boom! Is another fantastic read by Mark Haddon. In case you didn’t realize, he also wrote the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. When I saw that Mark Haddon had written boom! I decided I had to read it. It was definitely worth the read. Admittedly, this is not a book that will change your life, or even make you ponder future decisions. It’s a nice fun Saturday afternoon read, that you will want to read again and again. Like watching Karate Kid or the Princess Bride, you just can’t get enough. You also may want to read this one with your kids, it is meant for children ages 8-10.

One of the things that makes this book so good, is the writing. The way Mark Haddon deals words out is really spot on. His descriptions are funny and informative. He will often use very short sentences to get across the mood. If his character is panicking, the sentences get shorter. And shorter. He did not over describe anything in this book (what a relief). Now, the plot is, well, it’s a children’s book, so it was fairly simplistic and unbelievable. But for Haddon, I am willing to suspend my disbelief.

p.s. Mark Haddon is from Britain, so there is a lot of British slang in this novel. Because of the British slang, I find it helps to imagine Ricky Gervais reading it to me. Most of the novel  just wouldn’t sound right in a Canadian accent.