Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000

My 9 year old loves to read. But lately he's been getting a little too into comic books for my liking. Luckily Eric Wight has covered all the bases by making an interesting "hybrid" book that my son loves and I don't feel bad about letting him read. The illustrations are fun, the writing is interesting, and the stories include lessons that really stick with the reader. I think the most telling thing about this book is the fact that before he was even done, my son was asking if we could order more in this series. Mr. Wight has a winner and I'm glad we found it!

My two boys, 11 and 9, loved reading this book. They said it had the perfect blend of humor, imagination, and action to suit them. My boys are also in Scouts, so the story paralleled many things that they could relate to. They also loved the comic strips at the end of each chapter. This book is great for boys.

First of all, I'm a 30 year old male and yes, I got this book for myself. What initially attracted me to this book was the incredible artwork. Eric Wight has really outdone himself in illustrating this book. The second point that I took notice of was the way that the story flows. It initially starts out as a comic book, but evolves into novel form. I have never seen this done before, and thought the idea was ingenious. The final part that hooked me was the story - it really is good! Not just for kids. I feel that this book has been created in much the same way that Disney / Pixar movies are in that there is something to hold the attention of both adults and children. This is a quality book in most every aspect - binding, illustration, story, etc. and its obvious that the author and publisher both have great faith in what the "Frankie Pickle" line of books have to offer. While I may not be receiving any more of these myself, (they are a bit too juvenile) I did enjoy and wholly recommend your purchasing of this book. I wish Mr. Wight nothing but success in the future.

I picked up "Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000" in the hopes of finding a fun book for my 4th grade son to read. The cover art reminded me a bit of "Speed Racer", which alot of kids enjoy. As an adult, I flew through the book quickly, as it's less than 90 pages. In Eric Wight's book, we find Franklin Lorenzo Piccolini, a.k.a. "Frankie Pickle" participating in a local scout troop, working on merit badges and getting to the next level in their program. Frankie has a vivid imagination, frequently zoning out in to another cartoon-like world, a la the old "Calvin & Hobbes" cartoon strips. Frankie decides to enter a pinewood derby-like race called the Pine Run 3000, which has been around for generations. His father relishes the idea of helping his son create the race car, but he backs off when Frankie wants to do it on his own. Later Frankie and his dad do come together to work on the project, and they have alot of fun doing it. Frankie goes on to get into some interesting situations and learns a few lessons along the way. As a parent of two boys, I could really appreciate alot of the notes that were played in this book. I loved the teachable moments in the story, and I especially appreciated the lack of bathroom humor, frequently found in many Middle Grade level books. The closest thing to an offensive moment for me was when one character said, "I smell loser!" and Frankie replies with, "Must be your breath!" Overall, this was a great little book. I'll certainly be passing this on to my son to read. It teaches honesty, good sportsmanship, good parenting, perseverance, youthful imagination and the value of family heritage, all in a fun, kid-friendly way. I definitely recommend this title.

This past Sunday found my children waiting patiently at the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA. They were there to get their hands on one of the world's first purchased copies of "Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000." Well...they waited as patiently as a five and a three year old are able. "Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom" had dug its fantastic claws into my children's brains, and they needed more. And their father...me...was just as anxious to see what Frankie would be up to next. Eric Wight has managed to pull off an almost impossible feat with this series of books. He has combined the chapter book and graphic novel formats to create stories that pull the reader (whether they be 31 or 3) along on an adventure that defies easy catagorization or description. One thing I can say as a parent is that I am rarely as interested in storytime as I am when Frankie Pickle is next on the pile. Wight's language does not insult the intelligence of the young. Kids understand more than we think they do, and Wight knows it. His word choice often results in tongue twisting combinations of sounds and syllables that are every bit as much fun to read aloud as they are to see on the page. And just when you get comfortable with the story, Frankie's imagination takes control and we are treated to comic-style panels with outlandish depictions of the world as seen by the young protagonist. I realize that I haven't said very much, specifically, about "Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000" in this review, and I promise that this is intentional. I don't want to ruin anything for you. Trust me.