Alistair Grim's Odditorium

Oh, this book! Funaro's writing reminded me very much of J.K. Rowling's at the beginning of the Harry Potter series. So simple to read, but oh-so-much-fun! Yes, I'm raving, I adored this book! My one and only critique, is that the author overuses some of the characters catch phrases. Otherwise, superb!

In Odditorium, we meet Grubb, like the worm, but with a double 'b', in the case you were wanting to write it down. He was left on the doorstep of the Mr. and Mrs Smears when he was quite young. While on a job with Mr. Smears, he sneaks into a trunk and the next thing he knows, the carriage leave and shortly after, he's arrived at Alistair Grim's Odditorium. What goes on this place? Is Mr. Grimm truly a mad sorcerer? What will become of show more Grubb? You must read the book to find out! show less

I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I wasn’t expecting this story to suck me in as much as it did. It was such a wonderful surprise.

Twelve-year-old, or thereabouts, Grubb—spelled like the worm but with a double b—is a chimney sweep specialist, not because he wants to be, but because of his master’s exploitations. When Grubb discovers Alistair’s Grim Odditorium, the adventure of a lifetime begins. And it involves all sorts of magical creatures, like … well, you have to read it to find out!

I can tell you one thing: The Odditorium is like a spider, an old factory, and a steamboat in a blender, spiced up with magical substances of all sorts—it has a life of its own.

Even though I’m a galaxy show more away from my younger years, the novel took me back to being twelve, “or thereabouts.” If you’re eight-and-up, though, don’t worry. It is an excellent read-along-with-your-kid kind of book. show less

I have read some of this author's suspense/horror novels and enjoyed them all thus far. I was intrigued to read this author's children/young adult series. Let me tell you that Mr. Funaro is the real deal. He can write. Some authors that I have read have tried to make the leap to this genre and have not been as successful in my eyes.

Instantly, I was transported to this magical world of Odditorium. I did not want to leave this world. Luckily I won't have to as this book is just the first one in the series. This book is more than just a book. It is an adventure filled with magic, wonder, excitement, great characters and villains. I could picture this series being turned into a television series or movies. However the way Mr. Funaro show more writes, it was like watching the movie version while reading this book. I look forward to seeing more of Grubb as I know there is more to him than meets the eye. Alistair Grim's Odditorium is a not to be missed! It is one of the best books of 2015. show less

Take a little bit of Dickens’ Oliver Twist or David Copperfield, mix in some faeries and Arthurian legend, then throw in some crazy steampunk inventions for good measure, and you get the world of Grubb and Alistair Grim.

I received the second book as an ARC, but soon realized that I would enjoy it more if I had the backstory from the first book which, fortunately, my library had. It definitely made a difference.

The story of Grubb’s life and travels, with the friends and family he makes along the way, is one that late-elementary and middle-graders are sure to enjoy. There’s magic and adventure galore, along with plenty of emotion. The characters are varied, but each is a unique character. (I particularly like Dalach and Nigel.) The show more mystery will keep readers guessing, and a third book must be coming, because there are plenty of loose ends still to be tied up.

The writing is descriptive and accessible, though the Lexile level is a bit high for the intended age range, possibly because of the somewhat Dickensian style of writing. The story is told in first person, through Grubb’s eyes, and chapters often end with a bit of foreshadowing of the “If I had only known” variety. Grubb gets into dangerous situations frequently, although it’s rarely his fault, but it pushes the edges of belief that he always gets out of them.

I think I enjoyed the second book more than the first, but whether that’s because the characters had a chance to more fully develop or whether it’s because I’m a sucker for Arthurian myth, I’m not sure.

The illustrations add to enjoyment of the story. Of course, this being from Disney, it’s also well-edited.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Ghosts, magic, fairies, traveling to alternate dimensions. Grubb was born out of wedlock. A love triangle of sorts. The bad guy is pretty scary, and there are perilous situations galore.

Who Might Enjoy These Books:
The target age range is appropriate, although those in lower grades will have to be strong or enthusiastic readers, due to the length and the higher Lexile. This will probably be of equal interest to boys or girls, as there are several strong female characters, even though the cast is male-dominated. Anyone who loves steampunk, Dickens, and faerie magic will probably enjoy this. Approximate Lexile: 1060

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. show less

Truth be told, Alistair Grim's Odditorium caught me with just its title. Can you blame me? I'm all about quirky tales and, even more than that, unique MG stories. I don't suppose I should have been surprised at how odd this story ended up at times. While the plot isn't overly complex, there are definitely a lot of moving pieces to Grubb's story. Now that I know this is a series, I'm not as worried anymore. Be warned though, you'll likely be left with burning questions at the end.

Let's talk about our main character, Grubb. I sure do love a plucky, young character, and Grubb fits that description to the letter. I caught myself comparing him to other young orphan lads, which I'm sure you can guess at but I won't mention precisely, and show more therefore I had a soft spot in my heart for him. I never get tired of rags to riches stories. Of courageous characters who end up in mischief through no fault of their own. Grubb was my kind of protagonist.

Unfortunately, I can't say I was given as much time to love the other characters in this story. My biggest gripe about Alistair Grim's Odditorium was the lack of character development. This book is very heavy on the action, which I'm sure was intentional since it's aimed at MG readers. However for readers like myself, and yes I was like this even when I was the intended audience for this book, the lack of character depth is tragic. I was so intrigued by Alistair Grim and his cast of fellow characters. I would have loved to get lost in their backgrounds. I can only hope that the next book in the series gives me that opportunity.

While the writing is solid, the plot is a little predictable. Odd things do happen. They most definitely do. However I was still quickly able to figure out where things were headed, and guess the ending before I arrived there. It is testament to the overall strength of this book that I read it through to the end though! Despite any qualms I may have had, it still managed to capture me enough that I'm looking forward to more. Do you have a young reader who loves adventure? Perhaps they'll want to give this book a shot. show less

Grubb shows up on the Smears doorstep as a newborn all wrapped up looking like, well, a grub. So that became his name. Mr. Smear is rather abusive and once Mrs. Smear dies, things are pretty grim. Mr. Smear forces him to be a chimney sweep and after a mishap he runs away to avoid punishment. Up to this point the book is fantastic. I just love the beginning when you get to know the characters. And who doesn't love the Oliver Twist type character?

It's at this point, that he decides to stow away in what turns out to be Alistair Grimm's trunk. Here the magic of the beginning fades a little. Grubb ends up inside Grim's Odditorium and this is where the reader has to work at figuring out what this place is, who all the players are, who's show more good, who's bad, what's magical, what's not. So much is going on and you have to get to the end of the book to figure out how it all fits together. This is why no fantasy book has been able to do what Harry Potter did. I don't want to make this a review about Harry Potter, but Rowling made getting to know the characters the focus of the book. It wasn't about making the reader figure out a convoluted plot when you're only 20% into the book. The best books are always character oriented. Falling in love with the characters is what invests you. This book has too many characters that fleet in and out, and you never get to know them.

I was going to write a bit of a synopsis then realized that it would take way too long, and honestly the book just isn't worth that amount of my energy. It's a decent book, but I won't be reading the sequel. I wish the author had tightened things up better. show less

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. It’s obviously the first book in a planned series, since there are some large issues that aren’t resolved in this book. It was an okay book; there were some very neat things in here but at times there was just too much thrown at the reader. This is a middle grade fantasy with some adventure.

Grubb is an apprentice chimney sweep who has to deal with cruel insults and abuse from his adoptive father/master. Everything changes when one day Grubb stows away in an empty truck on a carriage and ends up in the crazy Odditorium of Alistar Grim. Grubb has no idea of the adventure that is in store for him as he discovers the wonders inside the Odditorium.

This is a middle grade fantasy of show more sorts. Actually it's a bit of a mishmash of a lot of different things. There is some magic, some science, a ghost, some teleportation, an evil Prince, and an orphan boy with a mysterious past. This appears to be the first book in a series, because many things are left unresolved at the end of the story.

I think part of my trouble with this book was that it was a mishmash of so many things and they are thrown at the reader so quickly. There wasn't enough character development so I had trouble engaging with the characters and really caring about what was happening to them.

There are some very cool things in here. I loved Grim's Odditorium and all the quirky things in it. I enjoyed all the crazy different characters as well. I had some trouble picturing all the quirky things though because they weren't described that well.

There is also some very nice artwork throughout the story (it was a bit hard to see in the review copy I had). I definitely want to pick up a final copy at some point and at least look at the art work.

The story is decently done. Parts are interesting but there are also some really predictable parts. For example the mystery behind Grubb's real parents, I thought this was very predictable and very typical of this type of middle grade fantasy story.

Overall this was an interesting read, but not as good as some other middle grade fantasies out there. This book reminded me a bit of The Magic Thief series by Sarah Prineas, but I think that series is much better. show less