UP A TREE

Hand this one to folks wanting a middle grade Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or if they enjoyed Hatchet, Found by Joseph Bruchac, or books by Gordon Korman. Fun and with a lot of action. It’s a welcome addition to that variety of action adventure books. Fun ride!

This book was pure madness!! I couldn't believe how much had happened to our main character in the first quarter of the book! The description I had read was a modern day Huck Fin and that's spot on! Although as you work your way through the story the events got more and more far fetched it was still a fun read. The only thing I'd say was I expected more of an FBI file book - with other people's accounts of the events. Instead it was just Ruby's. Still a fun and quick read!

This book was an unexpected joy. It was like a roller coaster ride with unexpected twists and turns. It is wildly entertaining as the author takes you through the outrageous adventures of the main character, Ruby. As soon as you think the plot can't get any crazier, Ruby manages to get himself entangled in another adventure. The prose is lightning quick as Ruby zooms through one dilemma after another.
Entertaining, lighthearted and fully of spunk, readers will root for Ruby and his rag-tag team of friends.

Reminiscent in style to Mark Twain's tall tales of adventure on the road, and a modern day take on Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, this first-person narrative takes us on a runaway journey across the United States with a 12 year old boy who is presumed dead back home.

To me, this story felt rather retro, which added to its charm. Although it takes place in the 21st century, it has more the feel of the 1950's-1960's or even earlier. There is very little mention of modern devices or lifestyles, most of the characters would feel right at home at any time in history since the advent of the train and automobiles. The protagonist seems very innocent of the world and references some beliefs that could easily come straight from Tom Sawyer. But maybe I've just lost touch with how superstitious 12 year olds can be this day and age.

This book has a little bit of everything in it: the dangers of riding the rails, hobos in Hoboken, lawyers-turned-street people, and wild-eyed captors with subversive god complexes.

Very well written with lots of laugh out loud moments, it's a fun read and I recommend for everyone from young adults and up.

A modern day Tom Sawyer. Good story with well developed characters. A humorous look at modern life!


Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so excited that this was my first book of 2021 because it sets a very high bar for all of the books to follow. I loved this story. I loved that it was told through the eyes and voice of a child, and yet it conquered really heavy themes of corporate greed, grief, and religious hypocrisy. This was an easy read and I loved every page of it. I withheld the fifth star only because of some insensitivity around minorities and the LGBTQ community. I understand that these offensive comments were coming from the viewpoint of a child who didn’t know better, but it could have been left out or done in better taste.

Take a little Huck Finn, add in some Forest Gump, mix in some wild and crazy travel adventures and finally, but importantly, suspend disbelief and enjoy yourself. That is what you will get in this book. The story of one twelve year old boy wanting some adventure with maybe a little pirating thrown in for good measure, then add his best buddy finding him to step up the adventure. The boys get into and out of run-ins with hobos and some good guy vigilantes as they miraculously find their way safely nearly from the United States' coast to coast. After all that, home and some tender mothering begins to seem no longer seems like such a bad thing.

The story is not believable, but it is fun. In the beginning, I was thrown off wanting to read because the narrator's voice did not feel at all like the voice, speech patterns and ways of thinking of a twelve year old. Then again, I'm in my mid-70s, so I may have forgotten how a twelve year old thinks and talks. The story caught me after the first few pages and the wrong voice didn't continue to get in the way of my enjoying the book.

This turned out to be a very fun read. I think people of any age -- well, maybe males of any age more than women and girls -- will enjoy the adventure. If getting or recommending the book for a young boy, urge them to stick with it until they can ignore the speaking patterns of the boy that sound more like an adult trying to sound like a boy. Once that is done, the story will kick their sense of adventure into high gear.

Woah, Nellie! This is one heck of a great read for most folks in middle school, and yes, even for older kids and adults. This was a rip-roaring read from the very start and sure to hold the reader’s attention as the two protagonists go from small-town dreamers to Big Time adventurers. Tucked in the center of the book are themes worth discussing, including the nature of good and evil, the responsibility of society to take care of its own, and the natural tug between wanting corporations to make a profit and safe-guarding the environment, to name just a few. This reader had a hard time putting the book down. It has been compared to Huckleberry Finn, and that is a safe assessment. Read it as a page-turner, enjoy the magical realism when it crops up, and stew on the harder questions posed, but by all means, buy this book!

Modern-ish Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Type Tale
This story is just a hoot. Told exactly like a 12-year-old boy would tell it. This takes place in more modern times without video games, in the Adirondacks and elsewhere. The boys get into great mischief and take us along for the ride. 'Finding' a .22 rifle in a neighbor's shed, making a fort from a car relic, accidentally shooting a deer, and generally getting into tween mischief. Then, things get serious! This is a fun story for anyone who was a boy, wanted to be a boy, or has a boy. Or for any reader who had great and colorful childhood aspirations. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Amazing book!! This one gets you hooked from the second you start all the way till the end. You want to know what is happening next and you catch feelings for the characters.

What a refreshing and inquisitive drama that reads like a Forrest Gump story and asks us hard questions about the world.

I loved this book. A real romp. I chuckled out loud all the way through, especially when Ruby would make enthusiastic comments about dirt and yucky things. My only problem was that it was hard to believe how easy it was for his friend Quinn to find him after they were separated. It did not detract from the fun!

This novel is so cute & filled with innocence. You will really enjoy this book if you can accept the adventure story as told by a very young 12-year-old boy with a curious mind. Yes, an adult can enjoy this book every bit as much as a YA reader may enjoy it. It’s refreshing to read stories from a child’s point of view, and Ruby, the main character, is no exception. He’s so accepting and honest. I was cheering him on the whole way. I think many readers will be reminded of Huck Fin, Tom Sawyer, and/or the boys from the movie “Stand By Me” as comparable characters/situations.

Thank you to #Netgalley, #RichardMBrock, and #BogieRoadPublishing for this refreshing ARC in exchange for an honest review. I hope there will be an audiobook as well.

That was a wild ride! Hold onto your seats because this book will grab you and drag you along for a ripper of a good tale!

Ruby and Quinn are 12-year-old boys living in rural Hackers Loon, NY, who dream of being pirates and going on adventures. When they have an accident and make a mistake trying to cover it up, they get their wish. The boys set off on a cross-country adventure that reads like a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn tale for the modern day.
Once the action begins, it is non-stop until the very end. This one kept me awake into the wee hours of the morning, reading because I could not put it down. Some parts are unbelievable, but it is fiction, so that’s the point. It’s just a really fun tale!

As the adventurers make their way, they encounter various people and expand their horizons about the world outside their small community, and the wider social and environmental issues others deal with every day. They learn about corporate greed, environmental destruction, homelessness, racism, countercultures, and so much more. Through it all, Ruby, the narrator, maintains a positive outlook on life and yearns for more adventure.

Written in the voice of a 12-year-old who grew up in a relatively isolated rural area, the story shows our heroes coming of age on the road, much like Tom and Huck. They get into countless scrapes and find their way out them, making their way steadily westward. The scene with them frolicking in the Pacific Ocean was my favorite. I could just imagine their joy at finding the ocean and celebrating a successful journey where they got to be cowboys and more.

This book would be great for teachers to use in their classrooms to introduce some of the social issues. There are plenty of opportunities for good class discussions around the many themes touched on in this book.

I give this one a solid five stars. It certainly was, as Ruby would say, a ripper of a good tale!

A really different book in form and tone, this was quite enjoyable. Yes, it’s like Huck Finn, in that it’s written in the language and vernacular of a 12 year old boy, but it’s much more than that. It’s almost a collection of short stories held together by the commonality of this young man’s experiences. I found myself putting the book down periodically to absorb his experiences and think about how he might have gotten where he was, and where he might be going next. The tone of the writing very accurately portrayed a twelve year old boy’s excitement and sense of wonder at what he was seeing, as well as the adventures he (and his buddy ( were experiencing). It really made me feel as if I was there, in the story, with them. I enjoyed the brief interjections of current times in the tale, bringing us back to the actual ‘why’ this story was being told. It was an entertaining read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This is my freely given, honest review.

This is a Mark Twain-like book about the adventures of two small town twelve year old boys, Ruby and Quinn, updated to the 21st century. I started to read it thinking I might buy a copy for my twelve year old grandson, who I am always encouraging to read books. About half way through the book I decided that it is geared more to adults, or at least a person 15 or older.

The author is skilled at creating descriptions of people and places - - I could easily conjure them up in my mind's eye. The story was engaging, but (spoiler alert) left me wanting to see Ruby, in conjunction with Lodgepole, peacefully bring down the the Timber Value Corporation and the Glennelichh family.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bogie Road Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital galley of this book.

Ruby and Quinn, 12-year-old boys living in rural Hackers Loon, NY, like many youngsters dream of being pirates and going on adventures. A series of mishaps contrive to make that possible and we are taken on an adventure as the tale unfolds.

Narration in the voice of 12-year-old makes this tale a little different to most. It is a tool that works well to bring out the naivety of youth and allow the author to touch on social and environmental issues without being too contrived. The voicing is not without its faults, however. At times our modern-day story feels as though it has been plucked from the 1940s and is awash with stereotyping that requires more than a splash of suspension of belief. This is fiction though, and as long as you remember that I don't think it matters.

I quickly warmed to the characters and could easily picture both them and their surroundings - a testament to the wonderful description that the author brings to this work.

If there was a disappointment it was with the ending - rather too contrived and abrupt. Where I had finished each reading session wanting to know what was going to happen next I finished the book and the sense of wonder disappeared being replaced by a feeling that this was a rather formulaic ending employed because the author couldn't see how to bring it together.

I think that this book is perfect for adults who like a little childish escapism from time to time. It would also be welcome as a YA work in the classroom to discuss social issues and themes. Whilst a rip-roaring 12-year-old adventure it is not suited to that younger market due mainly to some choice language that is peppered throughout. In some ways that's a shame because I don't think it added much to the voicing of any of the characters and, had it been left out this book would have had wider appeal. I understand from the publishers that this was never intended to be a children's book and so that has to be accepted.

Overall a fun bit of escapism!

With thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC

This tale reads very much like another classic of American literature, with the young narrator, the two friends who stumble into something dark and illegal, are taken for dead, escape "down the river", meet fantastic characters and generally have an unbelievable time while in constant danger. There were too many parallels to chalk up to chance, but this only added to the fun - the overall take on the story was very fresh and engaging..

I can recommend this adventure to any adult (and yes, young adult). There are some heavy elements which might be much for early teens and younger, but could be good conversation-starters with a parent's guidance.

After you have set this book down, I am certain you will feel as I do; ready to "light out for the territory, ahead of the rest.." See you lat--!

Take Huck and Jim and plop them in today’s world and let the adventures begin. This is the story of Ruby and Quinn, two 12 year old boys from a small town in upstate New York. Due to a most fortuitous situation the two friends escape on an adventure that takes them from the east coast all the way to the west coast via many interesting characters and situations. The story is told through the viewpoint of Ruby and his complete innocence as he comes across this big world is an enjoyable description that we adults have forgotten how to do

Reminiscent of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, these two twelve-year-olds, Ruby and Quinn live in the Adirondacks and spend their time playing cowboys, pirates, and other games typical of boys their age. But when Quinn "borrows" a shotgun and they accidentally kill a deer, they drag it to the local mill and leave it there to hide the fact they were responsible. But this sets off a chain reaction of violence and a bombing which leaves evidence that Ruby is dead. He's not but of course he runs...and his journey takes him many colorful places like the capitol and New York City where he meets many people and has some fantastical adventures. Finally reunited with Quinn and his hometown, Ruby learns some valuable lessons about friendship, family, and the world outside his realm. It's a cool coming-of-age story for modern times.

What a fun book! It is rated for middle school or older, but I received a note that it was intended for adults. I think it would be fine for mature teens. I laughed out loud in a few places. Ruby is a hoot. I was not fond of Quinn but he serves his purpose as a sidekick. The story finds plenty of interesting characters from the east coast to the Pacific Ocean.

A great young adult book in the vein of Huck Finn. A wild adventure making dreams come true for two 12-year-old boys. This story provides a wonderful escape fr the world we are currently living in. Highly recommended.


I received an ARC from Bogie Road Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under n obligation to do so.

What a delightful tale! Mr. Brock captures, perfectly, the thinking of two preteen males. The are innocent and naive. And find theirselves traveling the country due to a misunderstanding in regard to a gun, a dead deer and a a church fire. It is , by turns, hilarious and thoughtful.
Quinn and Ruby are characters I expect we will hear from again. Someone said this book is Huck Finn for adults and that does describe this work exactly.
Highly recommended

This delightful book has a wonderful, entertaining storyline that will keep you reading. His characters are rich and relatable. I want to read his previous work.

Love it !

A most enjoyable read -- fun, frolicking adventure from the perspective of an imaginative 12 year old !
Pure enjoyment !

I adored this book! It's rare for me to go on so, but it was just what I needed. Ruby Heckler is a twelve year old boy and this is his story of how he ran away with his best friend Quinn and their adventures on the road. The pretext is that this is transcript of his interview with the FBI concerning his activities while he was gone, who he met and what happened along the way. It's written as though a 12 year boy told the story. He sure has some mighty adventures. While it seems simple, there are themes and plenty of situations that leave the reader thinking. What is a family and how is a family formed? Is truth worth the consequences? How much do we value friendship? How do we view people with disabilities? I read comments by other reviewers and I understand their negativity. Don't go into this book expecting an Emily Bronte classic. The chapters are short and the prose reads like a pre-teen boy wrote it. What it offers is fun exactly as a 12 year old boy sees it. One of the criticisms is the uncertainty of the time this occurs. The auther states that the time is "a few more than a few years ago". It is unclear when this is supposed to have happened, but there are references to cell phones and 4 wheelers. I found all that helpful. It's magical and quirky. Some of the scenes are improbable, but good things happen. Think "Big Fish" and "Forrest Gump". This book will put a smile on your face and make you laugh. There is profanity, but the author's notes indicate there's a version available for middle school readers. I would love for my grandson to read it and share his thoughts. I encourage you to read it. I think we'll see a movie about this one :)

What a brilliant, touching coming of age tale. This should be a required reading novel for all ages. Wonderful characters and a story that will stay with you. I've seen comparison to Huck and Finn, but this novel stands apart on its own. Brilliant.

I had a lot of fun with this one, and having read Huck Finn not too long ago, I can see the retelling the author intended, although I'm not sure I would consider it modern. It was hard to tell the time period, honestly, but it felt much more like the 80s to me (when I grew up). And just like in the original, Ruby (our Huck Finn) is often drawn into trouble by his best friend Quinn (our Tom Sawyer). The general structure is similar too--Ruby gets drawn into trouble and is thought to be dead and rather than coming out and telling everyone, he ends up on an adventure, partly because he's afraid of the people who apparently killed him. At some point, he gets Quinn to join him and they get drawing into crazier adventures, in large part because it's so easy for him to say yes to Quinn, who is a talker just like Tom Sawyer. Are the adventures believable? Well, perhaps not, but it's part of the fun. The language is very salty, for those who might find offense, but to me, it often feels like boys who are cussing for the fun of it, not because they mean any ill will. Although the adults around them don't exactly curb their tongue, lol. I don't want to talk too much about their adventures because of spoilers, but there was one thing that confused me. The book is structured so that at the beginning, Ruby is asked by the FBI to give a statement about what has happened, and that's when Ruby tells his whole tale about what happens to him. But at the end, the FBI asks, "But what about so and so?" which tells you why the FBI is asking for his statement. But you never figure out what happens to some of the bad guys (you never find out what happens to any of the people Ruby and later Quinn come across along the way), and that was a little unsatisfying because I wanted to know if the bad guys would be caught.

However, that said, I liked what happens with Ruby as well as the lesson about what family actually means, especially because he is an orphan. This is definitely worth reading, especially if you're looking for one of those "tall tales" that's just fun to read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Good coming of age novel. Loved the characters and the story. It truly is a modern day Huck Fin. The only thing wrong is that is says its modern but it didn’t feel that way to me. I would say more in the 80’s.

This story really sticks with you long after you read it. This was the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more!!!

"The Adventures of Huck Finn" reimagined for today's current socio-political scene and with two intrepid 12 year old rebels hilariously leading the charge! Richard M. Brock was definitely channeling his inner Mark Twain in this his second independently published novel "Up A Tree."

A quick, yet thought-provoking read for those who like a spot on satirical take on the adult world as seen through the eyes of a child. Brock conveys our divided, eco-unfriendly world through an eclectic and somewhat quirky set of secondary characters who move the story forward every bit as much as his main characters ~ best buddies for life Ruby Finn Heckler and Quinn Hennessey. These twelve year olds are truly fearless and hilarious in turns! They keep the story moving and definitely provide some of the wiser observations on an oft times unexplainable adult world.

Many thanks to the author, Richard M. Brock, for offering a free e-book to me through the NetGalley platform in exchange for an honest and independent review. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel as both an homage to Twain and as an exploration of more serious societal issues. And like his characters Ruby and Quinn, Brock's story has me thinking about my perfect "road name!" Lol! (Working options are currently under serious consideration.😁)

#UpATree
#NetGalley

I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley. It is told from the POV of a mostly well-behaved 12-year-old boy who hardly ever gets in trouble. At least, that’s what he tells us. I thought the author did a masterful job of getting into the head of a young boy and spinning an outrageous adventure. Because of this, it didn’t even matter if all of it didn’t make sense. For example, as the book drew closer to the end, I had some suspicions about what might happen, while also wondering what was happening. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, because I hoped to find out more about Helical Unfolded and Timber Value Corporation, but I enjoyed the overall story so much, for me, it doesn’t really matter.

There was one scene in the book, early on, which practically had me rolling on the floor laughing. Ruby, the protagonist, and his best friend and partner in crime, Quinn become convinced they have a curse on them. As always, they go to the local “witch” for a cure. The description of this encounter was hysterical. It starts off with this observation, “‘Oh, boy,’ she said when she saw us coming, like she wasn’t happy to see us.” It was beyond Ruby’s comprehension that Widow Jones wouldn’t want to see them. But it gets better because the more they call her Widow Jones, the more aggravated she gets, telling them she has never been married and never plans to marry and is not a widow and would they just stop calling her that? Naturally, they ignore her. Then she insists she is not a witch, and they don’t believe that either, begging her for a cure for the curse. “‘I am not a witch!’ she said. ‘Mother of Mercy! I used to like you kids! What the hell happened to you two?’” They are impervious to her logic and eventually she gives up, throws a handful of herbs at them and tells them to get lost.

The storytelling is genuinely funny. Having a 12-year-old boy as the narrator allows the author to create all kinds of fantastical occurrences, with the reader never quite knowing how accurate his account is. Everything he relates in this memoir-esque story is tinted by his view that he and his friend are good kids surrounded by people who don’t understand them. They’re a modern-day Huck Finn-Tom Sawyer duo, eschewing school, church, bathing, and chores, and wishing for adventure. In real life, you might expect some pretty horrific things to happen to these hapless boys, but this is a feel-good story, and aside from the too-vivid description of the dying deer at the beginning, they are never in any serious danger. Instead, they seem to float from one circumstance to the next, always landing on their feet, surrounded by people who generally don’t wish to hurt them. You might argue that those who do have good reason for it.

I seriously enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light-hearted adventure story told from the POV of a pre-teen boy. I know lots of kids liked Tom Sawyer, the original star of the Mark Twain books, and it’s obvious Ruby was based on Tom. Huck was always my favorite, and I guess you could say Quinn was more like him, though I think I liked Ruby better. Ruby’s feigned death was reminiscent of Tom’s, while having a character the boys referred to as Widow Jones was a nice touch. Overall, the entire setting of Hacker’s Loon, NY is much like that of St. Petersburg, Missouri, though the social commentary has changed some. This one touches on the issue of corporate greed, but only insofar as it can be understood by a child. In the end, Ruby really is a good kid who is trying to do what he thinks is right and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

A fun read, that it a bit out there (not very believable!) and that's OK! Loved the character and had lots of good laughs throughout reading the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This has a lot of reviews already, so I'll just recommend it to literary fans and fans of humorous writing. Good stuff!

I really appreciate the review copy!!

This book rang true to it's description as a modern day Huck Finn. I thoroughly enjoyed reading, Up A Tree, and highly recommend it to others who enjoy a little blast from the past feel that the book provides.

This book is being touted as a Mark Twain/Huck Finn book for the 21st century. I think that is mostly correct, as the main protagonists Ruby and Quinn do remind me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but without the casual bigotry that you sometimes find in those books. However, there is one aspect of this that really bothered me. Slight spoiler alert here! In the book, Ruby gets trapped inside a building that explodes. He manages to escape, and then runs away. Everyone thinks he is dead, and he realizes this, but lets them think he is dead so that he can go do his thing. I don't know why, but this aspect of the story bothered me very much. Letting people think you are dead is bad enough as an adult, but a kid doing it just rubs me the wrong way. I understand this action was the impetus for the greater story. It is what got the plot engine going. But I still did not like it, even if I did enjoy the rest of the book. Kids really are smarter than adults sometimes, and this book proves it. So four stars instead of five for the one thing I couldn't get over in an otherwise wonderful book.

A very charming, nostalgic read. Conjures memories of childhood make-believe in a more simple time. A great option for younger readers without seeming pedantic.

I really liked this!! When I heard Huck Finn I knew I needed to read it. Chock full of adventure and I grew to love Ruby. Get ready to be fully entrenched in this adventure.