Strange and Fun

This book touches all of the weird kid humor/adventure school daze bases, which is fun, but it also has an particularly well developed oddball and deadpan sense of humor, which I especially appreciated.

Doug thinks he's a weird loser, (which he's not), and is happy to tell us all about the weird loser things that happen to him. Being crowned King of the Mole people, of course, puts the tin cap on the whole thing. Becoming an object of attraction for Magda the pre-Goth weird girl, (she's actually a real trooper), living in a creepy house in a graveyard, and having a clueless weird Dad just rounds out the picture. Underground Mole world adventures keep things moving. You really do get it all here.

But the funnest part is that Doug is smart, observant, and the possessor of a dry and understated wit. So we don't get a lot of silly wacka-wacka humor from Doug. We get deadpan throwaway lines and sly comments that go way beyond just the usual fart based jokes. The author doesn't mock the genre, (he plays that straight), but he has fun with it and lots of bits are gentle jabs at kid book conventions. All the characters are likable, nothing is very edgy, and the whole tale feels more like affectionate poking fun.

It's silly fun with an upbeat tone, and lots of clever running gags, which is how I like my Mole people. A nice and undemanding find that I'd be happy to follow as a series.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

King of the Mole People is written in a very popular style. The voice is very informal and easy for students to both read and relate to. If you've read any of the Wimpy Kid Stories you know the style. First person narrative with a lot of pictures, diagrams, etc, get the kids involved. They make the story almost interactive. What I saw here was the beginning of a series I think my students will enjoy. The vocabulary is fairly easy, so it would be good for upper and middle grade students even if they struggle with reading. Just good fun.

King of the Mole People is a super fun story of friendship, loyalty, and lots of weird underground adventures. Doug just wants friends. He's awkward, lives next to a graveyard, and his dad fixes eel for nearly every meal. What he doesn't want is to be King of the Mole People. But unfortunately for Doug, he is the king. Sneaking off through secret passageways to make his way the underground world of the Mole people, Doug has to balance his above ground life with his underground life. This leads, of course, to plenty of wacky adventures. It's funny, sweet, completely absurd, and tells a wonderful tale of true friendship. It would be great for kids ages 8-12.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

Doug Underbelly is just trying (really hard) to be a normal 7th grader. He doesn't want to be popular; he just wants to NOT be at the bottom of the social hierarchy at school. Easier said than done because he is also the king of the Mole People. Doug regularly goes underground to talk with the mole people whom he was recently, unwillingly made king of. The Mole People are fascinated with life in the Up-World (where we live). Doug just wants his life to be normal, to live in a normal house, to have a normal dad, and to NOT be the King of the Mole People.

This was a humorous read that is appropriate for middle grade kids. There are lots of ridiculous hijinks as Doug tries to navigate life in middle school and as a reluctant king of the Mole People. This book is full of illustrations to accompany the fantasy adventure story. The story has positive messages about just being yourself, even if yourself is a little on the weird side. I recommend this book for kids aged 8 and up.

I received an electronic ARC from MacMillan Children's Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Doug is a lonely boy who wants to be normal and fit in. Hard to do as he lives beside a graveyard in a less than normal looking home with a dad working on a "How to Cook Eel" cookbook. Already, elementary level readers will be grossed out and pulled in to this story. Add the fact that Doug is king of the mole people and the plot grabs further attention. Doug feels like everything is conspiring against his hope of a normal life but accepts the challenges and figures out how to stop the coming Mole invasion of the up-world. With help from Magda and his Mole Royal Guards, Doug solves the main problem (a giant clog) and convinces the various underground kingdoms - Mole, Slug, Rock, Mushroom, Worm - to interact to save their homes.
Mid to upper elementary readers will welcome the absurdity and relate to the various characters. The beginning bogged down but the pace picked up and the connections amongst the characters became clearer and more believable about one third of the way through the story.

Doug is unpopular because other kids think he's weird. His plans to achieve normalcy go nowhere, especially because he has been (somewhat unwillingly) crowned king of the underground Mole People. Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Gregor the Overlander in this funny book that has several laugh-out-loud moments.