deal with a whole bunch of them that he's never met before. One of those people might be a dangerous lunatic who is holding his father hostage, one of them is definitely the prettiest girl Carlton's ever seen, and he's also about to have the adventure of a lifetime.
Let me start by confessing that I'm not a comic book fan. When I opened the book and I saw a comic strip, I groaned out loud. See, one of Carlton's quirks, of which there are quite a few, is that he draws comic strips when he's unhappy or uncomfortable. He kind of redraws his circumstances. But I made myself sit down and start reading. Carlton also makes random comments in footnote form. I like random comments, and that's what I always thought footnotes should be used for anyway, so the book started to grow on me. A lot of the footnotes actually contain useful and interesting information, as well. He also continuously gives birth and death dates, which I didn't quite get, but still found amusing. I really started to like Carlton, and his book. By the end I had laughed out loud, in public no less, quite a few times. I'm not saying I'm ready to go to ComicCon or anything, but I do have a newfound appreciation for comics.
January 30, 2019
This book was great until the girl came in. I know it was written in 2006, but the whole Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope makes me cringe so hard. The writing itself was fun and easy to get through, and I learned something about Bentham's Panopticon, so I'll give it that...but the girl was boring. I saw every plot element about her coming from miles away. Even that preppy bully Bryce was a more interesting character than she was, and that's saying a lot.
May 17, 2018
The plot was quite interesting, with its way of throwing an upper class kid into a sea of mystery and danger to watch him flounder around. The disappointing part, in my opinion, was the writing style. It was humorous, but reading it felt like it was trying too hard to appeal to some weird teenage kid who just wants a laugh. The mix-match of this comic writing style and the surprisingly deep and interesting plot with its amazingly weird characters really threw me off, and I felt that the attempts at being funny detracted from the book at times.
The toothbrush thing and the footnotes were great, though.
The toothbrush thing and the footnotes were great, though.
February 24, 2024
Thrifted
I can tell why this was on the free book shelf because it is SO BAD. But if you’re looking for a so-bad-it’s-good book, this comes close. I can’t tell if it’s sardonically bad or just plain horrible, but I can tell you that it kept me entertained for 12 days which is a FEAT.
I can tell why this was on the free book shelf because it is SO BAD. But if you’re looking for a so-bad-it’s-good book, this comes close. I can’t tell if it’s sardonically bad or just plain horrible, but I can tell you that it kept me entertained for 12 days which is a FEAT.
February 24, 2018
Fun read
Read
January 8, 2020I loved the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2010
Drawing A Blank, or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery And Land The Girl Of My Dreams is a fantastic novel. Many factors in this book such as the humour, the likeable characters, the suspense and action and the realism are very appealing to teenagers looking for a fun and enjoyable read.
The main thing I look for in a book is a humourous and action-packed storyline with an easy-to-follow story. This book has it all, and a lot of it. Throughout the book there are many humourous footnotes at the end of pages giving descriptions of terms or time periods or situations that are supposed to help you understand certain parts of the book. For example, “I’m not sure why the robots in the Magnus, Robot Fighter, 4000 A.D. comics speak without using ‘the’ or ‘a’ or ‘an’- or why other rules of grammar managed to fall by the wayside. Then again, it was created by a bunch of weirdos in the early 1960s that seemed to take great pleasure in truncating not only the human language but also the human body. Every single human being in that series is drawn top-heavy with massive torsos and stumpy legs, like a gorilla. Even women” (Ehrenhaft 107). To be able to learn about something and enjoy it is really engaging.
This book features many drawings, drawn by the main character, Carlton Dunne IV that are supposed to give you an accurate summarization of the events that have just taken place. This helps you in the comprehension of the more complex parts of the novel and makes it interesting because it is something unique that you haven’t seen before.
The only thing in this novel that I found to be annoying was the really short chapters. Most chapters only last for a few pages and these quick chapters are really redundant and annoying, especially after the hundredth time of ending on a cliff hanger.
The most satisfying part of this novel was the character development. We start off with Carlton the misanthropist, the loser and geek. As he embarks on his journey to Scotland to save his father his character undergoes extraordinarily noticeable development, which I appreciated. It’s good to see a character develop from loser to champion, especially the underdogs. “I knew that for once, my Enemy Within and I had an understanding. We weren’t at odds. We’d made peace, the way all real comic book heroes do with themselves. I’d lost Annabel forever, but I’d lived. She’d given me something. She’d finally given me that key to the mental prison. She was the only one who could” (Ehrenhaft 312).
I recommend Drawing a Blank to people that aren’t serious readers, but are just looking for a book to pick up, read and have a laugh about. Also, comic book fans will no doubt be thankful for this novel by Daniel Ehrenhaft. It is an excellent book.
The main thing I look for in a book is a humourous and action-packed storyline with an easy-to-follow story. This book has it all, and a lot of it. Throughout the book there are many humourous footnotes at the end of pages giving descriptions of terms or time periods or situations that are supposed to help you understand certain parts of the book. For example, “I’m not sure why the robots in the Magnus, Robot Fighter, 4000 A.D. comics speak without using ‘the’ or ‘a’ or ‘an’- or why other rules of grammar managed to fall by the wayside. Then again, it was created by a bunch of weirdos in the early 1960s that seemed to take great pleasure in truncating not only the human language but also the human body. Every single human being in that series is drawn top-heavy with massive torsos and stumpy legs, like a gorilla. Even women” (Ehrenhaft 107). To be able to learn about something and enjoy it is really engaging.
This book features many drawings, drawn by the main character, Carlton Dunne IV that are supposed to give you an accurate summarization of the events that have just taken place. This helps you in the comprehension of the more complex parts of the novel and makes it interesting because it is something unique that you haven’t seen before.
The only thing in this novel that I found to be annoying was the really short chapters. Most chapters only last for a few pages and these quick chapters are really redundant and annoying, especially after the hundredth time of ending on a cliff hanger.
The most satisfying part of this novel was the character development. We start off with Carlton the misanthropist, the loser and geek. As he embarks on his journey to Scotland to save his father his character undergoes extraordinarily noticeable development, which I appreciated. It’s good to see a character develop from loser to champion, especially the underdogs. “I knew that for once, my Enemy Within and I had an understanding. We weren’t at odds. We’d made peace, the way all real comic book heroes do with themselves. I’d lost Annabel forever, but I’d lived. She’d given me something. She’d finally given me that key to the mental prison. She was the only one who could” (Ehrenhaft 312).
I recommend Drawing a Blank to people that aren’t serious readers, but are just looking for a book to pick up, read and have a laugh about. Also, comic book fans will no doubt be thankful for this novel by Daniel Ehrenhaft. It is an excellent book.
January 5, 2009
Drawing a Blank or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams has a lot going for it. In addition to having a very straightforward, no holds barred, title Drawing a Blank also includes illustrations by Trevor Ristow.
More surprising (to me) was that I was already familiar with the book's author, Daniel Ehrenhaft. In 2002 Ehrenhaft, writing under the pseudonym Daniel Parker, published the Wessex Papers trilogy. The three books (Trust Falls, Fallout, Outsmart) won the Edgar Award in 2003 for Best Young Adult Mystery. I didn't know any of that while reading the Wessex Papers (or this book), but am inclined to agree with the hype. Like the Wessex Papers the writing here is smart both in the sense that it is clever and that it leaves readers thinking.
The story (as the full title explains) follows Carlton Dunne IV as he tries to rescue his father who is embroiled in an age-old family feud with another Scottish clan. In the process, Carlton runs away from his boarding school, visits the comic con from hell, meets a crazy girl who wants to be on "Cops" and continues working on his comic strip that runs in a local paper (thus the illustrations and the comic con debacle). As you might have guessed, Carlton wears many hats.
Carlton is also a really fun character, likably neurotic he brings to mind the protagonist of the Wessex Papers. A fact that makes sense when you realize the novels were written by the same person.
Although the book is a significant length, the chapters are short--averaging about three pages at a run. This is good because you can read them quickly. On the other hand, Ehrenhaft's preference to end chapters on a cliff hanger becomes redundant after the eightieth time.
The story takes a while to get to the action, a fact Carlton himself acknowledges early on in a note at the front of the book. The time, however, is well-spent introducing memorable characters and explaining Carlton's personal history. Most of the book understandably takes place in Scotland, but the scenes at Carnegie Mansion--Carlton's boarding school--are a lot of fun even if they do more to set up the plot than actively set it in motion.
I'd recommend Drawing a Blank for reluctant readers who don't read for lack of interest (even though the chapters are short with a fairly large font, the presence of footnotes and an involved plot might be daunting for readers who might read below level). Although this book is a bit more zany than any of the Wessex Papers, I'd also recommend it for fans of that series.
More surprising (to me) was that I was already familiar with the book's author, Daniel Ehrenhaft. In 2002 Ehrenhaft, writing under the pseudonym Daniel Parker, published the Wessex Papers trilogy. The three books (Trust Falls, Fallout, Outsmart) won the Edgar Award in 2003 for Best Young Adult Mystery. I didn't know any of that while reading the Wessex Papers (or this book), but am inclined to agree with the hype. Like the Wessex Papers the writing here is smart both in the sense that it is clever and that it leaves readers thinking.
The story (as the full title explains) follows Carlton Dunne IV as he tries to rescue his father who is embroiled in an age-old family feud with another Scottish clan. In the process, Carlton runs away from his boarding school, visits the comic con from hell, meets a crazy girl who wants to be on "Cops" and continues working on his comic strip that runs in a local paper (thus the illustrations and the comic con debacle). As you might have guessed, Carlton wears many hats.
Carlton is also a really fun character, likably neurotic he brings to mind the protagonist of the Wessex Papers. A fact that makes sense when you realize the novels were written by the same person.
Although the book is a significant length, the chapters are short--averaging about three pages at a run. This is good because you can read them quickly. On the other hand, Ehrenhaft's preference to end chapters on a cliff hanger becomes redundant after the eightieth time.
The story takes a while to get to the action, a fact Carlton himself acknowledges early on in a note at the front of the book. The time, however, is well-spent introducing memorable characters and explaining Carlton's personal history. Most of the book understandably takes place in Scotland, but the scenes at Carnegie Mansion--Carlton's boarding school--are a lot of fun even if they do more to set up the plot than actively set it in motion.
I'd recommend Drawing a Blank for reluctant readers who don't read for lack of interest (even though the chapters are short with a fairly large font, the presence of footnotes and an involved plot might be daunting for readers who might read below level). Although this book is a bit more zany than any of the Wessex Papers, I'd also recommend it for fans of that series.
October 28, 2010
Jacob De Rose
Drawing a Blank or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams was surprisingly captivating, despite the cheesy comic book drawings on the cover page. I began to read the book, and I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. The narrators tone was humorous, and it seemed so natural, as if I was being told this story from a real kid talking. The development of the protagonist, Carlton Dunne IV, built up so nicely and this journey he went on changed his life situation so drastically, which made me want to keep reading constantly. Carlton is an odd fellow, but it makes sense given the fact that his dad has been rambling about a feud that occurred hundreds of years ago, he was sent to live in a preppy boarding school, and draws comics about his strange fantasies of a curvaceous Viking warrior girl, which he submits to the local newspaper under his fathers name.
I finished it in 3 days and I haven’t read a book before this one since last year! The short chapters, that averaged around 3 to 4 pages each created an almost constant feeling of suspense and wonder. It felt like something new was happening every few pages and this tactic used by author Daniel Ehrenhaft seems so original and doesn’t allow any of the chapters to drag along, which makes me very uninterested when reading a book. The occasional comic strips were also very intriguing, and helped get a better view of Carlton’s creative side and they also vaguely relate to the story line.
One of the themes I found that was very powerful in this story was Carlton’s evolution into manhood, and the extermination of his misanthropic lifestyle. Because I am around his age, and I feel as if I am currently on a journey to finding out who I am and making my way up to manhood, just as Carlton has done. The only difference is I’m not flying over to Scotland, rescuing my father and hooking up with the daughter of the man who has my dad locked in a cage, waiting to kill him and myself.
The detail in the text was quite elaborate and allowed me to visualize the characters and various settings such as the prep-school Carlton attends and the rolling hills and green fields of Scotland. I would recommend this book mostly for comic book loving teenage boys, because of the comic strips in the middle, and the fact that this whole story could probably be drawn out and summed up in a giant comic strip. Although this is the case, I believe Drawing a Blank has the potential for anyone to really enjoy reading it.
Drawing a Blank or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams was surprisingly captivating, despite the cheesy comic book drawings on the cover page. I began to read the book, and I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. The narrators tone was humorous, and it seemed so natural, as if I was being told this story from a real kid talking. The development of the protagonist, Carlton Dunne IV, built up so nicely and this journey he went on changed his life situation so drastically, which made me want to keep reading constantly. Carlton is an odd fellow, but it makes sense given the fact that his dad has been rambling about a feud that occurred hundreds of years ago, he was sent to live in a preppy boarding school, and draws comics about his strange fantasies of a curvaceous Viking warrior girl, which he submits to the local newspaper under his fathers name.
I finished it in 3 days and I haven’t read a book before this one since last year! The short chapters, that averaged around 3 to 4 pages each created an almost constant feeling of suspense and wonder. It felt like something new was happening every few pages and this tactic used by author Daniel Ehrenhaft seems so original and doesn’t allow any of the chapters to drag along, which makes me very uninterested when reading a book. The occasional comic strips were also very intriguing, and helped get a better view of Carlton’s creative side and they also vaguely relate to the story line.
One of the themes I found that was very powerful in this story was Carlton’s evolution into manhood, and the extermination of his misanthropic lifestyle. Because I am around his age, and I feel as if I am currently on a journey to finding out who I am and making my way up to manhood, just as Carlton has done. The only difference is I’m not flying over to Scotland, rescuing my father and hooking up with the daughter of the man who has my dad locked in a cage, waiting to kill him and myself.
The detail in the text was quite elaborate and allowed me to visualize the characters and various settings such as the prep-school Carlton attends and the rolling hills and green fields of Scotland. I would recommend this book mostly for comic book loving teenage boys, because of the comic strips in the middle, and the fact that this whole story could probably be drawn out and summed up in a giant comic strip. Although this is the case, I believe Drawing a Blank has the potential for anyone to really enjoy reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2009
The book “Drawing a Blank Or How I Tried To Solve A Mystery, End A Feud, and Land The Girl Of My Dreams”, is about the main character a teenager Carlton Dunne how he had to over come difficulties to achieve his final goals. While reading this novel before sleep, I find it really hard to control my laughter to a degree that doesn’t wake up my parents. Funny is good and always hard to find in the young adults section of the library. In this book paragraphs are filed with hilarious quotes and sentences like the telephone conversation between Carlton Dune and his soon-to-be-editor Roger Lovejoy, the talk ends with Roger saying: “Pitch? Who says “pitch”? Or “weekends”? A teenage dork?” And Carlton faking: “ No, a forty-eight year old architect and graphic novelist.” The reader can just imagine an over weight, bald editor chewing on a kid that had to fake his identity to be a comic artist. Another huge chunk of laughter I received from this book was the comic strips at the beginning of most chapters; it serves the purpose of summarizing the paragraph from before. The characters from the comic strips are funky, funny, and some times even adorable especially “Signey the superbad”. The dialog between the characters is charming, breath taking, and entertaining. However this book does have its faults, readers will like become tiresome after reading the book’s extremely short chapters, like chapter 77, which only has a total of 4 lines. From this the reader can see that perhaps Daniel Ehrenhaft was running out of material to write about, which forced him to take up more space through out the book. This leads to my next complaint about this book, some of the storyline are merely add-ons from an after thought, which leave the reader hanging; to demonstrate my point, when the heroine comes to visit Carlton at the finale of the story, she reveals that she had found the dagger, because she was the only person in Scotland that knew how to scuba dive. Which is obviously false, it sounded like Ehrenhaft had difficulties giving an ending where like all story the hero and heroine become a couple. In conclusion to this review, I think that this book is a borrow, not a buy. Because of its charming characters and interesting dialogues, however what kept it from me rating it a buy is that the material in this book was fairly unorganized.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2010
Drawing a Blank is written in such a way that it can appeal to a wide range of readers. The book has plenty of humour that has kept me more attracted to the novel than any other (I mean, one chapter starts with “B-U-U-U-R-P!”). It doesn’t just stop at that though; much of the parts where someone speaks in a heavy Scottish accent have the language warped into a form of “as it sounds” (for example, “Bring the pr-r-rue-ef to Edinbur-r-gh. Aweet instrookshin. You ‘ave fourty-eight hours. Oor ya dad is ‘aggis.”)
Unlike most novels which focus on object description, there’s more of what protagonist Carlton Dunne is thinking. One slight problem is that the plot really takes a while to actually start moving (the beginning just sets everything up for later), but even so, I can’t complain that it’s too slow to enjoy. There are scattered comic strips that reflect Carlton’s experience, and put a comical spin onto how his life went from boring and regular to wild, unpredictable, and just really weird.
The title really says it all for the plot. Basically, he’s got to fly all the way from a boarding school in America to Scotland to save his dad from some ancient family feud that no one ever believed in. Just the thought of such a plot kept me reading and reading on. For the parts that almost no one will ever understand, there’s footnotes at the bottom of the page giving more data on said topics (definitions, Carlton’s thoughts, a recipe for a Scottish dish are just some).
I would gladly recommend Drawing a Blank: or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of my Dreams to anyone in the teen’s age. Really though, if you just want a good laugh or a light read, chances are you will come to enjoy this.
Unlike most novels which focus on object description, there’s more of what protagonist Carlton Dunne is thinking. One slight problem is that the plot really takes a while to actually start moving (the beginning just sets everything up for later), but even so, I can’t complain that it’s too slow to enjoy. There are scattered comic strips that reflect Carlton’s experience, and put a comical spin onto how his life went from boring and regular to wild, unpredictable, and just really weird.
The title really says it all for the plot. Basically, he’s got to fly all the way from a boarding school in America to Scotland to save his dad from some ancient family feud that no one ever believed in. Just the thought of such a plot kept me reading and reading on. For the parts that almost no one will ever understand, there’s footnotes at the bottom of the page giving more data on said topics (definitions, Carlton’s thoughts, a recipe for a Scottish dish are just some).
I would gladly recommend Drawing a Blank: or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of my Dreams to anyone in the teen’s age. Really though, if you just want a good laugh or a light read, chances are you will come to enjoy this.
November 16, 2011
How can this book’s beginning not suck you in? “Just so you know, this book is about how my life went completely berserk. One day I’m snug in my comic-book drawing, loner existence, and the next I’m tramping through the wilderness looking for my dad. Who’s been kidnapped. Because of an ancient family feud I always thought was a twisted figment of his imagination…Now my only company is a wannabe cop who just might be my superhero dream girl. And if I don’t deliver some kind of mysterious “proof” to his kidnappers, my dad is toast. I’ve got some issues, but I don’t really want to see him burned to a crisp. Anyway, you in?” Readers certainly will want in on this laugh-out loud fun ride as Carlton Dunne IV, a rich, socially awkward, unmotivated teen, leaves his posh New England boarding school to rescue his father in Scotland. While Carlton may be your typical teen antihero, he also has a secret identity as the author/illustrator of the local newspaper’s Signy the Superbad comic. The strip chronicles the adventures of a sexy crime fighting, tartan-wearing, sword-wielding super heroine. The comic and his drawings also serve as an outlet for the angst-ridden teen, helping him to cope with the world around him. This engaging story is alternately told through Carlton’s first-person narrative and episodes of Signy that reflect action in the story. Part novel, part graphic novel, Drawing a Blank is a whole lot of fun. (Recommend for grades 7 and up)
April 21, 2009
Drawing a Blank is a great book for many people especially teenagers. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and casual read. This book also fits nicely on any shelf that is looking for a fun read. This story is a very touching and heartwarming, but it also has a twist of mystery. There is also a love story behind all the chaos.
Many things happen in the story that appeals to me in different ways. Carlton Dunne IV is the protagonist. He also is very comical in different ways. From the way he thinks to the things that he says, all have humor in them.
The storyline is great in every way possible. It allows the reader to picture what is actually happening in the book. This book also has comics which reflect the plot and the storyline. This helps the reader even more in understanding the story.
There are many moments where you don’t want to stop reading. This book kept me mesmerized. The characters are really easily attached to and the story is full of cracks and twists. You never know what will come up or what will happen. The suspense is a great feeling. This novel has many interesting aspects that keep the reader reading. Carlton’s journey just keeps on getting more and more exciting as he travels deeper into the adventure of his lifetime. I will recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.
Many things happen in the story that appeals to me in different ways. Carlton Dunne IV is the protagonist. He also is very comical in different ways. From the way he thinks to the things that he says, all have humor in them.
The storyline is great in every way possible. It allows the reader to picture what is actually happening in the book. This book also has comics which reflect the plot and the storyline. This helps the reader even more in understanding the story.
There are many moments where you don’t want to stop reading. This book kept me mesmerized. The characters are really easily attached to and the story is full of cracks and twists. You never know what will come up or what will happen. The suspense is a great feeling. This novel has many interesting aspects that keep the reader reading. Carlton’s journey just keeps on getting more and more exciting as he travels deeper into the adventure of his lifetime. I will recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.
January 2, 2010
Summary:
This story is a juvenile(teen) story of Carlton Dunne. The story begins with Carlton's unpopularity being described along with his poor relationship with his father. Carlton draws a comic book summary of what happens as he goes along and submits it to a local newspaper as his father,who happens to be Carlton Dunne also. He lost all trust in his father when his father started obsessing about an old family feud that started with the stealing a dagger in the Middle Ages. However, when his dad is kidnapped he is forced to travel to Scotland to save him. On the way he is saved by the girl of his dreams and she plays a huge part in the events that unfold. This story greatly captures the essence of being a teen. All kids will be able to relate to the problems with parents, work, and social life.
Explanation of Review:
I gave this story four stars because as it may be easy to relate to it is slightly confusing. The comics that Carlton draws do relate to what happened, but leave you confused as to who some characters are. Also, the ending comes to an abrupt halt that leaves you wanting more. It seems as though there wasn't enough thought put into the ending, though it will suprise you.
A favorite quote:"That was it he'd lost me. It was his fault; even if I'd understood him, he would have lost me."
This story is a juvenile(teen) story of Carlton Dunne. The story begins with Carlton's unpopularity being described along with his poor relationship with his father. Carlton draws a comic book summary of what happens as he goes along and submits it to a local newspaper as his father,who happens to be Carlton Dunne also. He lost all trust in his father when his father started obsessing about an old family feud that started with the stealing a dagger in the Middle Ages. However, when his dad is kidnapped he is forced to travel to Scotland to save him. On the way he is saved by the girl of his dreams and she plays a huge part in the events that unfold. This story greatly captures the essence of being a teen. All kids will be able to relate to the problems with parents, work, and social life.
Explanation of Review:
I gave this story four stars because as it may be easy to relate to it is slightly confusing. The comics that Carlton draws do relate to what happened, but leave you confused as to who some characters are. Also, the ending comes to an abrupt halt that leaves you wanting more. It seems as though there wasn't enough thought put into the ending, though it will suprise you.
A favorite quote:"That was it he'd lost me. It was his fault; even if I'd understood him, he would have lost me."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2013
(Elective reading)
Summary: Carlton Dunne IV is a young man from a very long line of Scottish heritage. He is also a lover and creator of comic strips. One day he is making comic strips from his private room at a boarding school, and the next he is slogging through Scotland with a young cop-wannabe female trying to find his kidnapped father. He finds out that some family tales are not just tales... and only he (with the help of his newfound muse for his comic strips) can figure out how to get his father freed.
Response: Happily, this book was much better than the last Ehrenhaft book I read.
I enjoyed the wit and humor in this book a great deal. The protagonist, being a little bit of a misanthrope, was hilarious when inner-monologuing, and he had a great, sarcastic way of speaking about things he observed.
I also really enjoyed the over-the-top storyline. It tied in nicely to the main character's love for comics.
I also have to say that I loved the footnotes all throughout the book. I thought that not only was that hilarious, but brilliant. The footnotes helped me in a couple places, and I am sure they will help the young readers of this book a great deal--there are a lot of allusions to famous dead people in this book. The Scottish brogue also kept me laughing, and it was fun trying to decipher it myself.
Summary: Carlton Dunne IV is a young man from a very long line of Scottish heritage. He is also a lover and creator of comic strips. One day he is making comic strips from his private room at a boarding school, and the next he is slogging through Scotland with a young cop-wannabe female trying to find his kidnapped father. He finds out that some family tales are not just tales... and only he (with the help of his newfound muse for his comic strips) can figure out how to get his father freed.
Response: Happily, this book was much better than the last Ehrenhaft book I read.
I enjoyed the wit and humor in this book a great deal. The protagonist, being a little bit of a misanthrope, was hilarious when inner-monologuing, and he had a great, sarcastic way of speaking about things he observed.
I also really enjoyed the over-the-top storyline. It tied in nicely to the main character's love for comics.
I also have to say that I loved the footnotes all throughout the book. I thought that not only was that hilarious, but brilliant. The footnotes helped me in a couple places, and I am sure they will help the young readers of this book a great deal--there are a lot of allusions to famous dead people in this book. The Scottish brogue also kept me laughing, and it was fun trying to decipher it myself.
August 14, 2014
Weird, painful, sad and funny by turns, this book is yet another example of what happens to American males who really can’t grow up but are forced to, anyway. Carlton Dunne IV is yet another manboy buried a little too deeply in a fictional world composed of comic characters of his own making. When he becomes enmeshed in a plan to rescue his kidnapped father, he doesn’t exactly rise to the occasion.
The perceptive reader can spot the plot twist coming miles off but not poor Carlton. Yet his journey is mildly touching. Carlton wins points for being mostly honest about his deficits. He’s maladjusted, antisocial and considers himself misanthropic. What saves Carlton from being thoroughly repellant is that you recognize his misanthropic tendencies are merely adolescent shyness coupled with actual cluelessness.
His father is equally maladroit about maintaining relationships. But what Carlton comes to realize is that everybody he knows has troubles being with other people and that he’s not the only one who hasn’t figured it out yet. It’s a sweet revelation and you find that means Carlton isn’t necessarily the loser he’s imagined himself to be…or, if he is, he’s not the only one.
The perceptive reader can spot the plot twist coming miles off but not poor Carlton. Yet his journey is mildly touching. Carlton wins points for being mostly honest about his deficits. He’s maladjusted, antisocial and considers himself misanthropic. What saves Carlton from being thoroughly repellant is that you recognize his misanthropic tendencies are merely adolescent shyness coupled with actual cluelessness.
His father is equally maladroit about maintaining relationships. But what Carlton comes to realize is that everybody he knows has troubles being with other people and that he’s not the only one who hasn’t figured it out yet. It’s a sweet revelation and you find that means Carlton isn’t necessarily the loser he’s imagined himself to be…or, if he is, he’s not the only one.
February 23, 2013
I thought this book had an interesting cover, and that's what made me pick it up. It was a good book, and I loved all of the different characters. I also enjoyed that the main character had a sense of humor. It's refreshing to see humor in a book.
However, the one thing I do have to say, and it isn't a complaint(but anyone that's smart could figure it out) but halfway through the book I had already figured out that Aileen/Annabell was a MacLough and was probably in cahoots with someone from the clan. But that's because it's kind of a typical storyline; the person you trust and that is helping you goes and does the big back-stab at the end. But, as least he really did get the girl at the end. I didn't think that she was mean, and I loved all of her Scottish sayings. It made me want to live in Scotland.
Oh yes, and just one last thing...what kid says that people are talking in "brogues", let alone know what that is at seventeen? I would have just said accents/dialects, something along that line.
However, the one thing I do have to say, and it isn't a complaint(but anyone that's smart could figure it out) but halfway through the book I had already figured out that Aileen/Annabell was a MacLough and was probably in cahoots with someone from the clan. But that's because it's kind of a typical storyline; the person you trust and that is helping you goes and does the big back-stab at the end. But, as least he really did get the girl at the end. I didn't think that she was mean, and I loved all of her Scottish sayings. It made me want to live in Scotland.
Oh yes, and just one last thing...what kid says that people are talking in "brogues", let alone know what that is at seventeen? I would have just said accents/dialects, something along that line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2011
Carlton Dunne (the fourth) is not cocky. He is, however, hilariously awkward. Seventeen years old and banished to a boarding school, Carlton's goal is to coast through the rest of the school year without making too many waves (despite being bullied and an overly wandering attention span). The only place he feels comfortable are the pages of his sketchbook.
His life "goes bezerk" when his family's (until then, only considered an product of his father's imagination) clan feud results in the kidnapping of his father. And so, he heads to Scotland to save him. Before he gets very far, he in turn is saved by Aileen, a Scottish girl, who vows to help him in his quest.
A very funny tale with fabulously quirky characters. Carlton's attempts to understand the Scottish language are fabulously written and laugh out loud funny.
Check reality at the door and be prepared for a fun ride.
His life "goes bezerk" when his family's (until then, only considered an product of his father's imagination) clan feud results in the kidnapping of his father. And so, he heads to Scotland to save him. Before he gets very far, he in turn is saved by Aileen, a Scottish girl, who vows to help him in his quest.
A very funny tale with fabulously quirky characters. Carlton's attempts to understand the Scottish language are fabulously written and laugh out loud funny.
Check reality at the door and be prepared for a fun ride.
October 16, 2008
Carlton Dunne IV is a closet cartoonist, er, graphic novelist. And as such is a geek-bashing magnet. His father is no particular help, being an eccentric architect fixated on: 1) Bentham's Panopticon and 2) a centuries-long blood-feud between the Dunnes and the Forbas. So, when Carlton III is actually kidnapped and spirited off to Scotland, Carlton IV has no choice but to effect a rescue. Along the way, Carlton IV gets some "help" from a lovely Scottish lass, named Aileen, or is it Annabel? Daniel Ehrenhaft's Drawing a Blank: Or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams is mystery-lite: funny and poignant. Plus, you'll love the cartoon strips, drawn by Trevor Ristow.
May 2, 2008
This book was an interesting foray into trying something new. I don't even remember which section of the store I found it in. Maybe the children's section. It was definitely written with a younger audience in mind. While the plot could have been more interesting, and was certainly predictable, the writing style was well-executed and full of fun and flair. Unfortunately, I didn't much care for the main character who ended up coming off as misogynistic rather than shy, and the main female character was less than charming as well. However, the book contains a lot of humor which really boosted it up a rating.
November 11, 2014
This was one of the most dull books I had ever "read".
I did not spend my time actually reading it after the first 5 chapters because it was seriously dull.
I kinda skimmed the book because the dialogue was not very entertaining, the plot was predictable, the art style of the drawings was sloppy and not really aesthetically pleasing, and overall, there wasn't a clear mood to the book. Most of the story fell flat.
I did, however, learn some things about Scottish culture, but otherwise, after "reading" (more like skimming) this book, I felt like I had wasted 3 hours of my life.
Overall: 2/10
I did not spend my time actually reading it after the first 5 chapters because it was seriously dull.
I kinda skimmed the book because the dialogue was not very entertaining, the plot was predictable, the art style of the drawings was sloppy and not really aesthetically pleasing, and overall, there wasn't a clear mood to the book. Most of the story fell flat.
I did, however, learn some things about Scottish culture, but otherwise, after "reading" (more like skimming) this book, I felt like I had wasted 3 hours of my life.
Overall: 2/10
May 24, 2011
it looked interesting on the cover (and, of course, the title), so i wondered why it hadn't checked out of the library in over a year. after reading it, i can kinda see why. its an interesting concept, interspersing a fantasy world comic strip with a real world life, but it just didn't fly. and i really dont think the comic strip artist is all that good--at all. remember, that's my personal opinion, but the pics look so half-assed and rather juvenile. i think that's actually a style of CS drawing, but i've never really appreciated its value, or seen any in it.
abandoned
August 16, 2008One I was skimming for potential inclusion on my mysteries booklist. I got halfway through and decided not to bother with the second half. The writing is juvenile, the comic is terrible, and the main character reminds me of the kid who followed you around school because he thought you were friends but really you just wanted to punch him.
This may find an audience, but it hasn't at my library, and now I know why.
This may find an audience, but it hasn't at my library, and now I know why.
October 14, 2010
This is not quite a graphic novel, and far from a serious mystery. But as long as you can accept the silliness, this is a very well-crafted story. The dozen-or-so graphic sections are some of the best parts of the book: quick, exaggerated, and drowning in ridiculous melodrama. Because the adventure is so outlandish, I didn't really mind the fact that the final stages get especially hard to believe. It makes sense that this is Ehrenhaft's twisted vision of fate.
February 11, 2016
This is not quite a graphic novel, and far from a serious mystery. But as long as you can accept the silliness, this is a very well-crafted story. The dozen-or-so graphic sections are some of the best parts of the book: quick, exaggerated, and drowning in ridiculous melodrama. Because the adventure is so outlandish, I didn't really mind the fact that the final stages get especially hard to believe. It makes sense that this is Ehrenhaft's twisted vision of fate.
January 25, 2009
I am not rating this because I can't quite figure out how to remove it from my book list.
I'm the wrong age group for this book and it just seemed immature. I've read better books in the "Young Adult" and even "Kids" categories, this seemed to be talking down a bit to the reader. I just didn't care for it basically.
I'm the wrong age group for this book and it just seemed immature. I've read better books in the "Young Adult" and even "Kids" categories, this seemed to be talking down a bit to the reader. I just didn't care for it basically.
August 1, 2008
This guy's a lot of fun. I was put on to this book by my 13-year-old niece. I hadn't read any of Ehrenhaft's books before. A kind of zany combo of narrative and comic with some Scottish history thrown in.
September 25, 2008
i liked the book and i thought that it was very entertaining and kept me wanting to read more. it became a drag at some points but evrything made sense and the story wasnt rushed at all and not that im like carlton [the main character] but i can relate to him and the high school life.
June 15, 2011
It's about a guy who runs away from boarding school, to go to Scotland. His dad is obsessed with this non-existent feud. Then he learns it's real. His dad gets kidnapped (to Scotland). He goes and rescues his dad
Read
July 25, 20112009- After just reading a great book about a boy who loves to draw (...True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) this one was just okay. I felt it could have been much shorter, and some of the plot twists were really obvious. However, I still think middle and high school boys might like it.
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