Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
Anthony "Antsy" Bonano can't really figure out what's wrong with The Schwa. His classmate, Calvin Schwa, has always just been...around.
A nondescript face on a nondescript kid, The Schwa always seems to just blend into the background, and could be standing right in front of you for half an hour before you even notice he's there - and that's only if he speaks up and says something. Antsy finds it difficult to even think about The Schwa without his mind wandering onto some other subject, no doubt due to "The Schwa Effect."
Antsy may not have been the first the pass The Schwa by, but he is the first one to start putting his friend's power of blending in to good use. After a set of experiments to determine the strength of "The Schwa Effect," Antsy and The Schwa form a collaboration that starts earning them money for dares and services (such as spying on the faculty lounge) that utilize The Schwa's untapped potential.
When a bold dare to enter the apartment of a reclusive neighbor goes horribly wrong, Antsy and The Schwa find themselves at the mercy of Old Man Crawley, who puts them to work to make up for their intrusion. The boys' friendship is put to the test when Antsy is given a...much more desirable task, which sets The Schwa on a mission to prove his very existence to the world in the grandest, most unforgettable manner possible.
I absolutely fell in love with this book, and that is not something I'd say lightly. Superior characterization, mainly the shifting position of narrator Antsy as both protagonist and antagonist to the title character, had me rooting for nearly every personality featured in this story. My heart went out to the unfortunate Schwa, yet I think I laughed harder than ever at the witty storytelling and humor utilized by the author.
A perfect book for the older, reluctant reader, and one both boys and girls can enjoy to the fullest.
Anthony "Antsy" Bonano can't really figure out what's wrong with The Schwa. His classmate, Calvin Schwa, has always just been...around.
A nondescript face on a nondescript kid, The Schwa always seems to just blend into the background, and could be standing right in front of you for half an hour before you even notice he's there - and that's only if he speaks up and says something. Antsy finds it difficult to even think about The Schwa without his mind wandering onto some other subject, no doubt due to "The Schwa Effect."
Antsy may not have been the first the pass The Schwa by, but he is the first one to start putting his friend's power of blending in to good use. After a set of experiments to determine the strength of "The Schwa Effect," Antsy and The Schwa form a collaboration that starts earning them money for dares and services (such as spying on the faculty lounge) that utilize The Schwa's untapped potential.
When a bold dare to enter the apartment of a reclusive neighbor goes horribly wrong, Antsy and The Schwa find themselves at the mercy of Old Man Crawley, who puts them to work to make up for their intrusion. The boys' friendship is put to the test when Antsy is given a...much more desirable task, which sets The Schwa on a mission to prove his very existence to the world in the grandest, most unforgettable manner possible.
I absolutely fell in love with this book, and that is not something I'd say lightly. Superior characterization, mainly the shifting position of narrator Antsy as both protagonist and antagonist to the title character, had me rooting for nearly every personality featured in this story. My heart went out to the unfortunate Schwa, yet I think I laughed harder than ever at the witty storytelling and humor utilized by the author.
A perfect book for the older, reluctant reader, and one both boys and girls can enjoy to the fullest.
