A quirky middle–grade novel about an enterprising seventh–grader who discovers an astonishing plea for help in the grooves of his blue jeans.
Dwayne Ruggles is a regular kid living in a regular town until evil entrepreneur Howard Thigpen shows up. Thigpen seems to have the ability to make people do whatever he wants, and sparks of light swirl around him wherever he goes. But the mystery doesn't stop there. Dwayne discovers that the grooves in his Thigpen–brand blue jeans and the ripples in his Thigpen–brand potato chips contain a secret message, "Please. You must help us. He's stealing the light from our eyes." It's a race against time to solve the mystery, but first Dwayne better figure out what that strange message means.
Interview with Kevin Brockmeier (EarthGoat)
How important is children's fiction to developing readers of adult literary fiction?
I'm tempted to say, "Very," simply because I myself write in both forms, but when I look back over the reading I actually did as a child, I realize that it was mostly made up of comic books, along with works of fantasy and science fiction and mysteries and film novelizations and various paraliterary genres like joke books and catalogs of do-it-yourself science experiments, all of which were at least ostensibly intended for an adult audience. I would suggest, then, that what's important is encouraging in children the habit of reading and taking pleasure in language and stories, no matter what their provenance.
Reviews
“A frothy, fanciful, and entertaining blend of science fiction and mystery.”
—Booklist
“Benevolent strangeness and cheerfully random mystery.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Fans of such wacky fantasies as Kathy Mackel’s will be delighted.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A surrealistic and nutty mystery…The novel is a hoot.”
—School Library Journal