ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Bea Flint’s family has won “the adventure of a lifetime” for seven people, so they grab Phoebe from next door, and Gabby, the clockwork girl who’s always lived in their house, and board the submarine bus for Bell Hoot. But while the bus is under water, Bea’s brother Theo disappears with a “pop.” When Bea and Phoebe set out to find Theo, they discover that Bell Hoot is not a normal vacation destination, that Bea’s family is not quite normal either, and what “the adventure of a lifetime” really means.

The Hidden Boy is a quick-paced, fun story with delightfully eccentric characters and an entertaining plot that never lags. Not much is believable (e.g., the Flints don’t ask Phoebe’s parents if they can take her with them, they let Bea explore Bell Hoot after Theo has disappeared and there are enemies around), but I didn’t mind — quirky tales can get away with this kind of absurdity.

There are still many questions to answer (Who are the Gummint? Who is Gabby? What is Arkadi up to?) and lots of room to explore Bell Hoot. A sequel, The Sleeper’s Moon, will be released in October. The Bell Hoot Fables will be a great series for kids who enjoy preposterous stories full of strange but charming characters. ( )

Wonderful. If you enjoy juvenile fiction, you've stumbled upon a real treat. I enjoyed it immensely. The story is fresh, inventive, deeply fun. Jon Berkeley has a gift for turning the occasional sentence that renders a delicious literary sigh. The book's imaginative environment will form verdantly in your mind's eye leaving you captivated & craving more. ( )

The writing was so amazing I didn't realize until I'd finished the story that the plot had major holes in it.

That pretty much sums up my feelings about this whole story. The reader is plunged into the middle of a crazy world without any preparation, as the Flints are whisked away on a mysterious adventure, leaving behind their home to be attacked by the "Gummint". On the way to their adventure, Bea's little brother Theo disappears and she must learn the mystical Mumbo Jumbo to save him.

The writing is wonderful and beautiful and the characters are entrancing, but the plot is bewildering. I suppose parts of it, like the Gummint, will be explained in future volumes (it's a serious, of course) but other parts of it, like what happened to Mrs. Ledbetter, seem to need more explanation. Doesn't Bea have any issues dealing with what she did? It seems unreasonable that everyone just accepts it and everything fits together perfectly at the end. Besides, the whole mystical magical powers thing seems rather cliched.

But....the writing was gorgeous and I couldn't put it down.

Verdict: Read it and make up your own mind?

ISBN: 978-0061687587; Published February 2010 by Katharine Tegen Books; Borrowed from the library