Fun read. Education made fun. Good illistrations. Liked the characters and story flow. Would recommend!

The first in a new series introduces us to Ben Franklin in a fun way with easy to read chapters and adorable illustrations accompanying the well thought out story as kids are treated to how historical fiction is meant to be written.

Candace Fleming created a clever, surprisingly accurate and moving tale of what would happen if Ben Franklin turned up in modern times. Even though it might seem odd to have Ben show up, and in the way he does, somehow it doesn’t seem to matter in the overall arc of the story thanks to the enthusiasm Fleming manages to drum up in her writing.

There’s plenty of family drama and heartfelt parent/child moments that will appeal to a wide audience plus add some balance to the historical facts sprinkled throughout the plot. There is a TON of humor to make this an instant favorite for kids and parents will love the educational aspects.

About A Zillion, No A Ga-Zillion, Times Better Than Expected

When your cover features Ben Franklin and a toilet you expect either a Moen/Kohler product catalogue or a cutesy potty-oriented bit of historical character fiction. Well, please excuse me for being a jaded jerk. This book is clever, witty, nicely plotted and paced, surprisingly touching, and more historically accurate than you might expect. It is, in short, very appealing across the board.

We start with ten year old Nolan and his stubborn and sassy little, (seven year old), sister Olive. A thingummy arrives for Nolan one day, he turns it on, and the real Ben Franklin appears in their kitchen. Ben has somehow been transported directly from his life and times. We don't bother with why or how, we just get on with the adventure from there. (I suspect later books may delve into the mystery of the nature and source of the thingummy.)

Well, Nolan is smart, reliable, and a bit of a worrier. Olive is an anything-for-a-laugh free spirit. Ben immediately adjusts to his predicament and is a source of boundless curiosity and enthusiasm as reluctant Nolan and gung-ho Olive take him on a tour of the twentyfirst century.

Before we get to that, though, here are the sub-plots. Nolan's Mom and Dad are separated, so there is a bit of family drama. Mom is a children's author with a bad case of writer's block. Next door lives sneaky Tommy, who spies on and interferes with Ben's visit. There are a few other threads as well. Every one of them circles back to something having to do with Ben Franklin, (for example, Ben and his son William became estranged during the Revolution and Ben and Nolan talk about fathers and sons), and every thread comes back together by the end. Totally ignoring the Ben Franklin angle, we get a satisfying look at Nolan and his Dad, Nolan and his Mom, Nolan and Olive as siblings, and a few other issues. This is so not just a potty/adventure book.

But back to Franklin. As the kids show him stuff he describes his contributions - the first public subscription library, the first volunteer fire company, swim fins, experiments with electricity, and so on. A reader will learn more here about Franklin and his flexible and wide ranging mind than in most of elementary level nonfiction Franklin bios I've seen. And Franklin's a hoot. He quotes himself a lot. He's mistaken for a Franklin impersonator and so gives a wild speech to some library group while "pretending" to be Ben Franklin. This is all clever writing and framing that wouldn't be lost on a young reader. Indeed, whenever Franklin talks about his own life the book switches to a graphic novel style, which again adds punch and variety to the effort.

The upshot is that this was both entertaining and informative, was written clearly and crisply, (but with some funny deadpan and throwaway lines for older readers), and was populated be engaging and appealing kids. What a happy find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy 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.)