A Whole Nother Story - Engaging Book for Kids & Teens | Perfect for Bedtime Reading, Classroom Activities & Gift Giving

Okay. Yes, the title I gave it is "One of Those Rare Books...", but there are multiple reasons for that:1) It pulled off the humor without seeming contrived.2) It would be able to speak to anyone.3) It had just enough unrealism to be called "realistic fiction".4) It was the sort of book you would finish and read again right away.5) It ends in a cliffhanger but is still perfect.6) It managed to do exactly what it wanted to do.Let's look at these close-up.1) It pulled off the humor without seeming contrived.Yes, yes it did. Any book that begins with "If I could give you just one word of advice, it would be . . . well, an incomplete sentence" is bound to seem contrived and fake-funny at first, but somehow the book breathed hilarity throughout the entire thing. In fact, the first time I read it, I had to force myself to not highlight anything, or I knew I would highlight the entire book. Unfortunately, I can't give you more examples, because I don't want you to see any more about the book than you have to.2) It would be able to speak to anyone.I admit it, I'm giving something away that I'm already fairly certain is in the summary: the main plot of the book is trying to go back in time and save the main characters' dead mother/wife (three children, one father). Still, I would feel perfectly alright giving this book to anyone eight and up. Yes, it's so sad, but it is pulled off so well. Although I'm concerned that, as the series goes on, this will create many time paradoxes, I think it is still beautifully done. The lightness and humor in this book is perfect for younger children, but even adults will be able to be riveted by the rollicking plot.3) It had just enough unrealism to be called "realistic fiction".This is a slightly controversial opinion, but I'm going to voice it anyway. It seems that most realistic fiction books are either such a carbon-copy of life that they're boring, or so utterly unrealistic that they aren't eve "realistic fiction" anymore. This book has a careful, delicate balance between the two. Despite the psychic dog and time machine, I would still call this book "realistic fiction", for reasons even beyond me. *shrugs*4) It was the sort of book you would finish and read again right away.I admit it. I finished it, then I chose "Go to...beginning", then I read it again. I reached about halfway, but then I picked up the sequel. This is one of only two or three books I've ever read that I can do that with. (The Hunger Games, which doesn't have nearly the levell of writing or humor, is another one)5) It ends in a cliffhanger but is still perfect.It does. Despite the cliffhanger at the end (I won't give any more details because I don't want to spoil it), the ending is perfect. And it helps that there's a sequel.6) It managed to do exactly what it wanted to do.Hilarious, yet tender. Simple, yet complicated. Over-use-of-humor, yet completely natural. I could go on, but these trait-yet-opposite-traits are very cliche, so I'll stop now. Long story short, A Whole Nother Story told the tale it was trying to tell, with just enough humor to engage readers of any age, and a theme that could speak to anyone. It is probably on my top ten favorite book list, and I've read a /lot/.In short: I give it 10 stars--or I would if I could.