Meet Atticus Hobart, an eighth grader who has decided that
his life is pretty much a mess and wonders how it got that way. Why did his dad just up and walk out on his
family, why does he choke up and cannot utter a word in public, why is he the
one who is constantly beat up by Danny, the school bully, will he always
silently pine for Audrey, the most beautiful girl in school? And by the way, why was he named Atticus of
all things? Just so Danny could taunt
him by calling him Fatticus?
Then into this mess and confusion, Mr. Looney appears as
their substitute teacher for the rest of the year. Not only is Mr. Looney old, he’s a bit loony
himself, and older than dirt according to Atticus. Taking the path less traveled seems to be Mr.
Looney’s teaching style. And yet there’s
something about this guy that makes Atticus want to listen to him, and not just
because Mr. Looney has a loud, clear, and strong voice. Atticus began to feel safe inside and thought
to himself, “I’d better listen up. This
voice has got something interesting to say.”
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Looney Experiment written by Luke Reynolds. It was very humorous and entertaining. When Atticus’ imagination kicked in and he
became the super hero in all kinds of situations, I actually laughed aloud. But also it presented a very strong message. In small steps Atticus left his shell of
protection and began to feel hope. This
is a book about finding things within one’s self that you didn’t know
existed. Things like courage, believing
in yourself, and the ability to manage the problems in your life.
In exchange for my review, the publisher has provided me
with a complimentary copy of this book through BookLook Bloggers.
