A Scout is Brave

by Will Ludwigsen

Description

"'It was in Innsmouth where I met the greatest Scout I've ever known, a boy named Aubrey Marsh, and he's the reason I'm still here and the reason I still believe it's worth being human, even though he's not quite either of those things anymore.' In the summer of 1963, Bud Castillo moves with his family from busy Queens, NY, to the bleak town of Innsmouth, MA, after a local oil consortium hires his father to help with a drilling platform off the coast. Bud meets a kindred spirit in the town show more library, Aubrey, the only other boy in town. Scouting is the cornerstone of Bud's life, and founding a troop in Innsmouth is the only way he can conceive of coping with what he is sure is a disastrous move. But the delights of that summer are ending, as Bud discovers that Reverend Pritchett of the Evangelical Progress Temple has plans to return Innsmouth to greatness and glory."-- show less

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rabbit-stew 874 reviews

A short, fun book set in Lovecraftian New England in the early 1960s. There's not much horror, but there are creatures, thrills, and suspense. This is for people who want to dip their toes into modernized Lovecraftian horror, but don't want to look Cthulhu in the face.

Bud is a genuinely nice kid, which is refreshing to read. He likes his parents, and wants to make friends. He's not as dedicated to Scouting as the title might suggest. The Scouting manual he interprets is dedicated to being a good human being, and he shares it with a not-quite human friend.

The novella's plot and setting are excellent. The plot is an easy-to-follow mystery of strange goings-on in a small town that seems bent on a fantasy of saving itself from a very slow show more destruction. Innsmouth, of course, is a ready-made setting. Ludwigsen updates it a bit with his characters and more modern appliances, but keeps his Innsmouth beautifully turn-of-the century. That's 19th-century.

I'd say it's a good book for older kids and early teenagers, actually. Perfect for Halloween. But, I'm old, and they might find it terribly boring. What do I know from kids today? I might as well move to Innsmouth. Whippersnappers.

Edit 3/29:

I just remembered that there's a lot of swearing in this book. Something that might concern whippersnappers.

Also, familiarity with the original story The Shadow over Innsmouth would be a good pre-read for this one, although it does not match the tone or humor of this book at all. If you are interested in a free audio version, I recommend Nature's Temper's YouTube version. He's got a great narration style that's perfect for the story. show less

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