The Quirks: Welcome to Normal
By: Erin Soderberg
Good for readers who crack up just thinking about an invisible brother.
Kelly: ☻☻☻☻
Boy Reader: ☻☻☻☻
Boy Reader: ☻☻☻☻
The Quirks had me at the upside down title page. This book oozes quirkiness.
Boy Reader was not such an easy sell. After all, the cover picture was a cartoon, and, at ten, he’s more into realism.
What got him reading was the premise. Everyone in the family has a special power: Gramps can turn back time. Mom can erase memories. Little brother is invisible. Twin sister 1’s thoughts become real.
But twin sister 2 is a little different – her power is invulnerability to magic. Most hilariously, she’s the only one who can see her little brother. The family, which has to relocate frequently to hide its differences, has moved to a town called Normal. The twins desperately want to be normal to be able to stay in Normal.
This is a quick read with gobs of humor. The author deftly conveys the way each sister struggles with her differences, one for being different from the rest of the family, the other for being different from other kids. The book is clean (not counting the little brother who doesn’t bother to bathe because he is invisible) and suitable as an out loud read to younger siblings too.
I never quite bought into the stakes in the conclusion, nor the fear they might be run out of town. Boy Reader was a fan and read the next book in the series (The Quirks in Circus Quirkus) within a week.
Boy Reader was not such an easy sell. After all, the cover picture was a cartoon, and, at ten, he’s more into realism.
What got him reading was the premise. Everyone in the family has a special power: Gramps can turn back time. Mom can erase memories. Little brother is invisible. Twin sister 1’s thoughts become real.
But twin sister 2 is a little different – her power is invulnerability to magic. Most hilariously, she’s the only one who can see her little brother. The family, which has to relocate frequently to hide its differences, has moved to a town called Normal. The twins desperately want to be normal to be able to stay in Normal.
This is a quick read with gobs of humor. The author deftly conveys the way each sister struggles with her differences, one for being different from the rest of the family, the other for being different from other kids. The book is clean (not counting the little brother who doesn’t bother to bathe because he is invisible) and suitable as an out loud read to younger siblings too.
I never quite bought into the stakes in the conclusion, nor the fear they might be run out of town. Boy Reader was a fan and read the next book in the series (The Quirks in Circus Quirkus) within a week.