Tweens looking for some adventurous reading don’t need to look far. Just pick up a copy of The Incredibly Awesome Adventure of Puggie Liddell: Tesla Time by Karen Mueller Bryson.
Puggie Liddell is a whiz kid with a sharp tongue. His prissy older sister Gigi gets on his nerves. When his modified Gameboy activates a time portal that sends Puggie and Gigi back to the 1890’s, the kids must work together to find a time portal back to the present before Nikola Tesla or his arch nemesis Thomas Edison can steal it to complete a death ray machine.
The Incredibly Awesome Adventures of Puggie Liddell is an action-packed adventure story that tweens are sure to enjoy. The rivalry between Puggie and Gigi will hit home for them, and the fast pace will have them turning page after page. What Bryson did very well in this story is blend interesting historical tidbits into the kids’ adventure. Having first gone off to search for Edison who is attending the World’s Columbian Exhibition (Chicago World’s Fair) in order to get his help to return home, they are soon on the run from Edison, who seeks to use Puggie’s modified Gameboy for evil purposes. Bryson also managed to paint great pictures for her readers as she described the many historical places the kids end up.
While Edison’s and Tesla’s rivalry is well known, it bothered me that most of the historical figures in this book were portrayed as bad guys. Tesla was actually working on a death ray machine, but Edison and Tesla spend the majority of the book chasing after the kids with less than good intentions. Even Mark Twain, who befriended Tesla in middle age, doesn’t truly escape being portrayed in a negative light because he doesn’t do anything to try and help Puggie and Gigi. He pulls a Pontius Pilate type of deal by saying he’s just a writer and practicing non-involvement.
I also wish the book had some interior illustrations. It’s the perfect book for it. Laurie Tiz did a fabulous job with the cover art. I would have loved to see what she added to the interior, especially because there are a few short chapters that run only a quarter to half the page.
The Incredibly Awesome Adventures of Puggie Liddell by Karen Mueller Bryson is definitely worth looking into. Tesla Time is the first book in a planned series. I look forward to the next one.
Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
- Publisher:Zeta Comics
- ISBN-10:0986842818
- ISBN-13: 978-0986842818
- SRP: $6.95
- Also available in a Kindle edition
I received a FREE copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation of any kind to provide this review.
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