 The
Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydrants (TM)
Baltazar Ray
Interesting
Read ... Recommended ... 5 stars The year is 2999 and fire hydrants
no longer serve the purpose they once did. Many today are old
and outdated and stand only to provide revenue when motorists
park in front of them. When two unsuspecting older hydrants are
toppled from their posts and are tossed into the back of a truck
loaded with other hydrants an escapade is about to begin. Hydra
and Pluggo feel the magic in the air, they hear a voice telling
them 'I will be watching.' And the pair are told they have heretofore
unknown powers. Soon Hydra and Pluggo are puzzling over what
those powers might be as they set out for Guerlin City. They
are not sure just what is drawing them there, but they do mean
to find out. A bridge, a dog who has been turned into a hydrant,
Ben and Guido the collectors of the old hydrants, a child in
a burning building and the adventure has just begun. Meet Five
Feet, the Mohegan River, kidnappers and children rescued, Fred
the Baker and Veeda the duck continue the narrative. When Pluggo
decides to stay with the ducks; Hydra knows he must press on
alone. Before long Hydra is reunited with Pluggo, the exploit
takes new turns and a near disaster is averted.
"Fancy Crazy Hydrants"
is meant for target audience six to eleven years old. I believe
reading vocabulary used by the author is beyond the scope of
most six and seven year olds, however the book does lend itself
nicely as a 'read to me' type chapter book for use by parents
and teachers alike. Some twenty chapters spanning 161 pages and
the words 'to be continued' will no doubt captivate young readers.
The notion that hydrants can come to life and perform heroic
feats is sure to tickle the fancy of the middle grades portion
of the target audience. "Fancy Crazy Hydrants" is a
good choice for the 'quiet reading time' following the tumult
of noon recess for middle grade youngsters when teacher reads
a chapter a day.
Writer Baltazar Ray presents
a novel notion with his initial offering. He says he plans to
continue the hydrant series. I was sent an uncorrected ARC for
review, it has some glitches of syntax which no doubt will be
corrected when the final product is produced in November 2004.
Fun names, lots of adventure,
fast pace, "Fancy Crazy Hydrants" is a merry read.
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