This past November, I happened upon a middle grade book with a fantastic cover.
One of the main characters shares my daughter Fiona’s name so I decided to make this my next book to read. Little did I know that I would be going down a rabbit hole that would take me almost six months to get out of. You see, “The Riverman” is number one in a trilogy. Once I was sucked in, I had to see the story through. It was easy at first. Part two, The Whisper, was quickly made available thanks to another library. Once I completed that, though, I was stuck because the finale The Storyteller did not come out until this March. What did I do with that time? Read all of Aaron Starmer’s other books, of course. I was now hooked on the guy. From November to April, I read all five of Starmer’s books. I’ll admit I took some breaks in between to clear my head because his worlds are a little trippy. Aaron Starmer has created quite a fan in this librarian, though, and I will be recommending all his books to my older kids from now on.
Starmer’s books are meant for those kids who like realistic fantasy. His characters live in worlds that almost seem like our own, but then something amazing happens. Below, I will give a brief description of each book so that hopefully I can convince someone to pick one up so hopefully I can have someone to talk to about each book. I’ve been keeping this all in my head because no one I know has read these so I have no one to discuss the crazy plots with over coffee.
“DWEEB” is Starmer’s first book. It centers around five eighth-graders who are locked in a school basement together. They’ve been framed by the vice principal for a crime they didn’t commit, and none of them are really friends with each other in the first place. There seems to be a big conspiracy afoot, which coincides with a major state test, a big pep rally full of zombie-like students, and a fast food chain taking over the cafeteria. Each chapter is from the perspective of a different boy in the basement so we get to know all five of the characters well by the end of the book. It’s a quick, enjoyable read, which any kid interested in a little comedy, a little adventure, a little mystery, and a little weirdness would enjoy.
“The Only Ones” is Starmer’s next book. This story focuses on Martin, a young man who was raised on an island with only his father and the occasional tourist kid as company. When the tourists stop coming, his father goes ashore to check on things and never returns. Martin finally gets the courage to leave the island and discovers that most of the people on Earth have disappeared. He finds a ragtag group of kids who have formed their own city, with their own set of rules, and a new way of life. He joins them and brings along his father’s plans for an invention that was a big part of his island life. Similar to “Lord of the Flies,” this book has some surprising moments of violence as the kids figure out how to survive and how to get along in this new world. There is a sci-fi element, though, so the last half of the book is quite original. I could not put this book down because it was always surprising me and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.
“The Riverman” is Starmer’s third book, and it has the privilege of being number one in his “Riverman Trilogy.” This is the story of Alistair Cleary, who used to be friends with a neighborhood girl named Fiona but really hasn’t talked to her in quite some time. One day, Fiona tells him a fantastic story about a land that she travel to through a portal of water. It is called Aquavania, and you can do anything you want there. If you want to live in a world of candy, it will be so. If you want talking penguins, it will be so. You can live there for years, even decades, but only seconds will pass back at home. Many kids have gone there and many are now disappearing, both in Aquavania and the real world. Fiona needs help, and Alistair doesn’t know what to do. Is she crazy? Is she desperately looking for help in a coded language? Is she actually telling the truth? What follows is Alistair’s journey as he tries to help Fiona and goes deeper and deeper into a game that may not actually be a game at all.
Of course, as soon as I finished “The Riverman,” I had to immediately read “The Whisper” because Alistair’s story is not tied up with a pretty bow in the end of the first book. In fact, it’s end is quite shocking in it’s real world consequences. This is not a lighthearted story for a young kid just fresh of the “Magic Treehouse” series. There is violence. There is adult content that is merely alluded to (most kids probably won’t catch it and any kid that does is not going to learn anything new). This is a story about missing kids (the whole first chapter of the first book is about that) and not all of them are going to be found. While I would never put this in a horror category, it may be a little freaky for some kids and absolutely perfect for others. I can’t give away too much about the “The Whisper” without revealing too much about the first book. If you enjoy the first book, rest assured that you will delve much deeper into Alistair’s world in the second book. Many more mysteries about Aquavania will be revealed.
Finally, there is “The Storyteller,” the finale to “The Riverman Trilogy.” This book differs because we are no longer with Alistair. Now, we are following the story of Alistair’s sister Keri, who is struggling with how her family seems to be falling apart after the events in the first two books. Keri sees a big change in her little brother, but she doesn’t know what to make of it. She’s also trying to continue her real world/school life where she has her first boyfriend. Can she be a good girlfriend while her brother may or may not be losing it? How does Alistair keep bringing things up that she’s writing in her journal? Is something mystical going on or is he just manipulating everyone? I guarantee you’ll be happy you went along the journey of this trilogy. Your mind will be twisted in ways you can’t imagine, and you’ll see just how amazing a totally weird book can be. I highly recommend this book for any kid (or adult) who loves the strange worlds of Roald Dahl, Louis Sachar, or Neil Gaiman.
SHARE THIS:
