Book Review: Kevin's Point of View by Del Shannon



Synopsis (from Goodreads):  To escape the emotional turmoil of his father’s death 12-year-old Kevin Tobin has retreated inside himself, developing his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes everyone with his superhero antics, his ability to escape inside himself becomes critical to his survival after his life is once-again turned upside down a year after his father’s death. When a mysterious package arrives in the mail, Kevin and his best friend are hunted by a ruthless villain who is determined to retrieve the package, which holds the key to his plans for world domination. After enlisting Kevin’s teenage sister and her pizza-delivery boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the group escapes into the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado and eventually discover that Kevin’s entire existence is because of the love of someone we never expected.

Kevin's Point of View is Del Shannon's debut novel and shows a deep appreciation for the powers of imagination, family ties, and the desire of young boys to both escape reality and prove themselves within it. The fast-paced, adventure-filled storytelling style makes this a book with wide appeal for readers of all ages.

My thoughts:  Kevin's Point of View was a very different book from what a usually read.  It was a little strange but absolutely wonderful at the same time!  It was full of adventure, twists and turns and even humor. 

Kevin's world changes when he loses his father.  He deals by escaping into his own world and finding the courage to face danger.  Then Kevin gets a gift from an unknown source called The Influxitron.  The gift ends up bringing danger to Kevin, his sister and her boyfriend and Kevin's best friend.  The ending was unexpected for me and I loved that it was so unpredictable!

Kevin was a great character.  My son loved him!  I liked the enemies, you know the ones that keep reappearing even after you think you have gotten rid of them?  Yeah, I thought they were great! 

I thought this book was fairly easy to follow and read and my 8 year old (who reads at a 5th grade level) seemed to have no problems following along.  It was a clean read but packed with such adventure and excitement that you never get bored!  I would tell my son "okay, one more chapter" and at the end of the chapter he would say "well, we can't just leave it like that.  Read one more!" until I finally had to call it quits for the night.  I loved that it kept his interest like that!