Review by sursangeet_2000 -- Will of The Hill
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Review by sursangeet_2000 -- Will of The Hill
[Following is a volunteer review of "Will of The Hill" by Marshall Cobb.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Will of the Hill, by Marshall Cobb is a wonderful story about a ten-year-old boy named Will Reese. Will loved to read comic books, especially the Edgar series. All he ever wanted to do was to get through the school day, come home and hang out with his best friend, Dillon and read comic books with him.
Just like every story has a villain, the bad guy or should we say, the bad gal in Will's life is Gertrude Collins. Now, Gertrude has the bad habit of telling on pretty much everyone, which even earned her the nickname, "Intrude". And Gertrude seems to go out of her way to make Will's life miserable, which has all the grown-ups suspecting that she might even like Will. How Will tackles Gertrude and what role does Dillon play in this saga makes up the short but sweet story of Will of the Hill.
To say that this story is all about friendship, would be an understatement. The author has beautifully shown the sweet elements of friendship, and how friends can go to any extent for making each other's lives better. For example, the protagonist feels that he does not even need to talk with his best friend. They are so comfortable with each other that they could be in the same room the whole day, just reading their own book and not have to say a word to each other. I also loved how the author manages to give us a look into Will's mind with funny quotes on friendship such as, "Their friendship might have started based on poop, but over the years it had progressed into a love of comic books and an unrivaled aversion to chores."
As for Dillon, he never once forces Will to confess or tell what was wrong in his life. He just hangs around Will, offering encouraging smiles, and just being there for him. And when he comes to know what is really bothering his friend, he doesn't hesitate for a second in giving him a helping hand. The author has managed to effectively sketch the character of Gertrude. The reader senses her attitude and gets equally annoyed by her habit of getting others, especially Will, in constant trouble.
The one area that the author disappointed me just a bit was when he tried to bring about a conspiracy theory with a math teacher that seemed to have gone nowhere. I was definitely intrigued by that angle and was disappointed to see that the loose end was not tied up properly.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the author's presentation. The writing was top-notch and I barely found any error. This book was definitely professionally edited. So, I would be very happy to give this book four out of four stars. I do hope that the author continues with this as a series and brings into light, the fantasy angle presented in the story. I would recommend this book to readers in the age group of 9 to 14. This book has been very well written and would prove to be a good source of vocabulary and grammatical lesson plans for teachers of the English language as well.
******
Will of The Hill
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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Will of the Hill, by Marshall Cobb is a wonderful story about a ten-year-old boy named Will Reese. Will loved to read comic books, especially the Edgar series. All he ever wanted to do was to get through the school day, come home and hang out with his best friend, Dillon and read comic books with him.
Just like every story has a villain, the bad guy or should we say, the bad gal in Will's life is Gertrude Collins. Now, Gertrude has the bad habit of telling on pretty much everyone, which even earned her the nickname, "Intrude". And Gertrude seems to go out of her way to make Will's life miserable, which has all the grown-ups suspecting that she might even like Will. How Will tackles Gertrude and what role does Dillon play in this saga makes up the short but sweet story of Will of the Hill.
To say that this story is all about friendship, would be an understatement. The author has beautifully shown the sweet elements of friendship, and how friends can go to any extent for making each other's lives better. For example, the protagonist feels that he does not even need to talk with his best friend. They are so comfortable with each other that they could be in the same room the whole day, just reading their own book and not have to say a word to each other. I also loved how the author manages to give us a look into Will's mind with funny quotes on friendship such as, "Their friendship might have started based on poop, but over the years it had progressed into a love of comic books and an unrivaled aversion to chores."
As for Dillon, he never once forces Will to confess or tell what was wrong in his life. He just hangs around Will, offering encouraging smiles, and just being there for him. And when he comes to know what is really bothering his friend, he doesn't hesitate for a second in giving him a helping hand. The author has managed to effectively sketch the character of Gertrude. The reader senses her attitude and gets equally annoyed by her habit of getting others, especially Will, in constant trouble.
The one area that the author disappointed me just a bit was when he tried to bring about a conspiracy theory with a math teacher that seemed to have gone nowhere. I was definitely intrigued by that angle and was disappointed to see that the loose end was not tied up properly.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the author's presentation. The writing was top-notch and I barely found any error. This book was definitely professionally edited. So, I would be very happy to give this book four out of four stars. I do hope that the author continues with this as a series and brings into light, the fantasy angle presented in the story. I would recommend this book to readers in the age group of 9 to 14. This book has been very well written and would prove to be a good source of vocabulary and grammatical lesson plans for teachers of the English language as well.
******
Will of The Hill
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Keepers by Michael D Komeshak
