Book Title: The Neddiad

Author Name: Daniel Pinkwater

Reviewed by TFK Kid Reporter: Mahima Venkatesh

Genre: Fiction

Number of pages: 304

What’s the basic storyline? The Neddiad is about a boy named Neddie Wentworthstein and his adventures. Neddie is thrown into a journey full of surprising twists and turns after he meets a shaman who gives him a sacred turtle. Along the way, Neddie learns that the turtle-–and the world-–are in great peril. He gains the aid of his new friends, the shaman and a ghost. Will Neddie be able to correct the wrongdoings and defeat the evil forces that threaten to ruin the world as we know it? You’ll have to read The Neddiad to find out.

Were the characters believable? What made them believable or unbelievable? Most of the characters were believable. Neddie and his friends do what kids do best¬–they have fun and hang out.
Some of the characters were eccentric, but in a good way. One such character is Melvin the shaman. He doesn’t really worry about anything and is pretty calm at times of threat. This makes him a little oblivious to the matter at hand. Another unusual character was the ghost, Billy. Even though he was a ghost, no one really seemed surprised by his form. In fact, Neddie and Billie became friends almost immediately.
Even though some of the characters were out of the ordinary, it helped add to the story’s plot and to the action and drama of the conflict.

Would you recommend this book to kids? Why or why not? I would definitely recommend this book to other kids because it is unlike most other fiction books. The book is funny, strange in ways, and unique. Parts of the book are just out of the ordinary, but it fits with the casual and comical theme of the book. The characters are hilarious and the Native American mythology is fiction, but seems likely.
Another reason I enjoyed this story is the message it conveyed. It showed that anyone can be a hero, even a kid, and stop wrongdoings. Also, even though the conflict of the story was the sacred turtle and the evil earth spirit, the story had many humorous sides to it. This humor was intertwined with gripping moments of adventure and mystery. This is a great book for anyone!

What’s not-so-great about the book? One thing I didn’t like about the book was the ending. The ending of the story was hurried and sort of hard to understand. When the story was coming to a close, I felt that something was missing and I also felt sad that the adventure was almost over. Overall, however, the book was fantastic and didn’t lack anything.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate this book? Explain. I would rate this book a 9 because it is exceptional in many different ways and has a unique flair to it.

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