I really enjoyed reading A Boy Called Duct Tape. It is tough to find fun, interesting middle grade stories with a male protagonist, but this one had enough action, excitement and mystery to keep any middle grade reader engaged.
Pablo is teased by other boys at school and called "Duct Tape" because his family is so poor that he has to use duct tape to keep his shoes from falling apart. When Pablo finds a gold coin on the bottom of Harper's Hole while he is on a swimming trip with his sister, Pia, he decides that the coin must be part of a lost treasure supposedly hidden in a cave by the Jesse James Gang. Finding that treasure could solve all of his family's financial problems. Pablo's outspoken cousin, Kiki comes to town, and the three kids buy a "treasure map." They hire an eccentric guide named Monroe and go after the treasure themselves. Pablo doesn't completely trust Monroe, but they go off with him anyway on the adventure of a lifetime.
This story had so much action that it was hard not to remain invested in the story. An excellent read. ( )

I really enjoyed reading A Boy Called Duct Tape. It is tough to find fun, interesting middle grade stories with a male protagonist, but this one had enough action, excitement and mystery to keep any middle grade reader engaged.
Pablo is teased by other boys at school and called "Duct Tape" because his family is so poor that he has to use duct tape to keep his shoes from falling apart. When Pablo finds a gold coin on the bottom of Harper's Hole while he is on a swimming trip with his sister, Pia, he decides that the coin must be part of a lost treasure supposedly hidden in a cave by the Jesse James Gang. Finding that treasure could solve all of his family's financial problems. Pablo's outspoken cousin, Kiki comes to town, and the three kids buy a "treasure map." They hire an eccentric guide named Monroe and go after the treasure themselves. Pablo doesn't completely trust Monroe, but they go off with him anyway on the adventure of a lifetime.
This story had so much action that it was hard not to remain invested in the story. An excellent read. ( )

While the story was interesting and had a little bit of history in it, I, overall, found the book to be aggravating and predictable. ( )

Pablo is a pre-teen living in the middle of nowhere with his widowed mother and younger sister, Pia. He is bullied at school because his family is poor but he handles it well until the bullies start on his sister. His cousin from the city is coming to visit and all he remembers about her is that she is stuck up. When Kiki arrives he is shocked at the difference 2 years can make! She also uses her street smarts to give some mouth back to those bullies!

Pablo finds a $20 gold piece while swimming and thinks it could be part of the missing Jesse James treasure that everyone believes is somewhere around but no one has ever been able to find. The three kids buy a treasure map at the annual fair and decide that maybe it's not a fake as it has been thought to be. What follows is a truly entertaining novel written for young readers (8 -14) sure to keep them interested and entertained. Not to mention teach them a little bit along the way.

Despite the fact that the book is for younger readers I found myself engrossed in the tale of these three young explorers. I saw most of the twists and turns as will most adults but that didn't keep me from enjoying the characters and their development. The book did end with a big surprise and I'm sure it will play into the next book planned featuring these three very grounded young people.

This would make an excellent Christmas gift, birthday gift, or any day gift for your young reader! The adventure is good and more importantly the lessons taught in the midst of the story are well delivered. ( )

What child wouldn't dream of some day unearthing the possibility of buried treasure within the mountains near where you live? Sounds like an adventure for the Goonies or a young version of Indiana Jones, right?

Well in the debut novel from Christopher Cloud, A Boy Called Duct Tape, provides middle school children with an incredible story from the first page. Even though it's a young adult book, I personally LOVED it!

Pablo Perez is tired. Tired of being bullied and tired of being poor. Watching his mother work so hard for barely minimum wage and his younger sister Pia hobbling on a bad leg due to an accident that claimed the life of their father and left Pia without the proper care for her to mend. Thanks to no insurance at the time! Not only that, his mom has asked him to be careful with his Wal-Mart sneakers to make sure that they last the entire duration of high school because times are hard. Pablo has solved that problem and just adds another new layer of duct tape to keep them from falling apart. Yet that has brought him into the focus of your local high school bullies that insist on calling him duct tape because of his shoes and he's so poor, he can't afford another pair.

Seeking refuge from the heat of the day, Pablo and Pia, head to James Creek to skip stones. The best ones however lay at the bottom of Harper's Hole, a crystal clear, 20-foot deep pit in the middle of the creek. When Pia is unable to swim to the bottom for a stone, Pablo offers to get her one. When he comes to the surface instead of a rock in his hand, he discovers he holds an 1879 $20.00 gold coin. Knowing old coins can be worth a lot of money, he sets out to discover the value of this coin. What he discovers is that it could be worth $6250 dollars, more than enough money to help his mom and buy a new pair of sneakers.

Is it possible that the legend of the Lost Treasure of Jesse James lies waiting to be discovered? Is there more gold buried at the bottom of Harper's Hole? For that, you'll have to pick up a copy of this amazing book.

I received A Boy Called Duct Tape compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and Christopher Cloud for my honest review. I literally inhaled this one in a couple of hours, it was simply that great. I was flipping pages as fast as I could read them because once this one takes hold of you, it will literally hold your attention to the very end. Once I finished it, I told my 13-year-old daughter about it and she snatched this one away from me with a sparkle in her eye and a smile on her face. I would rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and think this debut author is off to a stellar start. I can only hope that there will so much more out by him soon! ( )