One of the things I like most about Theo, as a writer, is how he seeks out new genres and masters them. In Theo's newest book, Weatherboy, he takes on YA... And succeeds! I've read this book, as I have read all of his work, and it's marvelous!
I have the cover, blurb, excerpt, my review, and a chance for ONE of you to win your very own copy.
Weatherboy isn't the first book Theo has written and I HOPE won't be his last! I will talk about his other work shortly. First let's look at Weatherboy a little, shall we?
Blurb:
After fifteen-year-old Tuck finds a Maya artifact while on
vacation in Guatemala, his whole life changes. To his surprise, he discovers he
can make it rain and snow. A local weatherman happens to be around when Tuck
creates a waterspout near his home in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and the next
thing he knows, someone from the Department of Homeland Security is picking him
up at school and taking him to their offices in Orlando. From there, things
only get weirder and more dangerous when he’s escorted to Washington, D.C.
With help from friends and family, Tuck tries to outwit government
agents while staying one step ahead of the mysterious Rafe Castillo, the man
assigned to ride herd on him. Tuck has an amazing opportunity to reverse the
effects of climate change… but only if he stays alive long enough to do it.
Excerpt:
“Swim first, then study, ’kay?”
Holly said.
Mick fell in behind her, but Tuck
held back. “I’m gonna wait a bit for my pop to chill. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Mick trailed laughter. “We’ve had
this discussion, Tuck. It’s called ‘soda’ down here.” A moment later, Tuck
heard a loud splash and Holly’s giggles as she and Mick jumped in the pool.
“It’s pop,” Tuck said under his
breath. Although he’d been in Florida five years, he still sometimes felt out
of place even though there were lots of transplanted northerners here. Mick and
Holly, however, had been born in Tarpon Springs. Tuck raised his voice. “I’ve
seen snow! I’ve gone skiing and made igloos.”
“Who the hell cares?” Mick called
back.
Shoving his hands in his pockets,
Tuck sulked. Wrapping his fingers around the talisman―something he’d been doing a lot since he’d taken to
carrying it―he
thought about his last day in St Paul. The house had been sold and their things
shipped down to the new place on Bayshore Drive. It had been the fifteenth of
January, and snow was falling hard enough they’d wondered if their flight would
be delayed. The temperature had been fifteen degrees and falling. He remembered
being really cold as they locked up and got in the airport van. He slid his
thumb over the curves and lines on the talisman and briefly wanted to feel that
cold again. There’d been something clean and refreshing about winter up there
that was always missing in the Sunshine State.
“I wish it would snow,” he
whispered into the empty kitchen. “For just five minutes.”
He grabbed his can of pop from
the freezer, and the backpacks off the table, and joined his friends in the
cage. Mick and Holly were horsing around in the pool, but when they saw he’d
brought their homework, they made faces at him and climbed out, dripping on the
flagstone. Mick had stripped down to his boxers, as threatened, and Tuck
averted his eyes.
“Ugh, work,” Holly said, giving
her shoulder-length hair a quick rub with a towel. “But after we finish, maybe we
can hang at Howard Park. What do you say?”
“Food first. I’m getting hungry,”
Mick said, flopping down in a chair at the patio table. “Think your parents
would invite me to stay for dinner? Your father grills a mean hamburger.”
Reaching into his pack, he retrieved his history book and opened it to the
third chapter; rumors were a pop quiz on the material was scheduled for
tomorrow.
“You’re always hungry,” Tuck teased,
claiming part of the table for his math work. He reached for his Dew and froze;
something that looked suspiciously like a snowflake landed on top of the can. “What
the....”
They turned toward him. He
pointed at the table, where more flakes had fallen.
Holly said, “Is that... snow?”
“Can’t be,” Mick said in a hushed
voice. “It’s almost a hundred degrees out here, even in the shade.” He looked
up. “Besides, we’re protected by the overhang. Even if it was possible, there’s
no sky directly above us.”
Tuck inhaled sharply and touched
the white stuff. It was cold and wet.
“It’s snow,” he said, “... and I
think I made it happen.”
I KNOW I KNOW You're like, "WHOA!" Welcome to my world! It truly is a wonderful story. Although this isn't a review site, I do, on occasion, post my reviews IF I LOVED THE BOOK! So here's my review:
Review: 5 STARS
If you love YA you will
love this book. If you don't like YA, read this book because you'll love
it. Imagine having the power to change the weather. Imagine that power
could change the world. Now imagine what would happen if the world knew
you had it? Yeah... Intense. Tuck is power personified in this book. But
as Voltaire said, with great power comes great responsibility. My heart
broke for Tuck in this story. I always try to relate to characters
while I read. It enhances the experience. He's a kid. 15-16 but to me,
that's a kid. The weight of the world is on his shoulders. He's "newly"
out and he's crumbling. I wanted to put him in my pocket.
The
story itself is brilliant. Climate change is a HUGE problem. An issue we
see in the news constantly. I've heard people say, "I wish I had the
power to fix it all." It's about balance. To fix one thing, something
must break. Theo does an outstanding job showing the balance. He does it
in the most gripping and intense way. I really became consumed with
this story. Tuck is a symbol in this book.
YA or not this book needs to be read by everyone. Spot on editing, creative, entertaining, and brilliant!
Pick it up today!
As I stated above there is a giveaway to win your VERY OWN copy of this book. But, if you're anything like me you will want to buy it like NOW! So you can... It's exclusive to Amazon right now for 90 days so here is the buy link:
Weatherboy on Amazon
OTHER BOOKS BY The Fenraven include
ALL Outstanding! He truly is an amazing writer. There's creative and then there's skilled creativity! I don't read Theo's work and roll my eyes. I don't question when he adds magic, or paranormal activity. I don't grunt in disbelief wondering if this was researched. IT ALWAYS IS!
If Theo Fenraven isn't on your list of Authors to check out ADD HIM!
NOW GIVEAWAY TIME!
One person will win a copy of Weatherboy. Contest runs until Friday October 24th! Winner will be emailed.
Make sure to check out Weatherboy and all of Theo's books. Add this author to your must read list!
REMEMBER: REVIEW WHAT YOU READ!
GIVEAWAY:
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