Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck by Stan Swanson {Blog Tour: Review}

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck: Magic and Mayhem, by Stan Swanson 

Genre: middle-grade, action-adventure fantasy

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Publication: August 7th, 2014 

Cover Artist: RickyGunawan

Description:

Things are not as they should be in Pennywhistle. Enchanted toasters are not toasting, enchanted sprinklers are not sprinkling and Hobart Hucklebuck’s origami messenger birds are suddenly attacking him.
 Someone seems to be draining the power from all of the enchanted items in the village. But who could it be and why have they implicated Hobart’s grandfather?
 “The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck” follows Hobart and his friends, Specks Spacklethack and Rosie Rumpleskirt, as they try to solve this mystery and free Hobart’s grandfather from the Tower of Tribulation on Mumblemonk Mountain.
 The trio’s investigation into the mysterious happenings on Druid Lane gets them into hot water more than once and ultimately brings them dangerously close to disaster not only for themselves, but the entire village of Pennywhistle.

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

My Review~

Hobart Hucklebuck lives in a world where objects do what they are told, creatures live and work down the street, and magic is practiced in the open. Magic is appreciated and an everyday part of life. But when bread stops listening, clocks stop telling time, and other enchanted items stop doing as they are told the world that Hobart lives in is thrown into disarray. No one knows what's happening and now everyone is a suspect, even Hobart's very own grandfather. 

Hobart and his friends don't believe Hobarts grandfather, Wicksford is guilty and set out to find out the true guilty party. 

Hobart is the grandson of a very powerful and talented mage, but seems rather untalented in the realm of magic himself. Throughout the tale Hobart's attempts at magic are embarrassing and at times close to disastrous. Him and his friends are misfits and make the perfect team to solve the mystery of the unenchanting items. 

As they search for the culprit they know is in their midst, the band of friends find themselves in some very sticky situations with not a clue how to move forward. Everyone is a suspect and yet no one seems guilty. With one mistaken step Hobart stumbles upon the truth behind the magic draining items and the truth is shocking. It is a blow for Hobart and the entire community of Druid Lane. 

Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck is a fun tale full of silly words and enchanting every day items, that enchant the reader as much as they enrich the story. The idea of items doing what they are told was marvelous. Talk about a lazy society. No longer did people have to use magic themselves, every item purchased came pre-enchanted to do what it was made to do. And when things go wrong, people find themselves doing things the old fashioned way, manually. 

The tale of Hobart Hucklebuck was a cute tale that is perfect for a young reader looking for a magical adventure. Many of the character names, shop names and other town items resembled tongue twisters. Every character's first and last name starting with the same letter. I can only imagine how long it took Stan Swanson to come up with these names. I found them fun and entertaining.


Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck is the perfect summer read for the kid in love with magic and adventure. It is adorable, funny, and is a great tale of friendship and loyalty. 

About the Author~

Stan Swanson is a Bram Stoker award finalist and author of eight books including Forever Zombie (a collection of short stories), Write of the Living Dead (a highly-praised writing guide written with Araminta Star Matthews and Rachel Lee) and Return of the Scream Queen (co-authored with Michael McCarty and Linnea Quigley). He is also editor/publisher for Dark Moon Books and Dark Moon Digest. Upcoming titles include Horror High School: Return of the Loving Dead (the first book in a young adult horror series co-written with Araminta Star Matthews), Dead Sparrows (a collection of apocalyptic poetry) and The Methlands (a horror novel co-written with award-winning author Joe McKinney).

Find Him: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon