Review: The Big Hairy Secret by Thomas Kingsley Troupe

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Flo Gardner isn't exactly thrilled when she and her mom move into Corman Towers, a giant apartment building in the middle of the city. To call their new home strange is an understatement. And things only get weirder when she meets Ferdinand, better known as Furry. It doesn't take Flo long to realize that there's more than one secret lurking in her new home.
For ages 7-8. From the Furry and Flo series.
*Funny, quirky chapter book series featuring two main characters kids can relate to
*Humorous, quirky black-and-white artwork throughout (both full-page and spot illustrations)
*Supernatural aspect with werewolves and other monsters presented in a funny, appealing way (not scary!)
*Combination action, adventure, & mystery stories – kids can follow along and try to solve mysteries and problems with Furry & Flo
About the Author:
Thomas Kingsley Troupe has written more than 30 children’s books. His book Legend of the Werewolf (Picture Window Books, 2011) received a bronze medal for the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. Thomas lives in Woodbury, Minnesota, with his wife and two young boys.
About the Illustrator:
Stephen Gilpin has been working as an illustrator and cartoonist since 2000 and has around 20 kids’ picture books and chapter books under his belt. His clients include Harper Collins, Random House, Simon and Schuster, Scholastic, and the Wall Street Journal among many others.

MY TAKE:
I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book, but I actually quite enjoyed it.

In The Big Hairy Secret, Flo and her mother have just moved into a new town and apartment. There, Flo meets her odd neighbor Furry. There's something about Furry that Flo can't quite figure out. Just when she finally finds out his secret, they both learn something really strange about their apartment.

Flo is kinda rough around the ages, but she's your typical surly tween and I can imagine lots of girls being able to relate to her. Furry is sort of wacky and childish but he's endearing enough.

The book moves at a quick pace so there aren't a lot of plot twists here. However, the first mystery sets the stage nicely for more tales from Flo and Furry's strange apartment. This is the kind of book that I think would appeal more to young boys, but is entertaining and funny enough to be able to draw in girls as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Young Readers for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Big Hairy Secret is on August 1, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. Flo is relate-able.
2. Furry is endearing.
3. The plot is not super unusual but it sets the scene nicely for future books.

THE BAD:

1. The resolution comes pretty quickly and easily.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

If there was one thing Flo was really good at, it was making sandwiches.

READ IT IF:

1. You like funny stories about spiders, werewolves and the like.
2. You liked Goosebumps.
3. You like quirky characters.

RATING:


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