by Terrance Mc Arthur

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Skoob Revisited, by Clovis author Kathy Goosev Howell. We also have a link to order it from Amazon.

It’s a bookstore, but why is it called Skoob?

That’s one of the mysteries Ethan faces in Skoob Revisited, a book for 2nd and 3rd grade readers, by Kathy Goosev Howell. Originally a trio of books, Skoob Revisited combines and changes them, adding new surprises to the adventure of discovery.

Skoob Revisited rests in the time-honored tradition of “It wasn’t there before, but now it is” stories, where a strange little shop suddenly appears where no shop had been before. Early science fiction author H. G. Wells and children’s fantasy master Bruce Coville have written in that field.

Ethan finds himself forced to chase books around the shop before he can buy them, he follows an animal down the aisles to find another book, and he tries to understand why the old lady in black who runs the place doesn’t talk to him.

The humorous situations are appealing and silly, without being embarrassing for parents to read. The puzzlers and clues are simple enough for grade-schoolers to understand, giving them a sense of accomplishment.

Ethan travels into the strange world of a book, flies through the air, explores castles and talks to royalty, and travels into the past to solve his own mystery. “Skoob” is an exercise in imagination, a continuing question of “What happens next?”

Young readers will enjoy Vera Linton’s black-and-white illustrations, ranging from a semi-realistic, modern-day boy, who resembles the hero of Alexander and the Terrible No-Good, Very Bad Day, to silhouettes and a fantasy-art unicorn that would look nice on a child’s bedroom wall. They agree with the text as it veers from reality to whimsy to medieval fantasy and time travel. There are even foreshadowings of mysteries that occur later in the story hidden in some pictures.

Howell has packed Skoob Revisited with mini-adventures to engage young readers. Exercise some minds because there is something for everybody in Skoob.

To enter to win a copy of Skoob Revisited, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “skoob,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 21, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Terrance V. Mc Arthur is a Librarian for the Fresno County Public Library.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.