Attack of the Volcano Monkeys

Wiley Miller's ORDINARY BASIL: ATTACK OF THE VOLCANO MONKEYS tells of two children who sneak off for a fun day on a forbidden island, only to find the deadly Volcano Monkeys attack them and trap them in a cave. Their only way out is to go deeper within - there to encounter even more unexpected dangers. Color drawings throughout make for an outstanding chapter book packed with detail and adventure.

My 9 year old enjoyed this book as a nice change from his first love, Bionicles. He particularly enjoyed the references to "9th dimensional physics", the fanciful monkeys, the emphasis on the physical layout of the alternate world, and the character of Ordinary Basil and his friends. Its a good book for reluctant older readers (ages 9 and 10) as it combines vibrant color illustrations on each page with a rather sophisticated vocabulary and a number of interesting concepts. This is a good series to inspire kids to write, as it makes a nice change from all those dreary books set in elementary schools. My own son had to write a poem about one of his books and was dreading it, but once I suggested using this book he became fired up and was able to produce the poem in minutes. There are currently two books in the series, and I hope the author writes more, quickly!

It's an exiting story where a boy named Basil and his friend, Louise, go to Monkey Island. Almost all of the book is Basil having a flashback on what happened on Monkey Island. I highly recommend this book for younger ages. -Scott, Age 10

We loved the second installment of Ordinary Basil's adventures as much as the first! My four year-old that enjoyed the first book is now a 5 1/2 year old that was so excited to receive an early copy of Mr. Miller's wonderful new book. We had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to track Basil's next escapades and were not disappointed. Just like the first one, Attack of the Volcano Monkeys was hard to put down. There was much negotiation each night over "please, just on more chapter". This was a fun, fast read that combines a spendid story with fabulous pictures - a combination that is great fuel for a young imagination... and mom's too. When is the third book out? We're waiting...

I was lucky enough to get one of the first copies of "Attack of the Volcano Monkeys". I thought the book was very interesting and imaginative. I have read "Extraordinary adventures of Ordinary Basil" also, again with this new book we read it as a family. However, I finished the last few chapters of this book by myself. In this book, Helios isn't the place, Monkey Island is where all the action happens. It is action packed, with everything from shooting darts to getting captured by owls, and much more. The story of Monkey Island is mostly about how the evil monkeys of Volcano Island betrayed their God. I'd like to tell other kids that this book was magnificent and is a great book to enjoy with your family, but you can finish it yourself like I did. So if you get help from your family reading this one, try reading the ending by yourself, you can do it!