My Curious Uncle Dudley

I stayed up far too late finishing this book because I enjoyed it so much. Unlike most middle grade books, this one does not wallow in the usual death/disease/divorce/drugs themes. Instead, it presents the relationship between 11-year-old Dundan Peckle and his mysterious rascal of an uncle, a man who has many tales of his adventures around the world. But sometimes the details aren't quite right, and that makes Duncan wonder... Uncle Dudley performs magic but different from that found in Harry Potter. In fact, Uncle Dudley's potions result mostly in chaos, causing friction with his nephew Duncan, who increasingly yearns for his uncle to live up to his exotic stories. There's a lot of gentle humor here and a little slapstick too, especially when Uncle Dudley and Duncan try their hands at flying on bubbles. I highly recommend this book to middle grade readers, especially boys, who should enjoy Duncan's first-person narration.