Archy The Flying Dolphin and the Vampire’s Curse
by Alan Williams
Published by Trafford Publishing
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Reviewed by Stephanie Boyd
In this middle-reader (ages 10-14), Thomas and Suzy Parkinson are spending the summer visiting their Uncle Fibber in an isolated area near a beach. The kids are sure it will be a boring summer until Uncle Fibber tells them a scary story about a curse, a vampire, the never-ending darkness, and a magic dolphin. Wishing they could experience an adventure like the story, they run down to the beach to play and there find an old beached fishing trawler. Even though in Uncle Fibber’s story, setting foot on an old fishing trawler is what starts the curse, they run to play on it–and suddenly find themselves living parts of the story. Are they really cursed or is this just some kind of weird dream?
I was disappointed in this story. The premise is good, and it has all the fun adventure aspects you would want to find in a good children’s story. But somehow it just didn’t grab my interest enough and engage me in the story. I never could relate to Thomas and Suzy and the transitions to each section of the story seem too abrupt. Even though the story is meant to be a fantasy, since I wasn’t engaged, it seemed like too much and too unbelievable. The dolphin could have been a lot of fun but he just whisks into the picture and sweeps the kids off to the next section–there is no bonding or real interaction between the dolphin and the kids.
To be fair, I gave the book to my 10-year-old son but he also said it didn’t hold his interest and he wouldn’t finish reading it. I hate that. I really see good potential in this book. I hope the author will try again but smooth out the rough patches and do more in-depth character development so that the middle reader becomes involved with the characters.
Armchair Interviews says: When buying books for children, make sure they are age appropriate and will be enjoyed by your child.
Author’s Web site: http://www.ArchytheFlyingDolphin.com