(Review) A Boy Called Duct Tape

Title: A Boy Called Duct Tape
Author: Christopher Cloud
Pub Date: April 2012
Pages: 188
Publisher: CreateSpace

Source: I recieved an pdf copy of this book for my participation in the tour.

About the Book:
Pablo Perez is a 12-year-old poor kid without much going for him. His classmates have dubbed him “Duct Tape” because his tattered discount-store sneakers are held together with…you guessed it, duct tape. He can’t escape the bullying.

Pablo’s luck, however, changes after he finds a $20 gold coin while swimming in a river near his home. Pablo later buys a $1 treasure map at the county fair. The map shows the route to the “lost treasure” of Jesse James. Pablo can’t help but wonder: Is there a link between the map and the gold coin? He is determined to find out, and he, his 9-year-old sister and 13-year-old cousin hire an ill-natured cave guide, and begin a treacherous underground adventure in search of treasure.

I just finished reading Christopher Cloud’s debut novel, A Boy Called Duct Tape, and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

Pablo is a young boy (12 years old) living in a trailer with him mom and sister, Pia (9 years old). Life for Pablo isn’t ideal. His mother is doing the best she can with the little she has and that means they don’t live in the lap of luxury. Money is tight and with that, poor Pablo is usually the victim of bullying because his cheap $20 shoes usually don’t make it through the year so he has resorted to duct taping them.

Then one day while Pablo and Pia are at James Creek skipping rocks, Pablo makes a shocking discovery. Now in order to skip rocks you need to have the perfectly flat ones and Pablo knows that the best rocks are usually at the very bottom. It was during one of his dive downs he grabs what he thinks is a rock but in reality when he comes up he discovers that its a 1879 $20.00 gold coin.

Pablo knows that old coins can be worth something and he really hopes that it is and takes to the Internet to find out the truth and discovers that this coin could possibly be worth $6,000+. He knows that this money can change the family’s life for the better.

This is where the adventure begins and I have to say that I managed to devour this within a few hours. I think this would be on interest to my son and will definitely add it to my new ereader when I get it.

Thanks to Pump Up Your Promo for contacting me about this book. I love discovering new authors and debut books.