I am proud to announce that this week "The Wee Musketeers" got a good review from The School Library Journal. The review has been posted by The School Library Journal on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
BRESLOFF, Robert. The Wee Musketeers. illus. by Daniel Ziembo. 208p. (Get "Into" the Classics Series). CIP. Hungry Goat. 2010. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-0-9820812-5-9. LC 2009040716.
Gr 4-7–Three friends wielding wooden swords and clad in their homemade costumes battle tirelessly during the long summer days of 1961. Ever since Bobby's Grandpa Max read The Three Musketeers to the 11-year-old boys, they have made each adventure come to life. Soon, however, Bobby, Fritzy, and Keith find playing without a fourth person to be D'Artagnan is becoming boring. Deciding to ask Grandpa Max to help, they are surprised to find him pacing in his closet of special books given to him by a mysterious old woman at a book sale. He confesses that he can transport himself into the stories and has unknowingly altered the plot of the Dumas novel. Musketeers Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are imprisoned by the ruthless Cardinal Richelieu and Bobby, his grandpa, and friends must travel back to 1626 Paris to set things right. Although somewhat predictable, the story has fast-paced action, comic relief, and brief moments of 11-year-old romanticizing. This first of a series to get young readers "into" the classics delivers a rip-roaring debut and presents a multidimensional avenue to introduce literature to a large audience, including reluctant readers. It will need to be booktalked as the cover is deadly.–D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH
