This is a story of sacrifice. Mr. Yancey has succeeded in writing a contemporary and highly enjoyable book that A. Doesn’t stink. B. Has Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguars, and a horse. (But man is it an awesome horse.) and C. Has a plot based on the King Arthur.
Can you spell “COOOOOLNESS!!!” (I can. C-O-O-O…)
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Alfred Kropp is a large (not fat, just big,) 15 year old boy with a lack of purpose in life. His father is gone, his mother died of cancer, and the closest thing he has to family is his middle-aged, money-craving Uncle Farrell- what is there to try for? He doesn’t like football, which his therapist has decided he needs to play. (And he isn’t very good at it either.) He likes reading, listening to rap music, and Amy Pouchard that sits across from him in class. Uncle Farrell says that none of these things will get him anywhere in life. And what Uncle Farrell says goes.
That’s why when he introduces a shady deal concerning a centuries-old sword and one million dollars cash, Alfred goes along. Uncle Farrell is all that’s keeping him out of the foster care system. But the sword turns out to be worth than a million dollars- even, to some, more than a million lives. And that may, when all is said and done, be it’s true price.
Alfred Kropp, boy blunder, fights alongside modern-day knights, members of the agency OIPEP, and plenty of other gun-slinging, sword-swinging figures to boot. But every effort made, even the sacrifice of his life, may not be enough to defeat the unbeatable sword: Excalibur.
***
Whoa. Whoa. Overload of Whoa.
“It was like standing underneath a waterfall and trying to drink it.” -Jonathan Roger’s The Charlatan’s Boy
That was good. It ain’t always this easy to find a book that good. I loved the first person writing, the character’s voice was very original, and the way he said things made me smile. There was only one swear word in the book that I noticed, and it was extremely brief. The dialogue was (I know you know it) brilliant, and the narrative was superb. There was also a focus on angels and heaven that may or may not have been authentic on the author’s part. (The fact that it was hard to tell is what makes me unsure.) Excited for the next!
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5 of 5 stars
12+
The Embarrassed Zebra 