As mentioned at the beginning of the book, Mightier Than the Sword: The Edge of the Word, is unlike any book you’ll ever read. It is super imaginative, interactive, and full of adventure. Reluctant readers might shy away from it due to its length but if they just open it and try a few pages, they’ll likely be hooked–especially when they see it includes some great illustrations as well. The authors, Drew Callander and Alana Harrison, even sneak in some additional educational value by including Mad Lib-type writing, plenty of new vocabulary, and some French. If you get queasy about potty humor, run far, far away, as it is filled to the porcelain rim with it. Plan to be either laughing or shaking your head frequently. The margins are full of footnotes to explain things and there is plenty of room for doodling, which is highly encouraged. With its clever wordplay, abounding randomness, and quirky characters, I anticipate that Mightier Than the Sword: The Edge of the Word will be loved by most 7 to 12-year-old boys (and possibly girls).
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Penguin Workshop
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Many (41) brief incidents (mostly involving fictitious, non-human characters) including character wants to break another in half; reference to scratching enemies; character might try to kill another; character exaggerates that head will explode; characters are supposed to snap others’ necks; ability to melt another’s face off; store is called Bloodbath; joke about monsters eating children; second-hand report of near-drowning; references to fighting; reference to fictitious female fingers being cut off; reference to dying; characters are “dressed to kill” and see a bone chandelier; characters are in a car accident but there are no injuries; several incidents of characters fighting; character destroys a fictitious city; character dies in story.
Sex/Nudity: Few (2) brief incidents including character might try to kiss another; male character jokes about asking another male character to marry him if he were the “marrying type.”
Mature Subject Matter:
Large amount of potty humor.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Reference to a cigar.
